A Fractured Fairytale

My first completed project of 2018 is a cream satin late 1780s/early 1790s faux fur-trimmed mantle and matching muff. You’d think by now I’d have enough  18^th century capes and cloaks, but there is so much variety in the accessories of the last quarter of the century, and I want to make them all! Read more...

Early last November, I made the seven-hour trek down to Williamsburg to attend my first Burnley and Trowbridge workshop, “A Fitting Jacket”. I’d been interested in them for years, but never worked up the courage to attend. Either the timing didn’t work for me, or I was too intimidated to sign up. Of course, I shouldn’t have worried. It was challenging in some ways but in the end, it was a wonderful experience.
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When I decided to take my first Burnley and Trowbridge workshop last year, I knew I wanted a new pair of stays. M my older stays didn’t fit my body as nicely as before, and I knew I would need something more comfortable to wear during the three days of fittings. Also, I wanted to experiment with a later style of stay. Inspired by several extant examples of pale pink and beige stays from this period, I decided to make a mid to late 1780s pair with front lacing and wide curved front piece using some lovely linen from my stash. Read more...

Now that I’ve shared some photos and some of the images that inspired it, here are some construction details for my early 1780s riding habit. Read more...

When I was trying to decide what to wear to Colonial Williamsburg last fall, I couldn’t get the idea of a riding habit out of my head. I’ve always envisioned wearing a habit surrounded by gorgeous fall foliage, and I figured this was the perfect opportunity. My blue-green habit no longer fits very well, so I decided to pick up my long-abandoned pink and grey habit project. I already had the shirt from my first habit, the grey wool petticoat and pink silk waistcoat assembled, and a pattern for the jacket started. Of course, once I tried everything on again, I quickly realized the pattern I made three years ago would not work and the waistcoat needed completely remade. So much for a quick project! Thankfully, I loved the way my aqua striped waistcoat looked with the grey wool, so I could focus patterning and constructing a new jacket to go with them. Read more...