La Mode à la Girafe
There was a time, not so very long ago, when the average person had never seen lions, zebras, alligators, or elephants in person. Prior to the development of photography, there were only...
Outside the Lines
The posts in this category are just what its label says, i.e., every single thing ever written without categorization. If you want to read straight through from the very beginning, go to the last page and work your way through backwards. The most recent posts are always added at the top of the first page.
Woven Air
A link to an article about the history of Dhaka muslin was recently shared on the French Fashion Doll Sewing Club. It was so fascinating, I wanted to make sure it was...
Maddie’s Underthings Completed
"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want." I heard this on a sports program last weekend and it resonated perfectly with regards to Maddie's slip. Because there...
Maddie Visits the Couturière
Maddie is pretty pleased with herself at the moment. Having her underthings finished means she's able to visit one of Paris's famous couturières. There's so much to see - enough fabrics and...
Doing a Good Turn
“How do you get such nice edges?” asked a fellow seamstress recently. Here’s how I answered: Logic dictates you can't get good edges without straight stitches. Although, even after fifty years of...
Perfection, Thou Art a Heartless Mistress
As I neared the final few stitches attaching the skirt to the bodice of Maddie's slip, an awful truth dawned. Something was very wrong. The skirt didn't so much hang in beautiful...
Magical Math for Doll Costumers
On any given day, doll costuming runs the gamut from origami to arts and crafts to pin the tail on the donkey. And for those of us who should be locked away...
Maddie’s Underthings Part III
Calculating the spacing between tucks, so that they’re perfectly even and so the hem appears to be one of the tucks, is a mathematical nightmare riddled with second guessing and the occasional...
Underthings Pattern by Sheryl Williams
Sheryl Williams has seen more antique doll clothing in her life than most of the rest of us combined. That's why I trust her to be historically accurate. Her patterns also fit...
The Grand Magasins of Paris
A remarkable coincidence exists in French history. On each July 14th since 1880, Bastille day has been celebrated. What's not been memorialized is the quiet entrance, on this same day, of a...