Read part 1 and part 2. Once I had made the bodice and skirt, I tried them both on together and discovered a problem. As soon as I started to move, the bodice popped out of the skirt. I puzzled over how to fix this …
Read part 1 and part 3. The blue underskirt is the basic skirt from Simplicity 1728, gathered all around instead of pleating the front. The aubergine overskirt is 6.5 yards of chiffon with three deep tucks in the bottom third. I calculated the tucks so …
For my 1855 ball gown I chose a royal blue cotton percale with an aubergine chiffon for the overlay, which turned out to have the most wonderful iridescent, colour-shifting effect. I used the same base pattern as my 1860s ball gown: Simplicity 1728. I shortened …
My Saturday night outfit for the 2016 Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball was Daybreak, using my yellow 1910s dress as a base. I lit up the skirt, added a cloak, jewellery and a crown. The cloak is Simplicity 1582, view D, which is actually the …
This Ragtime era dress was my re-entry into historical sewing in 2012, after not doing any at all while I was at university. It has proved to be a very versatile dress and I seem to alter it slightly every time I wear it! The …
This is my very first attempt at a Regency dress. For my inspiration I looked at earlier Regency dresses from 1800-1810, influenced by the classical statuary of ancient Greece. I used Simplicity 4055, view A, without the overskirt and with extra fabric in the back …
This is my first foray into the world of hoop skirts: an 1860s ball gown for Viennese Nights in San Diego, 2016. I learned that you have to walk differently (slow and smooth), sit differently (between the hoops) and that if your hoop skirt is …
Steampunk Elsa This is one of those rare projects which came out just how I imagined it. Usually I have to tweak the idea along the way, taking into account fabric availability and time constraints. Not this time – it all worked! I wore this …
In 2005 I made my very first major costume: a green satin colonial dress. It was very much a costume, but I did a lace overlay on the front and managed to put in the zip. I used Simplicity 5041, view D, with lace added …
In 2006 I went to my very first Renaissance Faire, and I made an entire outfit for it. I used Simplicity 8715 for the blouse (view A) and skirts (view B). For the bodice I used Butterick 6196, because I didn’t want the ties on …