I’ve been so busy teaching and writing lately that I haven’t been taking any commissions, but when S. (remember her adorable yellow & nautical ’30s playsuits?) contacted me asking if I would make her a couple of sundresses from ’50s patterns in her collection, I just couldn’t say no. S. is such a delight to work with, and I love her aesthetic, and the sundresses promised to be a fun, easy project. They were finished a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve been too busy to blog about them, and they are both primarily white, so while they are too late in date to qualify for the Historical Sew Fortnightly, the white fortnight seemed an appropriate time to show them off. I love both dresses and keep going back and forth over which is my favourite.  Is it the all-white frock (how I do love a good all-white frock!) with red sash and ric-rac trim? I mean, that stiff pleated skirt…the perky sash… The sleeveless bodice with its ‘necklace’ of ric-rac… It looks cute without …

Hurrah!  A few days late because of an attack of chilblains which made it hard for me to hand-sew, my 1890s corset is done. It has the flaws I always knew it would have once when I decided to try a bunch of new techniques on it, but overall, I’m quite pleased with it. What are the flaws?  I bound it in a lighter fabric bonded with interfacing to strenghten it, with a single-binding rather than a doubled quilters binding, both things that students have asked me about.  The result?  A much less tidy binding, that was harder to do, and won’t last as long.  Not recommended.  I also cut my eyelet holes, rather than using an awl to stretch them – easier to put in, but they weakened the final corset.  I also tried a new way of setting the cording over the busk, which was OK, and of folding and sewing the boning channels. Because it will never be perfect, I’m not going to bother flossing it.  I’ll save that for a corset …