Tiger Lily's Threads

I hope everyone's had a great holiday!  This whole month of December has been super busy for me, which would explain my month absence. In between working 2 jobs and going to school, I somehow found some time to make at least 3 colonial outfits as well as a new wool cape and a matching muff cover. To speed up what I've done these projects, I'll give you the short version.  Red Trailing Vines Caraco Jacket For my birthday, I bought the Williamsburg collection fabric (Red flowers) with the intent on using it to make my first long caraco jacket. Thankfully I had more than enough to not only make it, but also had a yard left for selvage or for future projects. I used the J.P. Ryan Anglaise pattern and instead of making the skirt floor/ankle length, I stopped it to my knees. At first, I thought about adding trim to give it an elegant finish, but realized that 90% of my gowns and jackets either have ruched or box-pleats or knife-pleats on them. So, ultimately I deci...

This one looks just like mine Just got back from my great aunt's house with something that I've never expected to have in my artifact collection: A vintage glass darning egg.  According to my great aunt, ours has been passed down in the family since 1860, and when her grandmother (my great great grandmother) gave it to her, she put it away so no one would bother it. However, when she found out that I am a HUGE history buff who is the family genealogist who sews, she immediately set it aside for me in hopes that I would carry on the tradition.  Super excited! 

I swear, this is the last time I augment this gown.  When I first created this gown for the Braddock's Day Ball in 2014, it had a high neckline and red bows on either side of the sleeves and in the center. Then I augmented it by changing out the bows for green ones and adding a matching stomacher. Needless to say, the outcome was horrible. Then I changed the front part of the bodice using the J.P.Ryan Robe Anglaise pattern which lowered the neckline, and it seemed to work wonderfully…but then, the perfectionist in me had to take it a step further. . . .  I cut off at least 6 inches of the train so it wouldn't track dirt when i walked, and created trim to put all over the gown to create a zone front (well to give the illusion of one) as well as the sides of the gown for symmetry.  In retrospect, I absolutely love this 1780's style more than anything else I've done with this gown and have no regrets with its final form.  Wasn't 100...

When I last left off, I explained the construction of my new linen gown and its inspiration. Because the fabric was still a bit stiff, I decided to test its durability by spending a day helping out one of my favorite vendors, at the market fair at George Washington's Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia. Coincidentally, I was also there celebrating my 30th birthday with my husband, who was free from his military duties that weekend, to accompany me! So that was a pretty awesome experience to say the most! I had the opportunity to assist Ms. Kim Walters at her jewelry store K.Walters At The Sign of The Gray Horse, which was a lot of fun. We were constantly swamped with customers for several hours that it was nearly impossible to take a break (Seriously want to thank my husband for bringing me lunch). When we did have some downtime, Kim showed me all of the new additions that will be on her online Etsy store, as well as bounced off some new ideas here and there.  M...

For those who may or may not know, back in late February/early March I did a program for Black History Month where I portrayed Sally Hemings. I performed in front of an audience and gave a narrative about her life in Paris and at Monticello. Since then I have been networking with several people, doing collaborations, and working on doing performances at certain events. When I did my first performance, I portrayed her during the time of the early 1820's (this was during the late regency period). But this time, I've decided to scale back on the time period. . . Thus the pink linen gown. I wanted the character I portray to emulate the late 1780's fashion. So I did a LOT of homework. What would a domestic servant, or a maid wear around that time, what fabrics would be used, etc. I also had to think about dressed up or dressed down I wanted the gown to be? I watched two movies based off of Sally Hemings, "Jefferson in Paris" with Thandie Newton, and "Sally Hemin...

For a while now, I have been pining for a new hat. I already had 2 colonial straw hats (3 if you want to count the 1809 Bonnet), and plenty of cotton caps. But not a silk bonnet aka "market hat". I've seen plenty of styles and colors either online, within passing during a reenactment, or while at a market fair, which made me want one even more. They're so versatile for any impression wither lower class, upper class, or middle class. It's a great hat! Women of all classes wore the silk bonnet The fabric I used was pink silk taffeta I had stashed away from a previously planned project, and the pattern was from the Undressed Lady . A really easy downloadable pattern to follow and for a low price of $20 that didn't break my bank. The only thing that I'd do differently is fix the brim of the hat. When I sewed the fabric pieces together, I folded it over just like it said in the instructions, but it still puckered and looked pretty bad. Ne...

This past weekend, my unit the Royal Marines and I participated in the Battle of Bladensburg in Riverdale, Maryland. The last couple of times we've attended it was either pouring down rain or your typical July Summer. This year was different; it was ...a bit warm….did I say warm? I meant hot as an oven at 450 degrees!!!  This past weekend, all of Maryland was HOT with a heat index of 110. Too hot to be outside and too dangerous to be outside to be doing events like this. But we trudged on anyway. We packed everything we could think of for this event: water, water, ice packs, water, more ice, First Aid Kit, Food, even more ice, fans, umbrellas, 100 SPF sunblock, hats, Gatorade, and of course…6 crates of water thanks to the Museum. It seemed we were all ready for whatever the temperature had to throw at us. And surprisingly, we did hold up pretty well. We even selected the perfect shade for all 3 British Units to stay under, while the American Units stayed in the equally large...

Went to Colonial Williamsburg last month with my friend Stephanie. It was by far one of the most educational and inspirational visits I've ever had there. I got to visit the museum and asylum for the first time, I got to even see and touch items that were freshly dug up by young aspiring archeologists, and even go up to the cupola of the Governor's Mansion. There's definitely a lot more to do and see there, and my plans on coming back are very high. That awesome arch at the Governor's Palace I always see in blogs My friend Zach who is working on a painting Lantern lighting On the roof of the Governor's Palace Look how beautiful that is!  Young Thomas Jefferson (Right) and James Madison (Left)