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!

Ten years after migrating from HTML to Wordpress, it was time for another shift—to something far simpler to manage and easier for you to navigate. I hope this new site fills the bill, and I look forward to putting more time into creating sewing posts rather than fixing software glitches or updating plugins (a seemingly endless task with Wordpress). Here’s to a brand new decade and a reboot!

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!

I am absolutely delighted to announce that Sense & Sensibility Patterns will be a vendor at the Jane Austen Festival July 12-14 in Louisville, Kentucky.

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.

As one woman who is teaching her children to look others in the eye, say "please" and "thank you," and be willing to consider opposing viewpoints, I have faith that there are millions out there who want the same. Let's put the phones down and take the time to acknowledge each other in meaningful ways...especially when we disagree. It isn't impossible. I can promise you after eight years living in two very different African cultures, there is more that unites us than divides us...and we mustn't give up on each other.

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!

After years of frustration with algorithms that are, at best, silly and, at worst, downright insidious, I'm finally giving Facebook the chop. I will be very sorry to lose nearly 10,000 followers who have sent me wonderful notes, posted their beautiful creations, encouraged new designs, and taken time to reach out and stay in touch over the FB network, but I am going to do my best to use the time I spent over there providing more content over here and keeping my focus on the one-on-one interactions with customers that make this little business such a joy to run.

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?

So many of the books my mother read to us as children celebrated creativity--from gardening to sewing to knitting. It's no wonder I grew up itching to make lovely things! I now read many of the same books to my own children, and I thought it would be fun to put together a post featuring the favorites that have stood the test of time and continue to inspire and delight.

Yes, it is happening! It has been a long time coming together (since 2016, in fact!). And it's a beauty of a trip, complete with Cathy Hay of Foundations Revealed as my co-host through some of Europe's most beautiful cities: The 2019 Tour!

21 years ago, two customers, harp-playing sisters who loved to wear beautiful gowns while they performed, dropped me a line to ask if I'd consider bringing out patterns for some of my designs. At that point, I'd been filling custom sewing orders for about 18 months, mainly catering to the Regency/Napoleonic groups in the D.C. area by making day dresses and ball gowns. I'd also fallen in love with Regency fashions for everyday wear, finding them an excellent match for my expectant silhouette in 1997! But, while I designed patterns for my customers and myself, I hadn't considered publishing any of them. After all, that was what Big Companies did, and how could I possibly compete in a market that was positively flooded with patterns?

At long last, the size 16-26 Ladies' Classic 1950s Wardrobe pattern is ready for printing! Many thanks to all of you who have waited such an age for this one to get to press--particularly so long after the 4-18 version went to press last year! I am truly delighted with the results and ecstatic to show them off with my beautiful South African models who brought such grace and glamour to our photo shoot.

The Dress Like Your Grandma challenge is a highlight every year, especially as more and more sewists participate and dig into family trees and other historical archives for inspiration. Some of the entries this year just made me stop in my tracks and stare in amazement.

I shared this on social media last month but forgot to post it here--eek! This is a wonderful challenge to get you sewing from your own family tree (or borrow a family tree!). Tanya has extended the deadline to April 24, so there's still time to participate!

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).

Just returned from the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England... and I received so many compliments on my dresses and Spencer. I referred everyone to Sensibility.com!

I got my sister and myself tickets to an upcoming Regency ball. And I hadn't a clue what I was going to wear. Anything that I would choose would have to be altered (losing 30 lbs. will make your entire wardrobe not fit anymore). Now would be an excellent time to see if there was any hope for that light green damask crossover dress.

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.