After looking through my closet, under the bed and other places that my costume end up hiding I realized I never got around to making a late Elizabethan corset or pair of bodies. A tragedy that must be remedied. The Tudor Tailor book has three or four patterns for late Elizabethan corsets, but as with… Read More A Pair of Bodies
We all have old projects lurking in the back of the closet, things we made when the scissors were still fresh and sharp and we knew just enough about sewing to be dangerous. They are given away. They no longer fit and gather dust as we move on to new projects, better fabrics. This… Read More Pink Kirtle
I pad-stitched my layers of bombast (warm and natural cotton quilt batting) together, leaving the seam allowances intact. I don’t know if the stitching will cause the layers to shrink, and I can always trim them down later. I am only padding out the front of the bodice, one layer going over the bust and… Read More The Red Pisa Gown: Building the Bodice Part 2
I took out my bodice block and traced off the pattern, tweaking it along the way. I cut a new mock up out of muslin/calico and fitted it. I don’t have any photos of the fitting, as I’ve been using the bodice block for some time now and finally have it more or less fitting… Read More The Red Pisa Gown: Building the Bodice Part 1
A few years ago, ok actually make that five years ago? A drool worthy book called “Moda a Firenze 1540-1580: Lo stile di Eleonora di Toledo e la sua influenza”, hit the shelves and sent many costumers and researchers into a fit of joyous ecstasy. I was one of them, however I didn’t have the… Read More The Red Pisa Gown
Several months ago www.fabric.com was having a wonderful sale and I was able to snag some dark coral silk taffeta for a song. It came in the mail and I petted it and held back the urge to roll in it like a colt in the grass. (Taffeta wrinkles, grass does not.) So I stuck… Read More When silk taffeta comes home to roost.
A few weekends ago I visited my local Ren faire, how could I resist when the weekend theme was Italian Carnival? This dress is a few years old now but I finally have decent photos of it which can be found here in the costume section.
How cool is this? CUT! Costume and the Cinema “Walk through five centuries of cinematic couture. Experience the history of style and history itself. Breathe in the sumptuous fabrics. Step into the shoes of famous film stars. An experience like no other awaits visitors to the exhibition CUT! Costume and the Cinema. The films represented… Read More Movie Costume Exhibit in St. Petersburg Florida
I finished my English fitted gown and it now has its own section in the costume gallery. There is no dress diary this time as it was a stop and go project that I worked on when I had time. I am working on adding other costumes to the gallery as well, it is just… Read More Site Updates
A few years ago I had a chance to go to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida. Amidst the Baroque art, circus memories, and lush grounds there was a small collection of miniatures that caught my eye. At first glance I thought “Pift, I’ve seen Hillard’s work no one can compare.” Then I looked closer… Read More Tiny Marvels