Tiger Lily's Threads

With so many 18th century events coming up in June, I had the urge to make several new things for the Summer. Handmade neckerchief out of pure cotton fabric Handmade/Machine sewn Cotton Batiste apron  1790's -1812 Open Robe gown out of the Waverley curtain fabric  1770's Jacket with a swallow-tail peplum, out of Waverley curtain fabric (with a matching stomacher) Green stomacher out of scrap fabric I bought in Historic Ellicott City back in January 2 drawstring bags (to store knitting and sewing demos during reenactments) Yellow Petticoat with flounce out of pure cotton fabric  Rosette to decorate my caps (Should be making a tutorial soon) When I can, I'll post pictures of each item including the details of how I made them. But for now, gotta get back to planning out what to put on the exhibit tables for the market fair in two weeks at the Benjamin Banneker Museum! 

This year's reenactment went off without a hitch. The only setback we had was the weather. He were are in the middle of Spring, and the majority of us were wearing thermals underneath our costumes. On top of that, it rained on Sunday to the point where the event was at risk of being cancelled. For that reason, among other reasons, I decided not to camp out this time.  But while the weather was fair on Saturday, my friend Stephanie and I went and helped out with the distaff and did sewing demonstrations. I saw plenty of friends I hadn't seen in months, made new ones, ventured over to "enemy territory" for a while, and got to tour Mount Vernon's main house.  I hope that next year there will be clear skies and will be warmer than 60 degrees. I also plan to have new furniture such as chairs and a wooden folding table, so working on the sewing demos will be a bit easier, and maybe (hopefully if his work/military schedule isn't tied up) bring my husban...

First bit of progress done With only 5 days left until the battle reenactment at Mount Vernon, I realized I didn't have anything to work on for a demo for my seamstress impression. Then it hit me: why not a fichu/neckerchief? It would be really easy and quick to sew, and I wouldn't have to keep track of all the pattern pieces (considering it's only a giant triangle). That in mind, I got right down to it and started cutting the fabric out of 100% cotton striped remnant I picked up from Burnley & Trowbridge this past weekend. While I could have sewn this up in a heartbeat with the sewing machine, I opted to be more traditional and sew it all by hand; I wanted this piece to be historically accurate for educational purposes (since sewing machines weren't invented until the late 1800's). I won't have this project finished until Sunday for demonstration purposes, but I can't wait to have it completely finished. If you'd like to make your own, ...

This year's market fair was once again a success. My friend Stephanie and I traveled up to meet with our Artillery unit around 9am and did all of the shopping until our feet gave out (or we ran out of money). Sadly I don't have any photos to post, but I've decided to try something a little different. The highlights and Cons. High Lights:  There was definitely a huge turn-out at the fair this year in both vendors and attendees. I attended this fair for almost 4 years, and since then, I'm noticing an increase which is not only good for the vendors but also great for the park's exposure. Got to see a lot of friends and meet new ones.  Con's:  The weather….I swear, when it comes to Maryland's weather it's always unpredictable (in spite of what the forecast says). I remember last year when I went up, and while it was nice and warm and sunny where I lived, as soon as I drove past Hagerstown, it snowed! Thankfully that didn't happen ag...

Remember this Caraco jacket? I made this last year for the Colonial Market fair at the Benjamin Banneker Museum. If memory serves me right I believe it was a hot and humid Summer weekend. I thought that wearing this beautiful coral fabric would help reflect the sun's heat. . . I got one thing right. Bright colors will reflect and make you less hot. However, making the jacket the way that I did was a horrible idea, which almost cost me my health and maybe my life if I didn't catch it early on. Let me explain…. When I made the jacket, I did the sensible thing and bought 100% cotton fabric. However, that's not the crazy part. During that time, I was feeling my way through learning about different fabrics (especially when it comes to historical clothing). At that same time, I also did not get the memo of the "do's and don'ts of Fashion 101", such as lining a jacket with anything other than silk, muslin, or cotton, is a bad idea...Case in po...

Spent 4 days at Colonial Williamsburg for Spring Break with my friend Stephanie and my husband's cousins. We had a blast! Not only did we get to see everything from colonial trades, house tours, and historical people, but we also got the opportunity to see and do things that were more behind the scenes.     I can't wait to go back again in June, and do it all over again. You know you're in VA when you're dressed in colonial clothes, and no one bats an eye Mairin, Stephanie, and I with George Washington  Enjoying the walk down D.O.G St. Photo by the well Meeting up with my husband's cousin who works for the CWF Reunited! 3 colonial ladies On the bridge Not sure why, but I love taking pictures while standing near the water Williamsburg's Angels Perfect ending to a perfect day My meeting with Thomas Jefferson Me and my cousin Adam Mairin and I attending an audience with the Marquis de Lafaye...

Just got back from a whole week of visiting friends and family in Colonial Williamsburg (more on that later), but before heading down, my friend and I went to the Francaise dinner at the Gadsby's Tavern in Alexandria, VA. This was our first time attending the event, and my goodness we were floored at how much hard work and beautiful silks you could push into one dining room. The only regret I have is not having a camera with good lighting.  The ship on her head was my favorite piece Fabulous! I have no idea what we were doing