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Vintage 12-in-12 and a Great Many New Old Patterns

Vintage 12-in-12 and a Great Many New Old Patterns

Yesterday was a glorious day: I got my hands on 43 vintage dress patterns from the 1950s and early 60s. All of them are fab, some more my style than...
American Duchess
Tagged: Vintage
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
On Wiglets and Hair Pieces, Part 1

On Wiglets and Hair Pieces, Part 1

I say "Part 1" because this is a work in progress. I would also like to say up front that I am not a hair genius, in fact I suck...
American Duchess
Revolution Dress - About Those Stays

Revolution Dress - About Those Stays

The Dreamstress asked me to share a little about the stays I've been working on. Those extra grommets at the bottom are me messing up. Ignore those, pls. :-) I...
American Duchess
Revolution Dress - A Better Idea of What the Heck I'm Doing

Revolution Dress - A Better Idea of What the Heck I'm Doing

The idea of how this gown, "the Revolution Dress," is going to come together has been milling around in my head for a couple weeks now, in a somewhat nebulous...
American Duchess
Revolution Dress - Undies!

Revolution Dress - Undies!

This is just a quick post on underwear, in all its glory. As you know, I've started this latest 18th c. gown project with the basics, a proper set of...
American Duchess
18th Century Figurines - Capodimonte and the Crown N Mark

18th Century Figurines - Capodimonte and the Crown N Mark

Who doesn't love little Georgian figurines? Visit an antiques fair and you'll see literally thousands of the little things, all in various degree of quality. They became extremely popular in...
American Duchess
The Revolution Dress - Beginnings, Again

The Revolution Dress - Beginnings, Again

Last time, I wrote about a new 18th c. project concerning a Robe Retroussee dans les Poches, but since then the project has been morphing and smooshing around trying to...
American Duchess
Starting Small on a Big New 18th c. Project

Starting Small on a Big New 18th c. Project

I finally have a new 18th c. project in mind, yay! I want to make a striped red Robe a l'Anglaise, but to be worn either polonaise'd (verb) or "dans...
American Duchess
Back From the Dead , and Some Shoe News

Back From the Dead , and Some Shoe News

I haven't been blogging, I'm sorry, but I've been SO ill. I do have things to tell you guys about - the Madame X gown I didn't get to wear,...
American Duchess
Tagged: Shoes
Historical Footwear - News, and Looking at Edwardian Styles

Historical Footwear - News, and Looking at Edwardian Styles

Wishbone straps on a c. 1900 white kid pump The results of the Historical Footwear poll are in, and the Edwardian pumps took first, followed by a foot-and-foot race between...
American Duchess
New Vintage Hat Finds

New Vintage Hat Finds

I love hats, didn't you know? I picked up three gorgeous vintage hats last weekend, for the Boutique on Etsy. The hardest thing about this "job," this acquiring of vintage...
American Duchess