Quick Bright Things
by Linda Wenzelburger, First published for the September/October 2009 issue of Finery Perhaps the first thing people think of when it comes to faerie costuming is wings. Wings can be simple or incredibly elaborate. There are so many possibilities! They can be bird wings or butterfly. Dragonfly or bone. Branches or leaves. Hard or soft. Paper or fabric. And on, […]
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 […]
Underneath the Romance: 1830s Skirt Supports
by Catherine Scholar, First published for the September/October 2008 issue of Finery The fashionable silhouette of the 1830s included a bell or dome shaped skirt, which was supported by multiple starched white cotton petticoats. This simple garment is difficult to research, as there isn’t much helpful information available, and few extant garments. In The History of Underclothes, authors Willet and […]
Collecting Vintage Today
by Judith Hollenberger, First published for the March/ April 2008 issue of Finery Since the days of the $4 thrift store Victorian bodices are gone, what’s a person who wants to start collecting vintage clothing to do? First you must decide what you want to collect, for what purpose, and for how much money. Victorian? Art Deco? Display? Study? To wear? […]
Dressing a Lady for Dickens Fair
by Sally Norton, First published for the November/December 2007 issue of Finery Many practical Victorian ladies had two separate bodices for many of their gowns. Both bodices would be made out of material that matched the skirt. This is the perfect solution for those of us wishing to attend an elegant tea and a Victorian ball. One bodice will have […]
You Packed What?
by Teresa Liao, First published for the July/August 2007 issue of Finery It’s summer, and for many of you that means packing up and heading out to see the world. While I love to travel, it can be a bit of a challenge when you are trying to transport rather bulky and awkward costuming paraphernalia. So, as you travel in search […]
Yes, You Can Fit Yourself!
by Katherine Caron-Greig, First published in two parts for the May/June and July/August 2006 issues of Finery I went to my first Costume College in 2003. I had been sewing for almost a year and a half at the time and, excepting some very stubborn eyelets that I couldn’t pound into a corset properly, had never had any help with […]
Learning to Make a Fabric Covered Buckram Hat
by Lynne Taylor-Seavers, First published for the March/April 2006 issue of Finery One of the first millinery projects I ever worked on was a fabric covered buckram hat. As a matter of fact, I took the class at a GBACG workshop. It was my very first contact with GBACG and the costuming community that I now know and love, but […]
Sewing Hints for Vintage Patterns
by Sally Norton, First published for the January/February 2006 issue of Finery Using vintage patterns creates a whole new set of issues and requirements. The hints listed herein should help make your experience more enjoyable. Prior to 1960, most people sewed many of their garments and sewed for their homes: curtain, linens, tablecloths and napkins. Sewing expertise varied, of course, […]
Buckram 101
by Lynn McMasters, First published for the November/December 2005 issue of Finery Buckram is an open-weave fabric of cotton or linen that is sized with watersoluble glue. In use for hundreds of years, today it is used in bookbinding, drapery pleats, mask making and hat making. In mask and hat making buckram is used as the substructure and generally covered with fabric. In […]
