All posts filed under: My Sewing

A Regency Era Photoshoot

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What do you get when you take two friends, a plethora of historical gowns, and two large Pumpkin Spice Lattes?  A wonderfully fun time with some fabulous pictures to prove it!  A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to photograph a large portion of my historical gown stock using real life models.  So armed with a fully charged camera, my friend Cassandra and I braved the rainy and slightly chilly elements over the past two weekends to photograph some really stunning images!  And since there are so many pictures to see, I will just get right to it!!   I hope you enjoy!!! Oh and one last picture of Cassandra discovering the most perfect fall leaf of all….lovingly named “Leif Erikson” All of these gowns are available on my Etsy Shop! I hope you enjoyed these photos as they were an absolute delight to take! Have a fabulous Monday!!    

How to Create a Skirt Placket

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Knowing how to create a skirt placket is a very easy, yet very vital skill when it comes to sewing.  Whether you sew historical pieces, vintage or modern, a properly sewn placket adds a crisp and tailored look! Begin by taking a 4 inch wide piece of fabric and cut it as as long as you need. I usually cut my plackets 4″ x 10″, but it is up to you. Then press down the top of one long side. Now this part is the key to a properly constructed placket!  Take your skirt and identify where you want the placket: center back, side, front.  Cut the skirt half the measurement of the placket. For example, I will have my cut go down 5″.  Then pin the placket to the edge of this cut, right sides together.   Line up the raw edges until around 2″ on either side of the middle of the cut, then begin to pin the placket 1/4″ above the skirt.  See the pictures below…the skirt is on top of the placket. …

A Photography Session in the Woods…

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After a solid week of sewing for 12 hours a day, I was able to meet my goal of sewing seven Regency Era pieces!  It was a big accomplishment and one not likely to be tried again…at least for a few weeks! 🙂   After finishing all these pieces, I really wanted to take their pictures outside.  Up to this point, all pictures of my gowns have been taken in my sewing studio, but this time, I wanted something different.  Not to far from my house is a little park that I knew would be the perfect place.  So early one morning, I loaded up my car and took off for a little adventure.  Despite the fact I really should have worn boots (mud galore), the overall experience was wonderful, and I am very pleased with my first attempt at outdoor photography! I hope you enjoy! Have a wonderful day everyone!!  

Intro to Sewing Video Series: Using Patterns from Books

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This week we will complete the sewing patterns series by focusing on patterns one can create from books.  Once I began delving into this type of pattern creation and design, my sewing really began to flourish!  While it may seem daunting and a little confusing at first, with a little time, patience, and some discount fabric, pattern creation from books can be extremely rewarding! In today’s video I will cover: The differences between patterns from a book versus a ready made pattern My favorite historical fashion books ( list and links will be under the video) How to create and store your patterns Pros and Cons of sewing from books Alright, let’s get started! My Favorite Historical Pattern Books 17th Century Women’s Dress Patterns Volume 2 Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion Series The Voice of Fashion: 79 Turn of the Century Patterns The One Hour Dress – My Post on a Mockup of the One Hour Dress Dress Cutting – 1930’s Patterns Aimee’s Vintage Armoire: 1940-1950 Oh and those hooks I couldn’t think of….I meant Command hooks! 🙂 I …

Intro to Sewing Video Series: Intro to PDF Patterns

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Today’s topic may either instill excitement or dread: print-out-your-own PDF patterns!  Perhaps you have never tried, or perhaps you have had limited luck, or perhaps you are one of those lucky few who have had nothing but success.  Either way, today is all about helping you understand this wonderful sewing pattern option. In today’s video I will discuss the following topics: What are PDF or downloadable patterns How to store these patterns Digital patterns Pros and Cons of PDF patterns And just like last week, I will list out my favorite PDF/Digital pattern companies and their links below this video. Enjoy! My Favorite PDF/Digital Pattern Companies Sensibility Patterns Mrs. Depew E Vintage Patterns Wearing History E-Patterns Aimee’s Victorian Armoire Please remember to read out all the instructions of how to create the patterns BEFORE purchasing.  That way you can try to avoid an unhappy experience. My Tricks of the Trade on How to Assemble and Work with PDF Patterns Read all instructions BEFORE printing out the pattern. Make sure you have plenty of ink and paper in …

Intro to Sewing Video Series: Paper Patterns

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Hello my friends! Today we start the first part of a three part series focusing on the many ways to find, create, understand, and store sewing patterns.  In this ten minute video, I will focus on the following topics: How to read the back of commercial sewing patterns How to care for and store commercial sewing patterns How to read and store historical sewing patterns from specialized pattern companies Tips to remember when working with vintage patterns The Pros and Cons for purchasing, working with, and storing paper patterns My favorite paper pattern companies are listed below this video! Commercial Patterns Simplicity Patterns McCalls Patterns Butterick Patterns Vogue Patterns Historical Sewing Patterns Period Impressions Past Patterns Sense and Sensibility Patterns Laughing Moon Mercantile I hope this has helped you understand the major differences and similarities of paper patterns, along with a few different ways to keep track of everything! 🙂 Next Friday’s video, will focus on downloadable PDF sewing patterns! Have a wonderful day!  

Buttons, Buttonholes, and lots of Stress

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There are (and probably always will be) two sewing skills that I will struggle with for my entire sewing career.  I may have become much better at executing this skills, however, I don’t think I will ever get over the stress associated with them.  What are these most painful parts of my sewing? Well, they are zippers and buttonholes.  I don’t like them.  I don’t enjoy them.  And they most definitely are something that I wish I could avoid.  However, I can’t and I have come to a tentative peace agreement with them, and am working hard to gain more confidence.  So in a step to get over my fear, I have decided to create a whole post on one of these areas….the buttonhole. Despite my personal feelings about them, buttonholes have longed been used to add interest to gowns in addition to their more practical use of closing up the garment.  When I first began sewing, and began my struggle with buttonholes on the machine, I thought it would be easier to learn to hand …

1940’s Salmon Pink Suit

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This was such a fun outfit to make!  I mean, like super fun!  I was browsing through one of my 1940’s pattern reference books and came across a suit which featured three waist darts which had been top stitched.  I thought it was such a feminine take on a blazer jacket and went to work creating a pattern and putting it together. Well several 1950’s musicals and one DVD of I Love Lucy Season 5 later, I was done!  I paired the suit with a light cream blouse I already owned, and put with the gored skirt….well my little heart just about palpitated out of my chest! 🙂 And while I absolutely adore this creation, I ended up creating it a little too big for myself….so I put it up for sale on my Etsy Shop for someone else to love and enjoy! In addition, I also wanted to share with you all some lovely closeups of this very fun little project! Enjoy your Wednesday!