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My First 17th century Kirtle & Gown

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Last November, I was invited to attend a Renaissance-themed party here in Virginia. While I had a full year to put together an outfit, I was unsure which era of the Renaissance I was most interested in (given that there were plenty that spanned from the 14th to the 17th centuries all over Europe and the Americas; not to mention the Stuart period in England and America that lasted from 1603-1714). It dawned on me that given the area of Virginia that I live in, there are historic places that I could really pull from, such as Historic Jamestown, Henricus Historical Park in Chester, and Bacon's Castle in Surry. With this little history lesson being said, this period could work well. It would be flexible enough for a Renaissance festival and a future 17th-century historic event. While I do not have many pictures from the party, the event occurred at the very beautiful Virginia House in Richmond. I had only been to Agecroft Hall, its next-door neighbor, but my goodness, the grounds were ...
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1890'S Peach Blossom Dinner Gown

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This past April I attended a Victorian-themed birthday dinner party honoring my good friend Chelsea of Sartorial Statement. It was a weekend long celebration that truly was memorable and a lot of fun. Saturday morning kicked off with high tea, while later in the evening we donned our Victorian & Edwardian evening gowns for an elegant dinner and dessert. Sunday concluded with a nature hike nearby.  While I couldn't make it to the other two events due to work scheduling conflicts, it was really great to catch up with everyone and celebrate the Lady of the Hour.  To make the dinner gown, I looked at several examples from the late 1890's and early 1900's to decide just how I wanted the design and embellishments to look. After searching around for sometime, I decided on loosely replicating this style below.  The 7 yards of peach silk taffeta fabric I have always held on to since 2020; originally this was going to be used for an Angelica Schuyler cosplay since Hamilton was ...
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Military Throuh The Ages 2023

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Last year, I attended my first ever Military Through The Ages at The Historic Jamestown Settlement in Virginia as a spectator. This year, as a presenter... well, what can I say about this year's MTA?  It. Was. Awesome!  This year, I participated by joining alongside the WW2 unit the British 1st Para and the British Red Cross as a member of the Women's Voluntary Services.  A little bit about The WVS: It was a voluntary organization erected by Lady Stella Isaacs the Marchioness of Reading in 1938 at the beginning of WWII; They collaborated with both the Civil Defense Corps and Air Raid Precaution Services (ARP) and were responsible for aiding civilians during the London Bombings. As they sheltered survivors in the Tube (London's Subway terminals), the WVS provided essentials such as food, potable water, medical care, and donated clothing to those in serious need. Over the span of 53 days, the WVS mucked in on pretty much all tasks such as ambulance transport, salv...
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Edwardian Tea 2023: The Tea Party That Almost Wasn't

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Three years ago, I attempted to host my very first historical outing. However, this was at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic and the week before National shutdown. So... no tea party that year.  There was another attempt to have a gettogether in 2022 at the local beach... But we had to cancel due to a hurricane coming up the coast. Ready to give up, but I figured that maybe a this would be year to give it a final shot. . in 2023, Maybe the third time will be the charm? Thankfully a Sunday in late January was the best time to meet up, as everyone's schedules were open and conditions were favorable...ish. 😅 It started to rain some, but it bother us one bit since we'd be indoors. Anyway, the tea was held at a beautiful Bed & Breakfast called Peace Hill Farm, located in Charles City Virginia. I really love that everything was from farm-to-table, and has a "feels like home" aesthetic. I've visited here a few times last year, and each visit is always a wond...
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Location: Charles City County, VA, USA
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1830's Lapis Lazuli Gown

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While  I'm a few years behind the Gigot craze that rocked costuming community back in 2019, I finally managed to make an 1830's day gown of my own. Everything about the gigantic sleeves, the bell-shaped skirts, and the ornate hairstyles, lured me to this awkward and fascinating era of fashion - I'm all about it!  Materials:  7 yards of printed cotton fabric  2 yards of tulle (for sleeve enhancers)* 3 yards of scrap fabric (for sleeve enhancers)* 3 yards of muslin to line the bodice (the pattern calls for 7 to line the entire gown, but that can be left entirely up to the wearer in my opinion) 2 packs of piping trim corset bones to stabilize the front and back of bodice  Small Hook & Eye closures  Pattern-TV455 from Truly Victorian  After preparing the pattern and cutting out the fabric, it was pretty easy to put the mockup together for the bodice. However, I failed to realize that the bodice actually closes up i...
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Location: Williamsburg, VA, USA
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1900’s Blue Bell Cotton Shirtwaist

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Over the Summer, I faced a medical emergency which resulted in a week-long “staycation''. While in isolation, I opted to do some stash-busting. The project started off with a simple plaid Edwardian skirt, made from a recycled cotton 1830’s gown I made in the Spring. I was very pleased with the finished result, but realized that it needed something more elegant than the blouse I made two years prior. While you can never have too many shirtwaists, I really wanted one that was best suited for this future ensemble.                                      Using the Edwardian Blouse instructions from Black Snail Patterns , I opted for vers.1 -- but with some modifications. Instead of cutting out the neckline as directed for the insertion lace (for the upper portion of the blouse’s neckline and collar) I left the pattern as is. I also pin-tucked the collar for the sake of ornamental aesthetics…whi...
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2022 Military Through The Ages (Mini-Review)

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 I've often heard that history is bound to repeat itself; in terms of reenacting, that's always true. Specifics from military tactics, clothing, tools, food, etc. are all replicated and studied for the sole purpose of education and interpretation.   Back in March, I attended my very first "Military Through The Ages" located at the Historic Jamestown Settlement in Virginia. This 2- day event spotlights military encampments and tacticles from the present year 2022, to dates as far back as 1300 BCE.  While I was not part of the massive living history event, I did dress out for the occasion... by making a vintage dress in one night.  Simplicity S9291 aka Patterns by Gertie  There was so much to see on the grounds, that the weekend truly wasn't enough to cover everything. So of what I could get on camera, here are some of my favorite moments and displays. Really loving this spread Cracking jokes with Officer Cauldwell A WWII encampment (one of many) Jamestown's ...
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