Robe de Francais with Sacque Back and Train

Marie Antoinette Watteau Sacque Back Gown with 4 foot train is commonly called the Robe de Francais in European countries. As I made this gown, I thought how innovative of the dressmakers during the 18th century. The gown has eyelets lacing down the neck to waist.  The lacing down the back adjusts to create more room around the torso area.The eyelets and drawstring are hidden behind the sacque back train. The velvet damask flocked patterns are all symmetrical on both sides of the gown. The gown is 46 inches wide across the waist, and wider at the hemline. This gown can be purchased from my etsy.com store  .Gown will fit a 36 to 38 bust, and can be let out at the sides. Neck to waist is 16.75. waist to hemline is 45 inches. Gown is ideal for reenactments, Marie Antoinette events, Colonial, French colonial,Bastille Day,Venice Carnival, Mardi Gras, Waltz, Ball,cosplay, opera,theatre,drama and movie productions, and more.

Also in this post is antique mauve panniers.   The panniers have a ruffle that completely circles the cage.This cage is not as wide as the panniers under the blue gown. The pink panniers are 32 inches wide across the waist . If you are interested in a robe de francais like the above dress, in a different fabric, email inquiries to 

my address by clicking here.                                   

Marie Antoinette Panniers that I custom made from Brocade fabric

I never imagined that panniers could be beautiful enough to wear as an outer garment.This handmade custom designed pannier will be worn with a matching corset, and a braselette for carnival. How creative. That is why I love custom design so much.  My next creation in the Marie Antoinette category will be a gothic themed Marie Antoinette pannier with matching overdress-corset. And the matching mega marie wig.

Victorian Bustledress in Teal Brocade with Ruched Poufs for Plus Sizes

One of our Victorian Steampunk Gothic plus sized reenactors wanted a bustledress that had ruching in  place of the usual poufs. This design is excellent for reenactors that prefer comfort over historical accuracy. This dress does not require a bustle cage, which means sitting is much easier.The neckline and hemline are adorned with scalloped lace in black. The black adds drama. The sleeves flounces are made from crystal organza. For more drama we added covered buttons. All of these details elongates, which makes a plus sized figure appear to be  much slimmer. The dress in the pictures will fit a 16 to 18 usa size figure.

Baroque Corset for Reenactments

One of my international friends emailed me a photo of a Baroque period corset that she wanted from a movie scene. This corset was to be used in a reenactment involving fencing. For this, I had to custom draft my own pattern.The corset required lining and interlining. The corset is on a dress form that is not quite tall enough. therefore, I could not ideally show this masterpeice. Anyone know where I can find taller dress forms? Oh...and  let me know what you think about the construction.

Sewing Halloween Costumes in Hi Tech Time

A great and easy sewing project for beginners is halloween costumes. Halloween costume patterns are designed with beginning and intermediate sewers in mind. Costumes can be a lot of fun. Many costume patterns can be made in hi tech time.. Most people are turned off by sewing because they think requires major investments of time. That is not always true. Some patterns require more time than others. The key is to start with what you like.

A persian princess costume is easy to sew. Here are the steps I took to make the persian princess.

1. day one: one hour for preparation and cutting on day one  tip (I use paper weights for cutting)
2. day two: I French seamed the skirt. Added a drawstring waist seam. Ran the elastic thru.Added the purple lame border on the skirt
3. day three: I stitched gimp braid at the skirt hem. I re-upholstered  a Victoria's secret demi bra, and added ruffling at the border.
4. I stitched the cropped bolero top. I stitched the lining. I joined the lining and the top. I closed the remaining bolero seams. Added beads.
5. Stitched the decorative embroidered braid on the bolero. 

It was just that simple.Sew Simple.