Sheer Summer Dresses
Until I started looking into whether the bodice of Maddie's dress should be lined or unlined, I didn't know Sheer Dresses were a "thing". I mean, I knew there were sheer dresses....
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Maddie’s Cage Crinoline
During the hours and hours of hand sewing involved in narrow hemming bias cut dimity, I remembered that Maddie still needed a crinoline. Yes! A break from ruffle making was just what...
The History of Cage Crinolines
Women's skirts reached their greatest circumference in about 1860. But what happened before, and after, this point makes for a fascinating read. One of the most interesting articles on the topic can...
Maddie’s First Dress
In the beginning, there was a woman. Her favorite dress was sewn from a lovely piece of single bar dimity - pink stripes, light as air, and adorned with lace. She made...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...