Major Changes Coming Soon....

...to my Etsy shop and online sewing business.

I don't want to stop sewing as a business. I love it. But....

a few things are going to have to change.

For the past several years I've been doing lots of custom orders. While these are lots of fun, and include so much variety and interest, there are also downsides. Since each one is unique, each has it's own deadline, fabric and supplies orders, particular specifications, and so on. This is very time consuming, and the deadline-oriented sewing schedule keeps me very tied down, without much spare time to devote to family, gardening, studying, travel, and other such neccessaries. :)

So, now and in the next few months you may notice some changes in the shop! As of today, all my custom order listings are gone. I'm going to be transitioning into having a large ready-made stock of historical clothing and costume items available in a wide range of children and adult sizes. Mostly specializing in Regency and 1860s.

And it's not that I won't ever taking a custom order again, but they are just going to be the rarity, not the norm. :)

Although I'm a little sad to be getting away from accepting all the various interesting custom requests, I am really looking forward to having a schedule with more freedom, and more time to experiment with new things! (Including new historical designs for the shop)

I would appreciate your thoughts, advice, and prayers, as I try to transition smoothly into a new phase in my sewing business!





Queen Esther Costume Dress

A neat custom request from a mother in Israel!

She wanted a regal looking costume dress for her daughter to wear to represent Queen Esther as a part of the Purim celebration.

Originally the colors were going to be pale blue and cream, but we decided to also add a gold taffeta into the color scheme.

Not historical, but very royal, I think! :)



The Making of a CDV

Trying my hand at at copying 1860s photography.

 Mostly inspired by the CDVs in my collection. Once I got to looking at all the different photographs, there was a lot of variety in pose - sitting, standing, looking/not looking, profile, props/no props....etc...

This CDV was my inspiration for lighting/background. Since I was taking the picture just against a white background, I wasn't getting the shadows and color variations often seen in the background color and edges of the CDVs. So, on my attempt I just shaded/shadowed/colored the photo by hand in Adobe Photoshop.

 It would be fun to research it further and find out *what* was used for backdrops in 1860s carte-de-viste studios, and what lighting was commonly used. A knowledge of those two things would make it lots easier to more accuratly copy the look. I would love to play with techniques more and see if I could get something close enough to have an accurate enough look to use as small props at reenactments....

Any tips on reproducing old photos?



Confederate Artillery Jacket

I love making Confederate uniforms! Particularly shell jackets. Having both my oldest brothers, my Dad, and several friends who reenact in our dismounted cavalry group, I've made several. :) It's always so much fun how each one turns out so unique and different in material, style, buttons, and details. When looking at original uniforms, the creativity and variety of Southern uniforms never ceases to amaze me.

Last December I got to make my first Artillery uniform! This was for my friend Jordan who reenacts in Tennessee. After much discussion and searching through pictures of originals, we came up with one in particular that we wished to use for inspiration:

Pattern used was the Gallarock Trans-Mississippi Shell Jacket pattern.

(with a few minor alterations and additions such as the epaulettes, pointed cuffs, no exerior pocket, and 9 buttons instead of 6)

For the piping fabric I used some red wool flannel that was left over from my Garabaldi ensemble. I thought it turned out to be the perfect color of red against the grey wool. It's very nice the way the piping finishes off the uniform - gives it some color and flare without being showy. :)

Block "A" buttons

We hope to all attend the Shiloh reenactment together this spring!

Regency Ready-Mades

An abundance of new ready made Regency era items now in the shop!

Silk weskits, a pinner apron, spencers and pelisses, dresses galore, jackets,

chemisettes, petticoats and more!

Visit the shop to see more views and a description of each item.

Have fun browsing! I would love to hear which is your favorite item!