Tiger Lily's Threads

Went to the Market Fair in Ft. Frederick on Friday pretty early in the morning (7am to be exact. We didn't arrive to the park grounds until 9am). I don't have a lot of pictures of my experience there, because of a family emergency that happened but here are some pictures that I was able to take.                          A trio of Brown Bess's. I could only look at them in awe at their craftsmanship. Sutlers preparing their wares for the day.                                                          Ft. Frederick in the background                                        My Lt. enjoying boiled peanuts; they were pretty good.   ...

Went shopping at JoAnn Fabrics recently to buy some thread, when I came across this pattern for just $1 in their patterns department. Immediately the fangirl inside of me went bonkers. This was something that my great grandmother, and my great aunts wore back then during WWII, and probably by now have put up in their attic or basement to collect dust. Plus, I figured this dress would be a great sewing challenge and a great dress to do my pin-up shoots for the fall. As far as what type of fabric I should use for this dress, I was thinking of something similar to what women wore back during that time. During the war, there were a lot of rations, which meant that there was a limit to what was available. Fabrics like silk, wool, and nylon were often used for the war effort, leaving other fibers such as rayon, linen, and corduroy available for women's fashion. Cotton may have been available to women during that time (I'm not 100% sure), so for the sake of authenticity and co...

Went to the Braddock Day Ball last night at Gadsby's Tavern in Alexandria Virginia. How do I describe such an event like this? It was magical, luminescent, and . . . well, it was like stepping back in time. Anyway, I made lots of new friends and danced the night away. Granted, some of the dance moves were complicated and difficult to follow, but I hung in there and stuck with it. My favorite dance though was the "Easter Thursday". It was informal and very easy to follow. I wish I had footage of that particular dance to show how easy it was. Can't wait to go back and do this again in June for the Bread & Butter Ball, and in August for the Jane Austen Ball. They're just so much fun.

Now that the Ball is over and reenacting season has started,  I've been doing some thinking. I'd like to make another chintz gown from the leftover 9 yards of Felicite-Waverly fabric I have from when I made my ball gown. At first, I pondered about what era I should make this one for, and what style of dress?  So, I checked the Internet for ideas (Pinterest, Google, Blogs, etc.) They were all very intriguing and inspirational. However, after reading one of the blogs that I follow, I felt inspired by American Duchess's black Robe Royaliste gown that dates back to the Regency/Federal period. It looked incredibly elegant something that I'd like to try something similar myself. I was thinking of making a bib-front gown or an open robe. But here's the kicker: I've never done this before; I'm so used to making 18th century English gowns, that I somehow feel reluctant with going forward with this. But at the same time, I'm relentless. I'll figure out a way...

Last night, I got to watch the premiere of AMC's new series called 'Turn'. From what I understand, the show is about America's very first spy ring. However, as I continued to watch the show, there was more to the concept than I was lead on. It was also about the events that lead to the American Revolution (they mentioned problems during that time, such as the taxation without representation, and a few skirmishes), and a true story about a man from New York who is conflicted about both sides of the political spectrum, and gets recruited to be a spy for the patriot side.  Anyway, I enjoyed the storyline because it was very interesting and did not fail to keep me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next. I liked the conflict between the characters   as well as the rising action of the story.  Now, here comes the parts that was a bit problematic. Being a Rev. War reenactor, I found myself a bit picky with accuracy of what the...