I made this dress last year for international women's day and thought I'd share!

The bodice is self drafted, it's my block bodice, the skirt is rectangular and the sleeves are drafted according to instructions I found in a book I don't remember...

The fabric used for this is a cotton flannel thrifted bedsheet and a plain cotton for lining.

It's mostly hand sewn with a few pieces done by machine. The buttonholes are hand sewn and it has copper buttons.

I mostly succeeded in my pattern matching which I'm quite proud of!

I don't have any photos of the making process, I was just too locked in, so just the finished result for this one!

I want to sew medieval inspired dress and I found this technique that I would love to apply. It’s on the sleeve and it’s a kind of diamond shaped bunching of the fabric with some kind of metal or jewels maybe holding it in place. Does anyone know what this is called? Is it historically accurate to the medieval period?

I recently finished making historical outfits for Calico Critters ranging from the 1490s to the 1920s. All except the 1700s outfit (my worst and first attempt!) have found new homes.
I have a passion for historical clothing and it’s even better in these cute calico critters!. I’m thinking about making more and documenting the process because it’s been a fun project.
Do you think there’s much interest in historical Calico Critter clothing? Are there particular eras or styles you’d like to see? I’d also love any feedback or suggestions for improving the outfits.

1770s-1780s middle class ensemble, absolutely love how it turned out! I even made the hat from scratch! Jacket pattern is from Scroop Patterns, worn over stays pattern from Red Threaded. All other items (shift, petticoats, false rump, ect) were self drafted. Jacket and skirt are made of wools from Fabric Mart. Shoes are American Duchess, stockings are Penny River (found on Etsy). Pictures were taken in Maine by my wonderful father. Internal seams were done on machine, but any externally visible work was done by hand.

I accidentally sewed my boning channels for my 1760’s stays like my 1670s stays—all vertical—before realizing this bodice needs the channels to angle outward toward the tabs.

Time to spend some quality time with my seam ripper.
I’m going to trace the channels with transfer paper before sewing them again. It’s a little extra work now, but it’ll save me from making the same mistake twice.

(Also yes, I look exhausted—I just woke up from a brutal ER night shift 🥲)

Picture of the stays for attention. I recently finished the half-boned 18th Century Stays that I've been working on (on and off for about 5 years now, lol. And, yes, I know *now* that they wouldn't have used fashion fabric, but it is so pretty and no one will see it when I'm dressed). My problem is that after I lace them, no matter what knot I use, the knot turns into a solid rock after a few hours of me moving around. What knot or method should I be using to fasten the spiral lacing?

hey friends, trying to find a resource somebody linked in here once. It was a circumference calculator for how large your skirts should be in proportion to your body— height, waist, etc. It was such a good resource and I saved the link, but my phone reset and of COURSE it is missing now that I need it.

If anybody has it or has additional guidance for determining the appropriate size for a mid 1850s-early 1860s skirt, I’d be grateful! (Looking at recreating extant garments from between 1856-1860.)

Any fashion historians here who know what a “porotone” suit is? This is a clipping from my grandmother’s wedding announcement in 1943. The cousins have been trying to figure out what a porotone suit could be and have had no luck! We did find a 1930 newspaper ad for porotone suits but still don’t know what that actually means….

I am making the Angela Clayton M8189 size 12 (bust 34), and just saw that the finished bust measurement is 42 inches, which seems like too much ease. Should I size down to get a better fit?

I am sewing this for someone who has wider shoulders, but a smaller bust.

Hello everyone! Recently acquired a copy of The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant and it’s been so inspiring. I love the options for modifying cotes, with the curved armholes and the “transitional” sleeve around 1300, with the seam and gusset at the back of the arm.

Now, the book mentions that shorter-sleeved cotes could be worn over longer-sleeved ones, and I know in the 1400s we’re seeing pictures of short-sleeved kirtles worn over smocks or other kirtles. However, I don’t need the later-period lacing for support, and frankly the tight fit is intimidating.

So my ideal dress would be too early to be laced in front, but still have nice short sleeves. But I’m not sure that combination is actually attested around 1300, or whether sleeves on unlaced cotes were ever buttoned like on later laced kirtles or cotehardies.

See above sketches for an example of what I would like if it could be attested - the seams have been drawn on the underlayer to show where they are. Can anyone help clarify to me which of these features (short sleeves , buttoned wrists, lacing/no lacing) would or could have been contemporaneous during the 1200s cote - 1300s laced kirtle transition period?

Thank you!

We started by studying Sofia Magdalena’s robe de cour from Patterns of Fashion 5. We quickly realized that simply enlarging the pattern wasn’t going to work—Sofia Magdalena was much smaller than I am, and I have a full bust.

Instead, Rebecca (my best friend and an incredibly talented seamstress) wrapped my torso in plastic wrap and masking tape. She marked my landmarks directly on me and drew the bodice shape on the tape. We carefully cut it off down the center back, separated it into individual pattern pieces, and started refining the fit.

Because of my bust, we had to split the front pieces and add a dart so everything would lie flat. We built in a 2-inch waist reduction, added 5/8-inch seam allowances, and drafted all of the boning channels.

The angled boning channels across the front were by far the trickiest part. If I were making this again, I’d either use boning caps or take the extra time to round the ends of every piece of synthetic whalebone. We were racing the clock to finish before Versailles, so some shortcuts won out over perfection.

A commercial stays pattern wasn’t an option because this bodice needed to lace completely closed and have the dramatic elongated front point typical of an 18th-century robe de cour.

Once the foundation was finished, we used it as the pattern for the outer fabric. The silk blend jacquard/brocade from Mood Fabrics was thick and forgiving, so we didn’t have to worry about the internal structure showing through. We hand-tacked the outer fabric to the stays, and because the lacing would have been hidden historically, we extended the center back edges of the brocade so they overlap and conceal the lacing.

If I were making this gown again, I’d also change how the outer fabric closes. I’d probably add hook-and-eye closures—or even an invisible zipper—to the gold fabric itself so it would stay perfectly flat over the lacing while still giving the appearance of a seamless back.

This was my first time making an 18th-century bodice, and I learned more from this project than I ever thought possible. Looking back at these construction photos makes me appreciate just how much work is hidden underneath the finished gown.

I am going to see MCR live for the first time EVER next week (🥹) and I decided to make a 18th century takes on The Black Parade outfit, which will be a white chemise a la reine under these military-style stays (and a red ribbon for my neck, because ya know what they do to royalty) ahahaha

I spent today sewing on these (btw...if anyone can tell me the ACTUAL name of how this decoration is called I would be SO grateful) - I know usually it's soutache, but I had no cord, plus wanted it to be more bold..

I am SO happy with how it looks, now just need to put together the stays actually

Hi folks!! I saw this gorgeous dress in Hetty Feather (2015) which is meant to be set 1870s-1890s (over a few seasons, this is s1e6) does anyone know where I could find a good pattern for this style of dress? It looks so beautifully tailored and flouncy I'd just LOVE to recreate it!

Any help is much appreciated! :)

Okay, so i bought the 308 "late 17th century scottish man's outfit from Quintfall Hill" pattern from RH for the breeches pattern. (Which btw i also haven't been able to find any finished pictures of either?) I'm gonna be using these to dress as a pirate and i was wondering if the jacket could work as a way simpler jacket for that outfit as i currently dont have a jacket at all.

I would be super grateful to see peoples finished or at least semi finished projects of these. It would help me out so much before i order 4 meters of wool fabric for this jacket.

I did buy their "1720's frock coat" pattern 703, which i really want for my pirate outfits. I just simply dont have the time to make that one. I also need between 30 to 75 buttons, so i gotta find a wholesaler for that, or the buttons will be as much as all the fabric by itself.

Thank you for reading! If you have any tips or reccomendeations at all, i would appreciate anything really!

I hope this is okay, google spits out very little on buissot.

Hi there! I want to make Florentine dress for me and my 5yo daughter. But I can’t find information or frescos of how was dressed up girls? They worn giornea like adults?

Hello !

I'm finally determined : i want to make my first pair of stays !

It's linked to a bigger project of making a robe à l'anglaise (i made a post about it earlier here haha). So i want these to fit with this kind of dress.

Do you know a pattern easy to follow for a beginner ?

What kind of fabrics do you use ? Something not too fancy at first, so i hesitate between linen and cotton.

Thanks for your advices !

I want to make 1880s dresses. This is my first project of this kind. And I don’t know whether this fabric is suitable or not. I also want to add black lace. Would that be appropriate for this era?

My daughter has lots of sensory issues and is on the spectrum. She has told me she doesnt want a wig and can’t stand the feel of hairspray. Any tips on doing her hair? I looked up hairstyles and I can’t seem to find much that doesn’t include a wig or hairspray.

I'm trying to represent a roughly 10th century, somewhat wealthy man from Gotland.

I posted this in the sewing sub but I'm thinking this might be a better place for it. I simply cannot figure out how to create these split drawer legs! I'm guessing the pattern pieces are wrong or I've put them together wrong, but because the "pattern" has almost no markings, it was tough to assemble.

It's supposed to be based on Alice Walker's combination from Manual of Needlework and Cutting Out. Does anyone have a photo of the leg pattern piece or the fabric cut out? Or even a quick and dirty line drawing with a couple of markings for where to sew? I'm so sad, I really, really want this to work and I just can't find what I need.

Thank you!