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How to Care for "Velvet" Finish Sauvage Leather

How to Care for "Velvet" Finish Sauvage Leather

Leather comes in many different finishes, from smooth to suede to velvety. It's important to know how to look after each of these leather types to keep your shoes looking...
American Duchess
Tagged: How-To Shoes
The Pincurl Diary - How to Do 1930-50s Hair for a Whole Week

The Pincurl Diary - How to Do 1930-50s Hair for a Whole Week

How remiss am I in never posting this video I made earlier in the year. This is a tutorial of sorts for how to set wet-set one's hair and then...
American Duchess
How to Fix Funky Points on 18th Century Stays

How to Fix Funky Points on 18th Century Stays

See those points on the front edges of the stays, at the bust? If you've got a pair of 18th century stays that lace at the center front, either fully...
American Duchess
(More) Dress Form Hacking - Literally

(More) Dress Form Hacking - Literally

Marking how much of the shoulder needed to come off to match my shoulder width from base of neck to shoulder bone. Blogs may be dead, but I'm still holding...
American Duchess
Tagged: How-To
Getting Dressed in 18th Century - 1780s - 1790 {Video}

Getting Dressed in 18th Century - 1780s - 1790 {Video}

Let's get dressed! Hi Lovelies! I made a short video showing the steps and pieces of getting dressed in a 1780s Italian gown or Robe a l'Anglaise. I know for...
American Duchess
Pattern Notes on Simplicity 8578 - Robe a la Francaise Dress Pattern

Pattern Notes on Simplicity 8578 - Robe a la Francaise Dress Pattern

A couple years ago now we worked with Simplicity to create a Robe a la Francaise pattern (Simplicity 8578) based on Abby's sacque in The American Duchess Guide to 18th...
How to Scale Up Gridded Sewing Patterns with Adobe Photoshop

How to Scale Up Gridded Sewing Patterns with Adobe Photoshop

If you've been into historical costuming for any amount of time, you will be familiar with many a book featuring gridded (or scaled) sewing patterns. The Tudor Tailor, Patterns of...
Lauren Stowell
All About 1830s Corsets and Fan Lacing

All About 1830s Corsets and Fan Lacing

One of the biggest questions we get about our 1830s ensembles is about the corsets, so we've made a video telling you all about them: Both of our corsets were...
American Duchess
Vlog: The 1830s Bustle!

Vlog: The 1830s Bustle!

Howdy! We're deep, deep down the #1830s rabbit hole, working diligently on our gowns with much haste in preparation for our trip to Dickens Fair in San Francisco on December...
American Duchess
How to Fit 18th Century Shoe Buckles

How to Fit 18th Century Shoe Buckles

You've just got yourself a fine new pair of American Duchess 18th century shoes and you ordered some sparkly 18th century shoe buckles to go with them. Now what? Fitting...
American Duchess
How to Lengthen/Shorten 18th Century Stays

How to Lengthen/Shorten 18th Century Stays

The #1 question we receive about Simplicity 8162 (and will with Simplicity 8579 as well) is how to lengthen or shorten the stays. Particularly with Simplicity 8162, the body block...
CORRECTION - 1780s Cap Pattern - American Duchess Guide

CORRECTION - 1780s Cap Pattern - American Duchess Guide

Hi gals! We've been alerted to a flaw in the 1780s cap pattern from "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking," so before you all tear your pomaded-and-powdered hair...
American Duchess