... I set about completing the outfit. I needed a purse, a hat, and a pelisse or spencer ...
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... What I discovered was that just about anything goes. Ribbons, flowers, birds, feathers, fruit, wheat. You name it ...
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... It was the collar I worried about. The stitches attaching its satin-covered boning framework were mostly gone, leaving the whole thing collapsed and disheveled. I had to do something ...
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... It would need to be attractive but inconspicuous, made of period-correct materials, and not hamper the mechanism or damage the lace ...
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... I tore away the shattered chiffon lining, wondering why someone would have used such sheer fabric to house drawstrings. I hesitated before snipping the original, tiny, hand stitches ...
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... it shows you just how much dirt can be trapped in the fibers of a seemingly clean dress ...
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... The shards had torn through the silk in several spots of nearly every section. Some were hanging from one edge. Others had completely detached. Sob ...
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... I'd seen a single example of a parasol bag, and that was for at-home storage. But that didn't mean a carried version never did or could exist. Surely some enterprising woman had whipped one up back when, right? ...
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... It looked like some sort of ultra-plush dressing gown (that's a bathrobe you can wear beyond the bathroom, for you youngsters) ...
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... First step: assess the condition, check for damage, and decide how much (time, effort, and money) to invest ...
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