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A Visit to Historic Locust Grove, 1790

A Visit to Historic Locust Grove, 1790

It was raining this day, but the house was no less beautiful. This is actually the rear of the house, with a reconstructed porch. The last day of my Tennessee...
American Duchess
Tagged: Miscellany
A Visit to The Hermitage and Union Station - Tennessee

A Visit to The Hermitage and Union Station - Tennessee

During my visit to Tennessee, Maggie and I visited The Hermitage, the stately home of President Andrew Jackson. Via I was overwhelmed with awesome, and my only regret is not...
American Duchess
Tagged: Miscellany
Duchie Awards for Excellence in Historical Costuming and Bloggery

Duchie Awards for Excellence in Historical Costuming and Bloggery

I would like to give an award to my favorite three costume blogs right now, which is actually a really hard thing to do because I follow at least a...
American Duchess
Tagged: Miscellany
Prepping For Valhalla Renaissance Faire, 2011

Prepping For Valhalla Renaissance Faire, 2011

I made this jacket last year, from a pattern in "The Tudor Tailor" (there's also one in "Cut of Women's Clothes I believe, and some other places). The partlet is...
American Duchess
Making a Workable Dress Form - or - The Violent Transformation of Franken-Lilly

Making a Workable Dress Form - or - The Violent Transformation of Franken-Lilly

This is Lilly straight out of the box. Lilly is a dress display mannequin, as opposed to a dressmaker's form. She has a nice jersey cover over a molded, hard...
American Duchess
Tagged: How-To Miscellany
The Victorian Steampunk Ball ... (If You're In The Reno Area)

The Victorian Steampunk Ball ... (If You're In The Reno Area)

If you happen to be in the Northern California or Northern Nevada areas, check out this event. It's going to be *awesome,* and I know that, because I'm part of...
American Duchess
Bits and Bobs ... and Life After Those Shoes

Bits and Bobs ... and Life After Those Shoes

So what the heck do I post about after all that craziness with the Georgiana shoes? Life's returning to normal, but I'm still quite excited: We met the 100 shoe...
American Duchess
The Paperie - Custom Wedding Invitations by American Duchess

The Paperie - Custom Wedding Invitations by American Duchess

I wanted to share with you guys another recent venture. It's not related to costuming, but does have a feeble link to pretty dresses :-). It's a new business in...
American Duchess
Tagged: Miscellany
Historical Costuming vs. Historical Re-Enactment:  What's the Difference?

Historical Costuming vs. Historical Re-Enactment: What's the Difference?

A re-enactor would never be caught dead in modern sunglasses and inaccurate mary jane shoes I'll be honest with you guys. This morning I received a forwarded e-mail attacking me...
American Duchess
Tagged: Miscellany
"Why Don't I Look Right?" : Getting The Look Spot-On with Historical Costumes

"Why Don't I Look Right?" : Getting The Look Spot-On with Historical Costumes

I often get questions, or read comment threads, about why a historical ensemble doesn't look just right, and it's got me thinking about the things to consider when putting together...
American Duchess
Tagged: How-To Miscellany
What's Next in the World of Historical Costuming?

What's Next in the World of Historical Costuming?

Downton Abbey, 2010 No doubt our hobby of historical costuming follows trends, and usually it is very influenced by what period films have or will be coming out. For awhile...
American Duchess
Tagged: Miscellany
Costume Modeling with Ron, a Photo Shoot for Future Paintings

Costume Modeling with Ron, a Photo Shoot for Future Paintings

Last weekend I had the pleasure of pulling *almost* every costume I still have out of my closet and modeling them for an outstanding illustrator, Ron Spears, who wanted to...
American Duchess