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17th c Jacket - Empty Nesting

17th c Jacket - Empty Nesting

It's done. It's beautiful. I'm proud. It's shipped.
American Duchess
Mad Miss L

Mad Miss L

Today, a fellow member of the Great Basin Costume Society, Stacy Ferguson-Standstedt, GAVE me a handmade, home-made vintage dress her grandmother made waaaay back in I'm guessing the 1950s, by...
American Duchess
17th c. Jacket - Light at the End of the Tunnel

17th c. Jacket - Light at the End of the Tunnel

Ha HA! I see light at the end of the tunnel! It wants buttons and buttonholes, and to turn up the hem. Then I shall lovingly place her into a...
American Duchess
SideCar: The Gatsby Picnic at Lake Tahoe

SideCar: The Gatsby Picnic at Lake Tahoe

1931 Buick, in front of the Pope Mansion What a lovely Sunday it was, at Tallac, on the lawn of the Pope Mansion, surrounded by 1920s and 30s automobiles, listening...
American Duchess
Tagged: 1920s Events Vintage
SideProject: The Worst Little 1920s Slip Around

SideProject: The Worst Little 1920s Slip Around

This Sunday is the highly anticipated Gatsby picnic at Lake Tahoe, and I've got a GREAT vintage dress to wear. Of course, it's transparent, so I had to make a...
American Duchess
Gussets, Godets, and Gores ... and progress on the 17th c. Jacket

Gussets, Godets, and Gores ... and progress on the 17th c. Jacket

First, the progress - the bodice is sewn together, the sleeves assembled, wings on, and sleeves set in. They still pull the tiniest bit at the shoulders, causing the shoulder...
American Duchess
17th c. Jacket - Progress on the Final

17th c. Jacket - Progress on the Final

With my client's 17th c. jacket toile back, unpicked, and the pattern altered, I cut into the lovely burgundy wool, and began putting the final piece together, starting with the...
American Duchess
17th c. Jacket: Finished Toile, Round 1

17th c. Jacket: Finished Toile, Round 1

Ah, how lovely it is to have a finished, fitting toile. My client is afraid the toile won't fit her, but as it's in the mail today, we will wait...
American Duchess
17th c. Jacket: Toile-ifications, Round 1

17th c. Jacket: Toile-ifications, Round 1

With my dress form "batted" and corseted to my client's measurements, I started working on her pattern. I drafted this pattern with help from a little scribble I made in...
American Duchess
A Dress Form, of the 1 7th Century

A Dress Form, of the 1 7th Century

Okay, this post isn't very exciting, but I'm excited about, because my brilliant plan is working. My client is all the way across the country, so we will not be...
American Duchess
Tagged: 17th Century
A Day in Virginia City, Nevada - The Girls of 1879

A Day in Virginia City, Nevada - The Girls of 1879

On the back stairs of the extremely haunted Old Washoe Club. These stairs were used to usher prostitutes into the upper levels of this building, known as The Millionaire's Club....
American Duchess
Tagged: Events Victorian
Happy Independence Day ... Yesterday

Happy Independence Day ... Yesterday

Happy 4th of July - Independence Day - America-is-so-cool-and-I-love-it! Day, from American Duchess :-) We had a bbq, not in costume, but there were dogs (no photos, though!). Now get...
American Duchess
Tagged: Miscellany