Whether you’re adapting a Regency, American Civil War, Victorian or early Belle Époque pattern, costume designer and historian M. Elaine MacKay guides you through creating a historically accurate garment perfectly fitted for the modern wearer. Illustrated with clear diagrams of bodice, skirt, and sleeve blocks, this step-by-step guide demonstrates how to alter modern pattern blocks to achieve authentic period designs for various modern body shapes. With techniques that can be easily transferred to any garment, each chapter details the techniques distinctive to each decade – from dramatic changes in the use of panels and bias, through the crinolines and bustles of the 1850s and 1870s, to the gored skirts and swept hems of the elegant 1890s – and features: - photographs of a historical garment from the decade - an in-depth garment analysis to help you understand how the cut of the period garment differs from a modern one - instructions to alter the modern pattern blocks provided in