The inventory of Mrs. Ann Bamford includes lots of "night gowns". I think I've counted seven, most made from cotton or muslin, but some made up of fancy silk fabrics. The 18th century night gown was not a garment to sleep in, but closer to what we might call an evening gown. However, there is… Continue reading Bow-Chicka-Brown Gown!
Category: Tutorial
Does my bum look big in this?
So, once upon I time I was signed up for a steampunk larp. Steampunk is kind of retro-scifi. Can you imagine how people used to think the future would be 150 years ago? Yup, that's steampunk. Sort of. Now, the larp was cancelled, but I still got to enjoy some period appropriate shaping underwear! The… Continue reading Does my bum look big in this?
A bit of a skirt
I like skirts. I like dresses too, but skirts are so simple to sew, and can be used with everything. I wear them on top of dresses, with blouses, sweaters, T-shirts and a cardigal... So I thought I'd teach you the simplest way of making a skirt. This is the most useful skirt. It can… Continue reading A bit of a skirt
We’ve come full circle!
I love the circle skirt. It should be on the curriculum of every school, it is the best combination of maths, arts and crafts and history ever! Did you know that the circle skirt, which was important to Christian Dior's "New Look" from 1947, was so provocative and problematic in the 1950s that Queen Elizabeth… Continue reading We’ve come full circle!
What is indeed up in the hood?
What do you do when you live in one of Norway's wettest cities, and the forecast promises that the heavenly sluices will open on the National day, when I'm going to be parading the streets for hours? Sensible, or less patriotic, people would have stayed at home. I, however, am not a girl to miss… Continue reading What is indeed up in the hood?
THE MOST USEFUL SKIRT PATTERN YOU WILL EVER FIND!
This is not an exaggeration! Have you ever wanted a really large and nice skirt that took little time to make, that was adjustable, and that looked really fancy? LOOK NO FURTHER. 18th century petticoats, my darlings. I made two, in one evening, sewing by hand. How, you ask? Why, the secret is simple, flat… Continue reading THE MOST USEFUL SKIRT PATTERN YOU WILL EVER FIND!
About hold-in and push-up!
It took hundreds of hours and millions of stitches, but these are my hand sewn 18th century stays! And here is how they were made: I used this pattern, and did the 1780s model, as it had the supportive "flaps" over the hips to help carry the weight of petticoats and dresses. First, I made… Continue reading About hold-in and push-up!
Gore galore!
Chemise number two! Done exactly the same way as the first one, only without sleeves, and it works really well. Need ironing, other than that it's done! Here follows a small tutorial on how to do side-gores on skirts and dresses. This is by no means the only way to do this, but it's my… Continue reading Gore galore!
Good chemise-try!
Here we go again... Once more, I am putting pictures of myself in my underwear online. This blog should come with some kind of warning... This is a chemise or underdress. It's made much the same way I make most of my medieval tunics, using rectangles, squares and triangles, making the most of the fabric… Continue reading Good chemise-try!
The Petticoated Swashbuckler 