The Closet Historian

I thought some folks might want access to the torso block tutorial-ish bit of the upcoming Drafting Dangerous video without the other 10 page rant. So if for some reason you still want to make a torso block after all of my sass, this video has my process isolated from the rest! (also: Hello Patrons!

Because let's face it, the long sleeve one is for September days with a hint of fall's crispness emerging instead... Goodness am I running behind as ever! Thank you for your support and endless patience ❤️ An /actually/ summer goth Gunny Sax dress... (YouTube)

I am working on another proper project for this month as we speak(type), but Sophia has really been delaying the process with her antics. Mostly stealing my chair every time I get up to iron a seam! Still I'll be right back here all week with more... Carmine Cotton Skirt (from last month's ensemble)

Once again the edit took longer than I had hoped and a video got pushed from Thursday to Monday...cest la vie. Inside baseball: I ended up re-filming the drafting clips for the front bodice of this dress and re-editing it during the making of this video because I wanted to redo things using a better

Well, that took me longer than I expected it to! Who could have guessed... I have decided it just makes more sense to put this up on the chanel on Thursday at this point, but here is the Drafting Dangerous episode all about princess seams and style lines. So sorry for the wait! ✨ Drafting Princess S

I know I maybe didn't choose the most popular style to start with over on the channel...but here is another! These Gunne Sax designs are just so straight forward to draft from the basic blocks, I can't help but demo them when the prices for the vintage patterns and dresses have gone so bonkers sky h

I managed to (finally, this took me days!) get the next volume of Drafting Dangerous finished up for publication this week! So here is a first look at the amount of snark questions about curved darts can stir up in me... Thank you for your patience, as I am super duper behind on answering comments a

Inspired by McCalls 5778: https://vintagepatterns.fandom.com/wiki/McCall_5778 Music and Sound Effects from Epidemic Sound. Does anyone own this pattern and can show me a picture of the back 😅 I made it up! I'll be back with an updates podcast episode soon I promise! Thank you for your patience and

Helllllooo there! I am still getting my routine back into some semblance of order after my mom's recent visit, and yes we even made it out to Brimfield for a day of adventures, but I couldn't quite finish this video up in time for last Thursday. Instead it will be going out this next week, but I tho

I actually have a video ready a few days early for the first time in...years? I hope you enjoy this early bird peek at my pantry transformation and current china collection. I'm busy adventuring and working on little house/garden projects with my mom this week, but I promise I'll be back to sewing s

The under circle connector piece: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/460563499415668582 meant to be used with 8" diameter circles and a 12.5" by 8 inch pattern for the inner liner drawstring bag. Ohhhh goodness, will I ever catch up and feel truly at ease again? You know better than most that the answer

And yes, you can get another sneak peek at the faux paneling on my foyer walls in this reveal footage 😅 I've been chipping away at the foyer painting but it has been slooow going finding time to finish it all! This month I've pulled out another of my fancy fabrics in my ongoing effort to source fro

I recently received a request to discuss this style in relation to how to add in the additional external darts that radiate as part of the design without having buckets of fit fullness to work with. Yet another sneaky vintage design that seems to have darts or fit fullness coming from nowhere, but i

I've got a relatively quick but rather high impact skirt project for you today that just may look a little familiar. This is a slightly more asymmetric take on the side sash Dior inspired skirts I made a few years ago. I'll be making another of that first circle cut style on the channel this next we

Happy Holidays! Thank you for your support and giving me my dream job ❤️ I'm off to go and attempt making some gingerbread cookies for the very first time... Noir Noël ✨ A 1940's Dolman Sleeve Dress (YouTube)

If I ever manage to make a project that is seasonally appropriate to that same actual calendar moment...it is a fluke. I've got a silver stone-textured-look brocade in my stash that I want to make into a full on coat soon, but first I've got to figure out the perfect hooded style ✨ This version need

Whew! This still counts as June right...oof 😅❤️ I'm still stenciling stars and leaves all over my walls, but I hope I'll be back from the forest soon enough. The day I get to move the furniture back into the room will be a very great day indeed. For now I hope you enjoy this simple summer dress! A

It's similar to the Blade Runner dress, but also, completely different. I return to my favorite gradient tones for a wool dress with chevroned stripes created alongside the angled horizontal princess seam I used earlier in the year on the black/on/black late 1930's dress. I still feel awful that thi

Hello there! I finally got the dress I started working on in last month's video together. Luckily a clever patron knew of another source for vintage pattern images and found this buddy here also: https://copa.apps.uri.edu/garmentPatNum.php?patID=33967&patternid=9348 so we can get an idea of what the

And....I figured out how I can do the sleeves this morning ✨ Just needed more room and shorter pleats, I'll show you next time! Here is a dress design I have been wanting to replicate for ages now. I think this design is from 1938, which is a bit earlier than my usual and everything! I have a fun fl

A weekend update from reno-land, where today the boiler broke again and I don't have hot water or heating currently woo Here's hoping things get fixed up for good next week, have a good Sunday all and stay warm! A chaotic mini tour and update video! (YouTube)

Why? Why did I decide to make a super simple little iridescent holiday party-worthy outfit?!? I have literally /no clue/. You know those old commercials "this is your brain on drugs" Yeah well, this is my brain "on escrow", and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I cannot wait for things to go bac

Increase the size of sleeves as needed ✨ I made mine woefully modern in comparison here by not ballooning them further, oops Sleeve tabs: https://off-the-cuff-shirtmaking.blogspot.com/2014/01/tutorial-shirt-sleeve-placket.html The etsy shop where I stocked up on shirt buttons: https://www.etsy.com/s

Hello all! Whew. I am typing to you from a hotel back in NY, and I just got the heating on so things are improving by the minute. I got in at 1am last night becuase that was the only direct flight from Denver. I've spent the last several days frantically trying to get everything done for the week si

The last part of my recent moire ensemble ✨ Gilet Blouse Front // Faux shirt-front situation (YouTube)

Hello there! I'm still finishing up the last little video for this ensemble, a separate how to for the lace under-shirt-front thing, so that will be coming later tonight. Thank you so much for your patience and support! Podcast coming later this week ❤️ A Short Sleeved Moire Jacket (YouTube)

I have just arrived in New York state, and I'd love to tell you what it looks like here, but it's pitch black dark out there! I'll have to fill you in when I get back. To prepare for being out of the office, I've got this week's Thursday video finished already and uploaded. I can't wait to wear this

Part one of a three piece late Victorian/early Edwardian inspired jacket/top set ✨ Thank you for your support! The jacquard I used: https://www.silkbaron.com/product_p/1780.htm The fancy B&J moire I mentioned: https://www.bandjfabrics.com/fabric/silk-moire-black-0 Drafting 1890's Sleeves // An Edwar

This week I'll be going over the process for making the white and red color blocked dress from Sanctus. I used leftover pieces of sateen I already had kicking around the studio to make this one, so the only new thing I had to get a hold of was some gray heat transfer flock vinyl. I'm considering ove

Oof! Sorry this is so late!! I may have had a got-to-go-back-and-buy-that-settee emergency this week that threw me off course. The long promised 1930's dress demo has arrived, and I aplogize for my general apathy towards this poor little dress. It didn't do anything to deserve this much abuse from m

Hello there! I'm currently out of the office visiting family in San Diego, but I still finished up this week's upcoming video before sneaking away. Here is the process behind making the armor inspired jacket from Sanctus! Thank you for your support ❤ Making an Armor Inspired Leather Jacket ⚔️ (YouTu

Thank you for the love on Sanctus!! This will be this week's Thusday video over on the channel. I'm still slowly straightening up the sewing room, but I promise I went to the Denver Botanic Gardens this last weekend and that I will not work tomorrow either, as it will be my 33rd birthday 😅 I'm leav

I must not fear. Why celebrate the center of summer? Instead I suggest a pre-Halloween ritual of decadent delirium. After all, summer is merely the sweltering crucible inferno all of us must weather to earn the sacred season that is autumn. What will you be sewing for spooky season? Which is a year

Just a few more projects left in my marathon, and one video to edit ❤️ Chatty Filigree Lantern Bag Making✨ (YouTube)

Whew! Thank you for your patience!! I'll have another video full of sneak peeks at the various nonsense I've been working on behind the scenes here coming for you soon. Thank you for your support ❤️ Also, for real traditional Kimono sewing check out Billy on youtube https://www.youtube.com/@BillyMat

The process behind making the jacket to match the skirt from this month's video ✨ Thank you for your support! The updates podcast will be coming as well soon... A Black Marble Jacket ✨ (YouTube)

Part one of a suit, the first of two videos I have for you here this month. I have finished making the jacket, I've just got to get the video together and you'll be seeing it soon! I hope you enjoy this little geometric skirt project and I'll be back with more sewing soon ❤ This fabric on etsy: http

A little sequined cape/shawl thing this week to finish off last week's absurd sparkling dress project 😅 Thank you for your support! ❤️ Android's Prefer Capes // Making A 1950's Inspired Shawl (YouTube)

It's the Q&A! Aka, practically a podcast, a full 45 minutes of my rambles, no one is surprised ✨ I'm going to be answering more of your questions in this month's podcast, so I'll be back soon with more! Why Am I Not a Fashion Designer? And Other Quandaries (YouTube)

What's this, a video so early?! I know, but it's sorta becuase this is a super simple project, so I owe you something a little more juicy (ahem, written) as well that I hope I can have up on the more usual 20th/21st release date. Thank you so much for your patience and support! ❤️ Making A Hooded Cr

Whew! After some PC troubles today, the latest project video is ready 😅 Thank you so much for your support! This fabric on etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1461039921/silver-gray-on-black-design-mikado? Making An Epic Cape Coat 🦇 (YouTube)

Hello there! I needed a little bit of a chiller project as I was working on things for this month, so I decided to finally make a higher contrast shield beetle brooch so that I could stare at some sequins for a little while. As much as I would like to make one of these in black too, I figured I shou

Hello there! I just finished editing this week's upcoming video so I wanted you all to get the first look at this new project. Thank you so much for your support! (PS: no news yet on possible mystery project) Making A Black Brocade Jacket ✨ (YouTube)

Okay, I just realized that technically the sleeves on the red dressing gown and the green taffeta one are maybe larger....but these are the biggest sleeves I have ever put on a "normal" garment surely 😅 The silver htv: https://www.heattransferwarehouse.com/deco-film-soft-metallics/ A video where I

Hello there! I put together this slightly longer and more thorough explanation of how I prepped my design for the craft cutter. The purple dress (the video you saw last month) will be coming to the channel this week, and then I'll have a (metallic oil slick finish!!) little project coming out next T

Wish a Happy Holiday season to you! I'll be back soon with our last podcast of 2023 ✨ This fabric: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1421866397/blue-golden-jacquard-brocade-fabric? Last year's bonus video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJXqkUEwK_0 and 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrHDB9YfLg8 a

Thank you so much for your support!! A Funky Pleated Puff Sleeve! (YouTube)

A little snapshot of my recent trip to California to see family in San Diego, and visit Mood Fabrics up in Los Angeles! Postcard from California // Shopping at Mood (YouTube)

Hello there! I'm still in California for another couple of days, but I wanted to get this week's upcoming Thursday video out to you all a little early. I managed to make it to Mood Fabrics in Los Angeles this weekend for a browse, and I found a few little vintage gems too, so I'll fill you in via th

Hello there! Here is a very fun 1940s inspired dress in a subtle cotton and rayon blend jacquard. I actually really love the finished dress and can't wait to make it again in another fabric sometime! Reminder there will be no new video on the channel this Thursday (Thanksgiving in the US) but hopefu