A black lace mantelet is a foolish and fragile thing, one of the most pointless accessories in the history of western fashion. Of course I wanted to make one!
When life gives you dinosaur bone printed sheets and orange Ikea duvet covers, you make a witchy, wench-y take on 18th Century Pastoral Fashion!
Exhibit A for what happens when one makes a new pair of regency short stays right when one is coming down with a flu and is taking lots of cold-and-flu medication. You might get what I got: a pair of regency RIBBON stays.
One of my favorite 18th Century costume references is this portrait of Olive Craster by Sir Nathanial Dance-Tolland. I love the puffy blue stomacher bows. I love the enormous pearls worn high on her neck. I love her pet squirrel. But mostly I love the lace mantelet that she is wearing over the top of all of it! When I found this embroidered silk fabric I reckoned it was MEANT. Let’s see if i can make the blonde silk gauze mantelet from the portrait!
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it another wrapping gown? It’s the Fitting and Proper Chintz Banyan! Let’s talk about how to put it together.
This 18th Century blue silk mantelet, sewn for my American Girl Felicity doll, is a special piece of clothing – it is made of memories.
How often do you have a sewing project that goes really really wrong?
In honor of the annual Spring Fertility festival, here three pairs of 18th Century Pockets! (All of them bright, colorful, vaguely egg-shaped, and perfectly designed for holding your Easter chocolates!)
My original plan for 2022 was to make a 1790s capsule wardrobe – one pattern and three gowns that would take me through any sort of event.
Let’s see how THAT worked out.
Four days ago I was handed an invitation to a birthday party with a theme: Fire and Ice. I’m almost ready.
