After my divorce, I did very little sewing, except for a little hemming, repairing small holes and replacing buttons. I was sad, and little upsets like something not fitting exactly right, or sewing the wrong pieces together made me feel even worse. But then some friends of mine invited me to a masquerade in town and I knew I had to make something–I couldn’t–no, I wouldn’t–wear a store bought costume. That got my sewing mojo back in gear.

Marie Antoinette famously loved masquerade balls, so I decided to make a gown like something she might have worn, only out of polyester brocade and satin and machine-made lace. I could not afford real silk and handmade lace because I didn’t have the coffers of the French monarchy open to me. Continue reading “Coo Coo for Rococo” →