American Duchess Historic Shoes Blog
1765 Robe a la Bon Bon - Progress on the Gown
The sacque back is looking swell I've been sewing on-and-off on my new sacque for a few weeks now. I only have the weekends to fiddle these days, but luckily...
1760s Robe a la Bon Bon - The Petticoat
Finished sacque petticoat over pocket hoops I've been steadily progressing on my new sacque, using the Simplicity 8578 Robe a la Francaise pattern we released December 2017. Since I already...
A *New* 1760s Robe a la Bon Bon (or Sacque-a-Macarons?)
I have a confession to make. I admit to feeling quite jealous whenever I see Abby dressed in the pink and white 1768 sacque from The American Duchess Guide. To...
2017 - Costuming Year in Review
Jane Austen Festival, 2017. Photo by Tony Tumbusch. It's that time - that year-end-year-beginning-blog-post time. This year I feel I was a terrible blogger. One of the side effects of...
CORRECTION - 1780s Cap Pattern - American Duchess Guide
Hi gals! We've been alerted to a flaw in the 1780s cap pattern from "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking," so before you all tear your pomaded-and-powdered hair...
{Video} Wherein Lauren & Abby Get Racked
...or Racked gets Lauren'd & Abby'd. ;-) In early December, Abby and I took our annual trip to New York City to do *all the things.* One of the things...
Simplicity 8578 and 8579 - TWO new 18th Century Patterns!
Ladies, we are SO excited to finally announce two new 18th century American Duchess patterns from Simplicity! Simplicity 8578 is the Robe a la Francaise (Sacque) and petticoat and Simplicity...
BOOK RELEASE: The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking
Today's the big day! Our book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking: How to Handsew Georgian Gowns and Wear The with Style has officially been released! While you...
NEW! Special Edition "Dunmore" 18th c. Shoes in Red/White
This year, we've created a special shoe to coincide with the launch of our new book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking. The idea came about from the...
The American Duchess Guide: Behind the Scenes With The 1760s Sacque Gown {Video}
Our c. 1768 sacque gown created for The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking, made for and modeled by Abby Cox. You can create this or your own creative...
The American Duchess Guide - Previews!
Lovelies, we are so excited to finally be able to give you all a sneak preview and some behind-the-scenes info on our upcoming book, The American Duchess Guide to 18th...
The "Jane Austen Goes to Ikea and then to Jane Austen Festival" Gown
This year was my first visit to Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, at beautiful Locust Grove historic site. I had been to Locust Grove before on a rainy November...