Sheer Delight: Sheer Dresses of the Crinoline Era
by Bridget Bradley-Scaife. Published in the January/February 2015 issue of Finery. During warm weather, thin dresses made of light weight sheer fabric were worn by ladies in the mid 19th century. Known to us today as “sheer dresses,” they are most often characterized by a low body lining which shows the sheer fabric to full advantage. Research indicates that women […]
Let Them Wear Muslin!
by Feather Tippets-Rosica. Originally published in the May / June, 2009 issue of Finery The transition from the elaborate gowns of the eighteenth century, worn over rigidly boned stays and hooped petticoats, to the soft muslin gowns associated with the heroines of Jane Austen’s novels was not a sudden event sparked by the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette started it well […]
How to Care for Wool
by Diana Habra. Originally published for the January / February, 2009 issue of Finery. You have decided to make a beautiful mid-Victorian day dress. You have found the perfect fabric – a plaid wool in lovely shades of gray, lavender, and black. Your pattern is all set and you are ready to cut. But wait! It would be terrible if […]
Pretty Prints, Clever Cottons: 18th·Century Fabrics
by Kendra Van Cleave, First published for the March/April 2004 issue of Finery Many of you may be thinking about creating new garments for the Travelers in Tuscany event on June 5th at Viansa Winery. While silk, wool, and linen were the most plentiful fabrics during the eighteenth century, today cotton is cheap, easy to find, and comfortable for a summer […]
