Do you love those classic styles of the 1930s and 40s? Perhaps you have an affinity for Peggy Carter? Well, this the sew-along for you!

I first saw Ang Lee’s beautiful adaptation of “Sense & Sensibility” on the big screen in 1995. It immediately became a favorite that I have watched countless times since its premier. I love all the costumes in the film, but the one that struck me most from the first viewing was Marianne’s beautiful nightgown/wrapper, which Kate Winslet wears in two key scenes. I am so pleased I’ve finally managed to pull together all my in-progress photos, plus a video I made to walk you through the steps!

Ready for the next step for my 1957 Dior remake? I've put together a video that shows how I "married" the fitted 3/4-length sleeve of my Ladies' Classic 1950s Wardrobe pattern to the bodice from the Girls' Classic Shirt Dress pattern. It is a very simple, easy modification to make, so don't be nervous if you are keen to try it!

In this post, I'm going to walk you through the steps I've taken so far to adjust my Girls' Classic 1950s Shirt Dress pattern to fit my measurements...and what I've had to un-do. As I mentioned in my first post, my goal with this project is to create a dress that is a fairly close reproduction of the 1957 original but without having to draft a totally new pattern.

I have loved this dress ever since I found a copy of the full-color photograph in Life Magazine years ago. I am sure it has sat in the back of my head ever since, silently feeding my love for the 1950s silhouette and serving as part of the inspiration for my Girls' Classic 1950s Shirt Dress pattern and my Ladies' Classic 1950s Wardrobe pattern. I never attempted to reproduce it for myself, but, once I settled on Paris as one of the stops on my 2019 Historical Fashion tour, I knew it had to be: I simply had to make a recreation of Dior's Palais de Glace dress to wear while in Paris!

I just wanted to ask your opinion about the Elegant Lady’s Closet pattern drawstring dress. I’ve made your dress several times, and I’ve enjoyed doing so. I’d like to create a gown out of cotton lawn, which is quite see through. I was thinking of adding a full lining to the inside of the gown bodice and omitting the stays lining. Do you think this would work?

Jessica made this beautiful sleeveless Spencer and added the peplum with covered buttons. It's so perfect I asked if she'd share her how-to for this modification, and she did. If you have questions for her about how to make one for yourself, you can drop her a line (her email is at the end of this post).

When I found an original 1950s dress with a lapped zipper opening, I decided to see if it was possible to fall in love with sewing zippers the vintage way. Lo and behold, it is, and I am delighted to share this "new" old method with you so you can insert your own zippers with minimal pain. While my samples here show back and front seams, you can also insert a lapped zipper into a side seam.

The wonderful sisters over at For the Love of Sewing did a five-day sew-along for my Edwardian Apron pattern with the most adorable fabrics. Not only do you get all the steps in order with lots of fabulous photos, but you also get to see how to piece together the tiles of the ePattern to make the full-sized sheet and how to modify the length if you want a shorter apron.

If you're new to ePatterns, you'll want to watch this three-part ePattern video series on how to put together your pattern sheets before you take the plunge. ePatterns are printable PDF files that create "tiles" you piece together to create your master pattern sheets. With a little effort, you'll be on your way!

As a young teen obsessed with vintage clothing, I dearly wanted a circle skirt. I'd seen them in old magazines and thought the felt ones with appliques like poodles or the Eiffel Tower were just too cute for words. When my grandmother realized how much I loved vintage fashion, she gave me a beautiful ruffled petticoat she had made in the mid-1950s and two felted wool circle skirts she was still wearing as late as the 1970s (she kept her 23" waist until her death by doing nightly sit-ups on a slant board!). I was 14 at the time, and the clothes were a perfect fit. I was on cloud nine.

Ladies, if you've ever struggled with what goes on before you put on your clothes, it's time to fix that. If you spend the day tugging up bra straps or end the day dying to be released from bra bondage, then, reader, this post is for you. We’re doing a first on my blog: going deep into the confusing world of bra-fitting (and, yes, this will have a historical connection and repercussions for at least one of my patterns!).

After finishing the bodice base, it was time to make the sleeves. Because this material is so thin and delicate, I chose to make full long sleeves with short oversleeves instead of using removable under sleeves. The fantastic border of this beautiful sari fabric provided me with an instant border for the long sleeve hems and the sleeve bands of the short sleeves.

I decided last August to make a new apron-front gown, basing it upon several gowns I've handled in person, plus an extant garment in the National Museum of Australia that I found online with detailed photographs.This time, I've used my Elegant Lady's Closet pattern as the base, since it has no back opening to begin with and features the more fitted long sleeves I planned to use for my undersleeves and the short, puffed ballgown sleeves I'd use as the over sleeves.

Even though I've made three versions of this dress previously, I am still not tired of it! I'm envisioning a springtime version in a pretty pastel with short sleeves for myself. This pattern is quite simple to sew up, offers a lot of options for deviating and making your own version. To top it off, Jennie Chancey based the pattern on a 40s design

Out of all the patterns I've designed in the past 18 years, the Girls' 1780s Portrait Dress pattern is, hands down, my own daughters' very favorite. I've made them so many dress-up dresses from this pattern in toiles and stripes and prints, and they want new ones as soon as they outgrow them! But this year, both girls asked if I could make dresses that looked more like something "Felicity" (the now retired--sigh--American Girl doll) would wear.

Learn how to correctly set 18th-century sleeves with this video tutorial.

This tutorial will help you navigate through the plackets in my Regency Gown and Elegant Lady's Closet patterns.

My short tutorial shows how to make a perfect placket inside a seam.