I had just enough plaid cotton fabric left over from my recent Edwardian shirtwaist project that I was able to squeeze out a cute apron from the scraps.  The apron was very quick to make, taking about a day from ideation to completion, and the gathered ruffle, bias details, and pocket add a touch of interest that my usual apron projects lack. This apron was inspired by many worn in early 1900s photographs of women and girls in Portugal. Besides the traditional woven wool aprons of the Minho region, and Richelieu embroidered aprons of Nazare, simple aprons appear in many photographs in p ..read more

  As I build out my 1890s wardrobe, it became clear that the threadbare early 1800s chemise I had been using wasn't sufficient. I wanted to make a hard-wearing cotton chemise, appropriate for 1880-1910, with washable lace trim and few bells and whistles - I'll make frothy Edwardian combinations with lace insertion and silk ribbons at another time. A search through 1880s-1910s pattern magazines, clothing ads, and auction websites revealed three categories of chemises:  the simplest style of chemise with a high neck and front button placket; sometimes the neckline and placket are tr ..read more

  I'm excited to share with you my tutorial for sewing a cartridge pleated skirt, suitable for historybounding, hobbitcore, cottagecore, and some folk costumes. Featuring historically accurate techniques like a hem facing and hem braid, this skirt is easy to sew, hard-wearing and versatile.  In my tutorial video, I show how to calculate yardage for this skirt, how to sew cartridge pleats, how to sew cartridge pleats to a waistband or tape, and how to embellish this type of skirt. Not only have I made this type of skirt several times now... but I realized that I paired each skirt ..read more

Below is the description of a winter outfit from the February 1897 issue of the Delineator magazine. The Delineator was founded by the Butterick Publishing Company to advertise Butterick sewing patterns. The magazines also included sewing and millinery tutorials, fashion advice, needlework patterns, housekeeping tips, and social news. Click here to read scans of The Delineator from the 1880s to 1930s.  Period magazines and advertisements like this are a great way to better understand how garments were made and fabrics used. They provide context on how and where the outfits sho ..read more

  After making a few different types of shirtwaists, my 1890s wardrobe was in desperate need of cold weather wear and the distinct, interesting bodices that were so prevalent. Seriously, late 1800s - early 1900s bodices are abundant on eBay and Etsy, in a wide variety of styles and fabrics. Many of these bodices make use of small amounts of contrasting fabrics and lush trims. They can match or coordinate with the skirts, and are an easy alternative to layering a jacket over a shirtwaist - you don't have to wrangle layers of sleeves! Bodices from 1890-1910 commonly featured tall, stiff c ..read more

I needed a "quick win" type project in the middle of some more challenging makes, and decided that an Edwardian shirtwaist with pintucks, bias details, and lots of pattern modifications would be relaxing. It was a challenge, but indeed relaxing! I was inspired to copy the blouse in this photo of a young woman from Almeirim, Portugal. This photo is from the Arquivos do Povo em Portugal Facebook page, a crowdsourced digital archive of Portuguese music, clothing, and traditions. It's especially fun to see the intersection of clothing trends from English-speaking nations and national folk cos ..read more

Once I had the mockup sorted out for my 1880s bodice - I used the Laughing Moon 1890s pattern as my starting point - I could move on to construction. The bodice was made from a polyester brocade fabric flatlined in white cotton. I carefully arranged the pattern pieces on the floral motifs of the brocade to get mirror images of the motifs. The brocade design has a very large repeat, so I prioritized using a reasonable amount of fabric over having perfectly mirrored motifs - I still needed a lot of fabric for the bustle skirt!  Each seam was bound with rayon seam binding, sewn on with ..read more

I recently finished McCalls 7974, a popular pattern for a button-front dress with a midriff, pockets, length variations, and sleeve variations (including a super cute keyhole sleeve). I made the skirt length of View C with the keyhole sleeve from View A. I used a pink floral Sevenberry cotton lawn from Fabric Mart Fabrics. Alterations I pinched about 1/4" from the front neckline. I shortened the bodice by 1/2". I also raised the neckline by about an inch. I found that my fabric was a bit sheer, so halfway through construction I decided to add a lining. I used the very last of my white pim ..read more

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