I’m really sick of pink pintucks.  And of sewing with a treadle machine.  And of wearing a corset to sew in.  Not to mention that wearing a corset every day is ruining my figure (you loose all your stomach muscles within a week!), so I’m taking a break from Emily’s dress. I have a good excuse to take a break from Emily too.  On July 23 I’m co-presenting a historical concert with The Historical Arts Trust: Grandeur & Frivolity: Music & Fashion from the Courts of Louis XIV and Louis XV. Oooooh! Obviously I need to add to my stock of Baroque and Rococo fashion, so it’s a great excuse to tackle a project I have drooled over for months: a 1660s gown for the celebrated 17th c French beauty, arts patron, and sometimes nun, sometimes courtesan,  Ninon  de l’Enclos. In yellow duchess satin, because I’m desperate to make a yellow dress. There are no portraits of Ninon done within her life, so I’m using a portrait of  Ã‰lisabeth d’Orleans as my main inspiration frock. …