Prairie Institute of Costume History

05/23/2026

Victorian Sewing Circle is somehow tomorrow already? I need to get the toile I am hoping will become the dress on the right finished!

Sunday May 24, 1:00-4:00 pm, at the Marr Residence!

05/19/2026

The Lady Oona Day dress

Marcy Harriell came out with a pattern! Marcy came out with a pattern! And she sent me a copy! As if I wouldn’t have been morally obliged to drop cash on that. I first got to know Marcy via blog in 2010 or so, and then via an intense and nearly-disastrous quick airport meetup when she transferred through the city I lived in at the time....

Marcy Harriell came out with a pattern! Marcy came out with a pattern! And she sent me a copy! As if I wouldn’t have been morally obliged to drop cash on that. I first got to know Marcy via blog in…

05/17/2026

Sewing in multiple scales (all tiny)

I didn’t do a lot of sewing this past winter, but something that is becoming a recurring theme has been sewing for dolls. Now, my sewing practice began, technically, with sewing Barbie clothes when…

05/16/2026

Optimistic Spring Dresses

(Please note—I wrote most of this post about a month ago, in late April. I am publishing it at the start of May Long weekend, and there is snow on the ground again.) A few weeks ago I returned home from work to discover my aunt had deposited a sizeable pile of sewing-related donations on my dining-room table. While these aren’t unwelcome, they can precipitate a bit of a crisis in storage space, give the current (and perpetual at this point) maximum-capacity state of my stash....

(Please note—I wrote most of this post about a month ago, in late April. I am publishing it at the start of May Long weekend, and there is snow on the ground again.) A few weeks ago I returned home…

04/26/2026

Out-of-season velvet

We’re on the cusp of spring here (although there was also a blizzard this week. Actually, it’s the end of April and we’ve had four blizzards this month), but truly hot weather is still a month or t…

04/17/2026

04/17/2026

Victorian Sewing Circle on Sunday!!! Man that sneaks up on you. I’ve finished one of the twins’ bodiced petticoats and hoop skirts… now they’re going to want a dress to go over it, but I want to start something for me! 😅

Sunday, 1-4 pm at the Marr Residence!

04/08/2026

Temperance Swimwear Bramaking

So last weekend, I had the delightful privilege of taking a two day bramaking masterclass. The class is the London Bra Masterclass by Beverley Johnson (the Grande Dame of home bramaking, at least i…

02/14/2026

Happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate! Victorian Sewing Circle will be happening on Sunday, February 15, at the Marr Residence! 1-4 pm as usual.