Painter to the Queen
If you look closely at the photos of Maddie's first dress, you'll see a wonderful piece of art on her wall. I chose it specially for her because I thought it was...
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Seventy-Seven Stitches
The ruffles are done, the hooks and thread loops have been sewn, and the gathering threads for the cartridge pleats have been stitched. There are seventy-seven pleats. Which means there are exactly...
Maddie’s First Dress Completed
The moment of truth has arrived, and the news is not good. The dress gets about a C+, which isn't the most auspicious beginning to a costuming blog but there you have...
Crazy for Flowers
When Georges-Eugène Haussmann began his renovations of Paris in 1853, the effect on her residents was immediate. However, nothing impacted the public more than the explosion of light and flowers created by...
The Dirty Little Secret of the Paris Opera
The Palais Garnier was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875, at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III. Like many of Paris’s newly refurbished establishments, what it offered to the public was far...
The Best Old Things Money Can Buy
One of my very favorite humans in the world was Diane Cucci. Not only did she love, love, LOVE old fabrics and trims, she knew where to get amazing stuff. She was...
The Joy of Old Things
There's something very gratifying about finally using your stash. But there's more to the satisfaction I'm feeling than that. Old things aren't just old, they're different than their contemporary counterparts. They were...
Hemingway, Cats, and Me
The first dress for any doll is always a learning dress, because a new doll means fashions I haven’t sewn before and techniques I’m not familiar with. I never use my favorite...
The Headache of Sleeves
Even after fifty odd years of sewing, drafting a sleeve pattern is still a challenge. It starts, the night before, with trepidation. "Stop worrying," I tell myself as I toss around in...
Another Small Step
Some days I need to remind myself that it’s okay to just keep plugging along - even if it's at a snail’s pace. I think we all do. Maddie’s dress is coming...