Your Wardrobe Unlock'd

An outstanding primary source for the history nerd and dressmaking masochist. Ava begins to translate the directions for 21st c sewers!

The key to an accurate 18th century gown is the right fabric. Hallie explains what to look for and what to avoid when you're shopping.

A fabulous gown doesn't happen by accident! Designing for a big event takes thought, planning, research and creativity. Here's how.

Gina Barrett shows us how to make Deaths' Head buttons, one type of the many different type of  passementerie buttons. 

How to create stand-alone miniature works of textile art with cord, thread and a few pins.

Tips and tricks for scoring big on eBay - and introducing some less well-trodden auction sites for vintage and antique deals.

Charles Frederick Worth is remembered as the father of haute couture, and Suzi Clarke has a couple of treasures of his to show us...

The nuts and bolts of Regency:  how to be original, innovative AND authentic when Regency costumes are so often reproduced.

Izabela walks us step by step through the creation of an 1785 riding habit, including gold embroidered buttons.

Lynn finds out whether several tools and machines are worth the money, or whether they just make a simple job more complicated. 

Diane shows us how to use "Match Points" to guarantee that your garment has perfectly matched plaids or stripes.

Plaids are Difficult, Stripes are Tricky, so we avoid them. But they can be tamed to impressive results: Diane shows how!

A bad fabric choice can cause an accurate, researched, handsewn reproduction to look disappointingly modern. Here's how to do it right.

I'm back with a tailoring topic that some of you requested and I'm more than happy to supply: how to cut and sew a pair of gentlemen's trousers. 

Making sense of the vast array of shirts, breeches, trousers, waistcoats, jackets and coats, stocks, stockings, garters and cravats.

"The Other Stash?" you ask. Shoes, hats, coats, wraps, parasols, stockings, undies... here's how to organise The Other Stash.

Here's how to manage your fabric, trim, patterns, buttons, and other costuming materials before they take over your home!

What stripes can mean and when they're appropriate, plus secrets to choosing, using, cutting and matching striped fabric.

Details on where to get quality materials to re-create all kinds of extant ruffs, collars, smocks, shifts and chemises.

How do you clean and care for wool without shrinking it? Diana answers some questions we've all asked ourselves at one point or another!