Dressing Up, May 10-11

-
The weekend before last was very busy! Julie came up and we had a few days packed with events and driving and scones (lots of scones, some with clotted-ish cream, some plain).

On Saturday, some of the members of the Empire State Costumers went to Albany's TulipFest. It's not a costume event in and of itself, apart from the people involved in the old tradition of scrubbing the street, who dress in versions of 17th century Dutch clothing with wooden clogs, but it's a beautiful day with a lovely setting and an historical connection, so I think it's nice to go out in something pretty and spend some time with friends. There are also a lot of booths for both crafters and food vendors, which I like at an event. We went last year as well, so it's become kind of an official event for the group.

Julie, Erinn, and myself
I'm still fond of this gown, which I made in about three days before the reenactment of the Battle of Saratoga. It has some problems (the left shoulder slips off, the sleeves are kind of wide, the waist is too low everywhere except the sides) and I have to wear my stays laced very tightly to get it to pin shut, but it's such a huge jump forward from my previous gown, a blue linen one with a stomacher. Everything is a step in the learning process, and after this one I feel like I have the confidence to possibly do a silk gown.


With it, I wore my new cap (now with pleated papillon) and kerchief, and my usual straw hat, lovelified with the rest of the blue ribbon. Still haven't gotten around to sewing in the ribbon loops in the skirt, though, and as it was wet and messy out I pinned the skirt up to approximately where it would be if it were able to be tied up.
Because it's about tulips and Netherlandish settlers, you see

Then on Sunday, Julie and I drove up to Fort Ticonderoga for the end of the No Quarter event. No Quarter's main reenactment was the night before, as the whole thing is about the Green Mountain Boys' capture of the fort from the British (which took place in the middle of the night). It was a gorgeous day, much nicer than Saturday - and yet still not quite as hot as had been predicted.


Julie's back
My super-awkward back
I'm not sure what's next ... on my practical sewing list, there's an 1860s cotton check dress for a Delaware County event in late July. Somewhat practically I'd like to make a Regency day dress for those events where I want to be in something more simple. And totally impractically, I'd kind of like to make this jacket I patterned and a silk petticoat to go with it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pride and Prejudice 1995: The Little Things

-
Image
I did threaten to write about the Ehle/Firth Pride and Prejudice , and since I'm in a writing mood without a topic I decided to make good. Regency adaptations tend to go for an overall accurate look, interpreting age and income within the confines of realistic silhouettes and colors, and so they avoid the scrutiny and reputation that a more obviously artistic and unrealistic production garners. But just as this version of P&P  is not entirely faithful in every respect (e.g. the added Darcy-perspective scenes, the actors nearly all being significantly older than their characters - perhaps the most egregious example being Julia Sawalha in her late twenties playing teenage Lydia), Dinah Hill's costuming is not entirely accurate - mainly in ways that make the period more appealing to modern tastes. The exact date when the story is set is never given; generally, the movie's taken to be set in 1813, when the book was published. I'm not going to go into the full story of...
Read more

A Difficult History: Corsetry and Feminism, Part One

-
Image
Recently, I began following a couple of Tumblr blogs focusing on waist training and daily corset wear. Daily wear is not for me, waist training even less so, but I find it an interesting practice. It is also a controversial one. For example, a recent Huffington Post article, " Corset Queen Penny Brown Loves Getting 'Waisted' ," drew comments which were nearly all extremely negative, as do most articles that bring the practice to mainstream attention. Usually, the mental states of the women who waist-train are called into question, and there are numerous references to feminism as incompatible with corsets. The general idea is that the first wave feminists of the late 19th and early 20th century would be horrified by women today wearing them, and that their assumed reaction is an objective statement on the practice. My feeling is that the subject is complex, and cannot be simply declared feminist or unfeminist. There are far more factors than the average internet comm...
Read more

Pattern Time: 1860s Chemise

-
Image
For my 150th post ( \o/ ), a quick little pattern someone might find useful. When I was working my way through a box a few weeks ago, I came across a chemise that didn't quite want to lay flat.  I took a closer look at it to figure out why, and noticed that it had a unique construction with the sleeves cut in one with the body and gussets inserted in the neckline.  I did a really quick sketch of the cutting layout and measured the important bits, so that when I got home I could draw it up in proportion on graph paper. (nb. I messed up. I've been noticing it for a while, but didn't want to point it out from shame, but I accidentally gave the neckline length as it is when gathered - the horizontal cut should be much longer, to within about four inches of the side seam. Please correct for this when making your own version.)
Read more