The Dreamstress

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Meet the Minette Stays! (with kittens…)

I’m extremely excited to launch a new Scroop Pattern, and I’m even more excited by how cute and/or gorgeous the sample photos featuring the beautiful @modest_modiste are!

The Minette Stays are front lacing ‘transitional’ stays appropriate to 1785-1810. They cover the change from fully boned conical 18th century stays to the short waisted, bust-focused stays/corsets of the Regency era.

And they make adorable cottagecore corsets too!

The instructions include information for making them both fully handsewn, using period accurate stitches and techniques, and with machine sewing and metal grommets.

Minette Stays Launch Sale!

Get 15 % off the Minette Stays at ScroopPatterns.com until 10pm Friday 15 May 2026, NZST, or get the same discount on pre-orders of the paper pattern at VirgilsFineGoods.com

Please enjoy some of the fabulous photos of the gorgeous Alethea of @modest_modiste modelling View A (lower neckline, less boning, spiral lacing) in white cotton, and View B (higher neckline, more boning, cross lacing), the first with kittens, the second as Snow White!

Sale!

Get 15 % off the Minette Stays at ScroopPatterns.com until 10pm Friday 15 May 2026, NZST, or get the same discount on pre-orders of the paper pattern at VirgilsFineGoods.com

A 1780s pastoral picnic thedreamstress.com

A pastoral picnic, 1780s style

Published by The Dreamstress

I’m so far behind on blogging that I haven’t shared any images from the Historical Sew & Eat Retreat 2024, much less 2025!

For 2024, our theme was 18th century. We escaped up the coast to the charming town of Foxton, known for its Dutch windmill (imported from the Netherlands and reassembled there), and history of growing and processing harakeke (New Zealand flax), mostly for ropes, in the 19th and early 20th century.

While on retreat we took a drive to Palmerston North to visit Greenhaugh Gardens, where we spent a pleasant (but very hot) day having an 18th century pastoral-inspired picnic, enjoying the grounds, and slowly melting.*

It was a very Scroop-tastic picnic, with myself, Kezia, Nina and Lindsey in Angelica gowns, and Dani in an Amalia jacket.

We all looked particularly splendid thanks to Lindsey, who sewed almost all of us beautiful bust bows and arm rosettes, and lent sashes and jewellery and hats right and left.

I lent a few caps and fichu, but borrowed a cap of my own, and a bergere, from Lindsey to try a new style. I also made the unhappy discovery that my 2022 Angelica gown no longer laces completely closed on me, so my fichu and bust rosette and sash are doing a lot of work. Oh the joys of aging and the effects of a year of no exercise while recovering from covid…

This picnic really convinced me of the brilliance of sashes. They add so much to an outfit, really let you change up looks, and can be worn for so many eras! I’ve now added sashes to my easily-portable-handsewing list.

My aim is to be like the song, with a green one and a blue one and a pink one and a yellow one (but not made of ticky tacky, but they can hang or be folded in a row in my closet).

I also want more aprons, because who wouldn’t have apron envy over this gorgeous embroidered beauty?

And an enormous picture hat! And a View B Amalia jacket for me!

So much costume envy, so little time…

10/10 for beautiful gardens, fun times with friends, and a bit of silliness. Looking forward to doing it again!

* Confession: I took off my 18th century finery in the parking lot, turned my petticoat into a makeshift dress by slipping my arms through the side slits, and drove back to our cottage like that 🤣

Rate the Dress: 1910s spring green coolness

Published by The Dreamstress

It’s spring in New Zealand, and it’s certainly beginning to look like spring: my tulips and freesias are blooming, and the first of the blossom trees and kowhai are out.

Meanwhile, so many of my friends in the Northern Hemisphere are sweltering in horrible heat waves.

So, here’s something cool and refreshing for those of you in the heat, and spring themed for those of us looking forward to that.

Last time: Alexandra Pavlovna in the most gothy Hungarian court dress possible.

Very, very VERY mixed reviews for the knitted cape. Everyone could admire the skill, but you definitely weren’t on the same page about the aesthetic.

The Total: 8.9 out of 10

Our goth princess was a huge hit, racking up a solid selection of 10s and 8s, and then we got one dissenting opinion – a 3! And that dropped the rating down to under 9.

This time: Spring flowers on silk in the 1910s.

Could anything be more spring like than a pale green dress painted with pink and peach flowers?

And could anything be more quintessentially 1909-1912 in style than a pastel evening dress in layers of different textured silks and lace, with an empire inspired waistline, cut-on ‘kimono’ sleeves, and a distinctly classical asymmetrical over-drape held in place with ornamental buckles? It’s every element of ca. 1910 evening fashion, all in one dress!

Evening dress, 1910s, hand painted silk chiffon, sold by Whittaker Auctions

Evening dress, 1910s, hand painted silk chiffon over silk crepe de chine and silk lace, sold by Whittaker Auctions

So, what do you think? The perfect frock for a late Edwardian Flora to dance the night away in?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

A reminder about rating — feel free to be critical if you don’t like a thing, but make sure that your comments aren’t actually insulting to those who do like a garment. Phrase criticism as your opinion, rather than a flat fact. Our different tastes are what make Rate the Dress so interesting. It’s no fun when a comment implies that anyone who doesn’t agree with it, or who would wear a garment, is totally lacking in taste.

As usual, nothing more complicated than a .5. I also hugely appreciate it if you only do one rating, and set it on a line at the very end of your comment.