Tiger Lily's Threads

Last September, I came across these beautiful fashion prints of 1890's walking suits. I've seen these online before (mostly through Pinterest), but seeing them again, there was just something about the style and silhouette and fabric prints that inspired me to want to make my own. I particularly fell deep in love with the herringbone and plaid printed suits... I just had to replicate it . . . OR at least combine the two styles to make something completely unique.  Luckily, I managed to obtain 8 yards of cotton "plaiditudes" fabric from JoAnn's and got to work... well, sort of. While the shape of both skirts are definitely similar, I did not have the actual pattern to replicate the skirt; also did I want the skirt cut out in seperate pieces or in two pieces?  So, what does one do when they don't have the appropriate pattern? Why they make their own. I utilized a generic steampunk skirt pattern, and elongated the front and back pieces (excluding any extra pieces...

If you've been following my Instagram @tiger.lilys.threads , you've probably seen the massive project I've been working on for the Museum of the American Revolution; I started working on the project on the first weekend of May.  Normally I sew 18th and late 19th century gowns and hadn't really taken on a project like this before, however, I was thrilled when I was considered to be part of the project. In fact, I saw it as a challenge I wanted to take on. To use my skills to reproduce a 5x7 foot flag meant for a Sloop. As soon as I received the materials, I immediately got to work.   First, I laid out at least 20 seperate pieces on the floor to get a feeling of what the flag should look like. Using the diagram and drawings as a reference, I interchanged the colors to red, white, and blue, then started piecing everything together to make the long strips. At first glance, this fabric looked like lightweight linen as it was coarse like linen and frayed heavily (more on that...

In all my years of sewing dresses primarily from the 18th century, I've always wanted to make my own Robe à la Française, but many times have been intimidated by it's construction to be able to do it. I've looked at fashion plates, photos on Pinterest, and read countless blogs that some of my friends in the costuming and reenacting community have made of their own gowns, bought the pattern from American Duchess, looked through their dressmaking book for more detailed instructions (more on that later-trust me, you'll NEED the book), and lastly, stocked up on 9 yards of cotton fabric from a really good sale at JoAnn's' for me to experiment with (silk taffeta would not be the best option for a first time project). Keep in mind though, I started this project on September 19, 2019 in hopes I could get it ready for the Francaise Dinner in March 2020.  I was MORE than prepared... but still apprehensive to give it a try. So, all of the materials just sat in my sewi...