Silk Satin Birthday Dress

A mid-1780s silk satin and taffeta dress.

 

Inspiration & Resources

Useful Books & Links Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion: English Women's Dresses and Their Construction, c.1660-1860. New York: Drama Book, 1984.

Baumgarten, Linda. Costume Close-Up: Clothing Construction and Pattern 1750-1790. Williamsburg, Va.: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1999.

Bradfield, Nancy. Costume In Detail: Women's Dress 1730-1930. Plays, Inc., 1985.

Related Blog Posts

The Start of Something Fluffy

The Start of Something Fluffy

So my posting resolution wasnt quite successful, but we will pretend that Sunday still counts last week, ok?
Can't talk. Must sew.

Can't talk. Must sew.

With my Williamsburg deadline less than three weeks away, sewing has taken top priority. I’m thoroughly impressed with people who can manage to sew and blog at the same time. I don’t seem to have that talent, so until I get some projects off my plate, I will share a sneak peek at my new satin birthday dress.
Gala Worthy

Gala Worthy

No progress on my 1790s stuff yet. After I wrote my last post, I realized that while my Costume College stuff was wearable, I still had a few tweaks I wanted to make and with only 6 weeks to go, I decided to put that first rather than stress myself out by waiting until the last minute. I am not a fan of last minute sewing.
Costume College - Saturday

Costume College - Saturday

Continuing with my brief Costume College recap, Saturday started with another fun class taught by Janea Whitacer – Making Friends with Your Thimble. I had attempted to take Janea’s classes for several years but never managed to get in. This year I was super lucky and got both! The thimble class was really informative. Not only did we learn the proper way to sew with a thimble (being self-taught, I had never figured this out), but we also went over the most efficient ways to sew, as well as learned some 18th century stitches and seam techniques.