The Titanic Centenary Memorial dinner we attended on April 12 was a fantastic success. The event raised over $6000 for a community-based conservation effort on Kenya’s coast, and we ate an incredible meal reproduced from the last first-class dinner served on board the ship. Many of those in attendance dressed in retro fashions (including guys in [...]

Well, our Internet went out last weekend and has been spotty this week, so I haven't had a chance to share the finishing of the dress until now. Your comments were all so helpful on the skirt options, and it was hard to decide how to arrange the overskirt, but I ended up going for expediency, as my deadline was fast approaching.

After stitching together the bodice, I experimented with several skirt variations. I'd love to get your feedback on these, as there are a lot of ways to put together a 1912 skirt.

Time to build the foundational bodice for the delicate saree overlay. This is where everything starts to come together–so exciting!

I got lots of excellent feedback on Part Two of my diary, which centered on the two main options for my bodice’s inset. Now it’s time to really mix things up and show just how much fun you can have playing with fabrics to achieve the perfect 1912 look! In addition to the two inset [...]

Pinning the toile to fit properly, lining up the inset, and cutting into the fashion material make up Part Two of this fun project. And I'd love your opinions on the bodice inset option!

We've got a centenary memorial event for Titanic coming up on April 12th, which is a costumed formal dinner reproducing the last meal served in first class on the ship. The event promises to be a spectacular one, so I'm making an authentic evening gown from my 1910s Tea Gown pattern.

I loved using the tea gown pattern, and after years of admiring the design, I finally decided to cut it out (using some of my favorite fabrics) when my mother and I were watching “Pride & Prejudice” one afternoon.  The ivory silk shantung had a lovely satin finish on the back which I used on the [...]

This gorgeous 1916-1917 Perry Dame ladies' clothing catalog includes many color plates and beautifully detailed drawings of what “New York Styles” were available in this time period. There are pages of dresses, skirts, waists, coats, shoes, hats, underthings, girls' clothing, and more. Even the original order form with measuring instructions is included!

Read more… or add to cart:

To get the two halves of this eBook, you’ll need to add both sections to your cart (you will be charged $3.95 for the first and $3.00 for the second–$6.95 total). The second half is below.

I came across this pretty blush silk on clearance at a local fabric store and bought it, not sure what I wanted to do with it until my husband and I decided to take a cruise to celebrate our 15th anniversary. Immediately, I decided to make a tea gown for one of the two formal [...]