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).

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.

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.

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.

Beneath the unassuming cover awaits a treasure trove of sewing knowledge! This wonderful 1913 sewing book was created to instruct girls in basic to advanced sewing, beginning with simple hand stitches, then advancing through projects that increase in difficulty–from simple hems and repairs to aprons, a nightgown, underthings, a middy dress, and more.