If you follow my Instagram account, you've already seen a sneak peek of this beautiful jewelry, designed and made by Liz Turner from books that have fallen into disrepair and are destined for the rubbish bin. I love how Liz chooses words that follow a theme or come from classic literature, like the "Elizabeth" and "Mr Darcy" earrings you see at right. She can even find the words of your choice in a dictionary or another volume and custom-make your own special jewelry, including pendants to wear as single pieces

Amanda has now produced a simply charming coloring book, featuring 25 of Jane Austen's most famous quotes in whimsical settings with delightful hand-drawn ink illustrations.The 8.5" x 11" book is printed on smooth white 65# paper, which is excellent for colored pencils, pens, markers, and even light watercolor washes! To celebrate Amanda's achievements, I am hosting a giveaway of a copy of "She Coloured," and I've also got a special coupon code you can use in Amanda's online shop!

When it comes to retro maternity style, I may not be an expert, but I think sheer experience has to count for something! I've lived through two decades of maternity wear, beginning with my first pregnancy in 1996, when I was just starting out as a seamstress-for-hire and making lots of Regency gowns.

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.

There are some days that opening my in-box leaves me with an especially huge smile on my face. I always love to hear from my customers, but I have a special place in my heart for the youngsters--the ones who discovered their love of sewing early on while using my patterns or while reading through helpful posts on the Message Forum, encouraged by fellow sewists all the way.

My friend Lorna McKenzie of The Tailor's Apprentice asked me in 2011 to review the Lilly Rose pattern she was developing from an original 1940s design. Unfortunately, I had just moved to Kenya and was expecting a new baby at the time, so I never did get around to sewing the dress. But I can't stand leaving a project undone, so five years later (!!!) I asked Lorna if I could still stitch up the pattern and provide feedback. She graciously sent me a review copy, and I got started!

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!).

Next time this pattern is printed, the lines will be in place, but this should help the rest of you. I never cease to be amazed at what can go unremarked and unseen for such a long stretch of years. This is why I LOVE customer feedback.

This is a fun, easy-to-wear shirt dress pattern design for girls ages two to 16. The 1940s shirt dress that emerged during WWII was a practical, utilitarian garment without frills that used less fabric but still had a distinctively feminine shape to it. As the style morphed over the coming decade, it became one of the most recognizable icons of fashion history, worn by everyone from glamorous Grace Kelly to thrifty TV housewife Donna Reed. The New Look ushered in fuller skirts and feminine frills, and, while the more angular look of the 1960s pushed it out of the limelight for a while, it was still a wardrobe staple on into the 1970s and right up to the present. My favorite versions, by far, come from the decade of the 1950s and have inspired this pattern with its fuller skirt.

(Looking for the paper version rather than the ePattern? Purchase from one of our many retailers worldwide! Please note that Patterns of Time carries my entire line and is well stocked.)

Thank you to everyone who participated in this weekend's giveaway by checking out Kristen's lovely items on Etsy and Instagram! I held a third-party drawing through Random.org, and Sandra G. won the pouch. Congrats, Sandra! Kristen will be shipping your cute prize out to you soon, and I hope you enjoy it!

Kristen over at andBEeverly on Etsy has offered a special giveaway for my customers: a cute Pride and Prejudice zipper pouch! It is 9 x 5 inches and features Lizzy and Jane on one side and Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley on the other.

One wonderful accessory my late grandmother left to me that I wish I’d taken better care of was a pair of classic 1959 “cat” sunglasses. Those shades were of a heavy bakelite-style plastic and looked great with vintage dresses or just about any outfit. Alas, the plastic (while thick) was brittle, and one day, as I bent over to retrieve something I’d dropped

I so enjoyed writing about my paternal grandparents in Part I and Part II of this series, and I promised to share at least one more post about my grandmother's beauty regimen. Well, as I got thinking back over my memories of Mimi, I realized there were actually quite lot of things to write about, so I've got at least three posts before I'll finish off. Today's will be my grandmother's general philosophy of loveliness. It's one that rings true with me all these years later, and I think its wisdom is timeless. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past that still resonates today!

In my first post, I covered my grandparents' early history in Hollywood up to the point where "Pop" asked his US Army Air Forces superiors to consider sending him overseas to join the air war instead of working in recruitment and training. They granted that request, and he immediately transferred to North Island to learn to fly Lockheed's brand new P-38 "Lightning" before joining the 48th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter Group, serving in North Africa.

From my earliest memories, I have loved to play "dress up," and a large portion of my play wardrobe came from my paternal grandmother's cast-offs. I remember teetering around on silver high heels in a sparkly red chiffon dress liberally sprinkled with rhinestones. How I wish now that I'd known what I was wearing and saved it, but--alas!--that particular dress got worn to death and ended up in shreds long before I could appreciate its real value. Thankfully, my grandmother kept back a lot of her favorite clothes for me to enjoy as an older teenager, and I still have several beautiful pieces.

Since redesigning my tours website, I decided to roll the England blog into it to keep all that information and all the photos together. I'm back to blogging and hope you'll check out the latest posts!

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.

The lovely ladies of Boyer Family Singers recently reviewed my Ladies' 1958 Party Dress pattern and are sponsoring a giveaway (of either the ladies' or girls' version). :-)

Suzi Clarke and I are so excited about everything we've packed into next year's England tour! We'll be revisiting some of our favorite places from the 2010 and 2012 tours and adding a couple of new items, including a full-dress Titanic-themed dinner in a sumptuous private dining room. We've got wonderful guest speakers