April 2004  

ere is our Spring update and the first of 2004.

There is a distinctly spring-like note in the Articles section where we have a couple of lovely Victorian brides from the near the beginning and the end of the Victorian era - 1840 and 1896. We hope to add more bridal items throughout the year to fill in the gaps.

There is also an item on 1886 walking dresses from Butterick.

We have extended the Articles menu to include a new Miscellaneous section for a wide range of general articles. The Christmas menu is available from here and there are one or two additional items to begin with, including 1889 Laundry Work and an 1876 article on the use of feathers and wings in fashionable dress.

We have added a number items to the Work-Table, including an American Civil War Era hair net and child's muff, as well as a few items from 1875 - a beaded necklace, bead fringes and I particularly like the knitted insertion for ribbon.

The pattern section boasts a very beautiful Edwardian evening dress, rather useful because it is unlined and therefore much easier to fit. There are some essential items of women's underwear, too - two styles of chemise and a pair of drawers from the 1880s. One chemise is of the old-fashioned, mid-century style, with puffed sleeves and a yoke that dips in front to form a placket. The other chemise is in the more sleek, sleeveless style, popular in the last two decades of the 19th century. As with all our patterns, remember to click on each underlined item in the list of pieces that accompanies every pattern description. This will take you to each pattern piece in turn.

I hope there is enough here to keep you sewing for while.

Best wishes,

Jane Gray
Editor