Well, Goodness! Thank You!

I am quite touched to say that Quinn has nominated me for a Versatile Blogger Award!

As Quinn has been instrumental in teaching me some fabulous skills for pattern sizing and scaling recently, I think it's high time I baked her a cake or something.  Well, according to the rules, this nomination requires a couple of things, so here we go...

Tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself:

1-I have actually always been like this, even though I didn't start sewing historical clothes until I was in college.  This has been well documented with photographs of me in sailor suits and matching hats over the years.

Sailor suits then (c.1992) and now (May 2012)

2-I have two younger siblings, and they are much cooler than me.

3-I do not wear pants unless I have to.  Which means that I only own one pair of jeans, and I only wear them when they are required by a dress code (yes, this has happened) or because I am riding a bike or something.

4-I love lab coats, but I picked pretty much the only scientific field (psychology) that doesn't wear them.  I have absolutely no idea how that happened or why I like them.

dressed as a mad scientist for Halloween 2011

5-I wear tiaras when I am having a bad day, and also when I want to feel sparkly, and sometimes when they match the outfit.  I also insist on wearing an apron if I'm baking.  Sometimes these coincide.

Melting chocolate at my New Years party this January

6-I am a Slytherin, and proud, but it's a near thing--I score almost 50/50 as a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw.  Smart and evil?

7-I love plaid.  Shocking, I know!

a pile of plaid (tartan, in fact!) at Ochre Court

Nominate 15 Blogs for the VBA:

I don't actually think I read enough blogs to have 15 I want to nominate (especially because three have already won! you can see their blogs here and here), but here are my nominations!

Visually Stunning Beautiful photos, often of beautiful places, sometimes of interesting people, and with a variety of techniques and films--including some vintage ones.

Suitcase Words Jamie spent a year teaching English in the town of Dijon, France and wrote a blog about it.  Now that she's home she doesn't update as frequently, but she understands what it means to leave your heart in many places.

Couture Courtesan Pretty clothes and exciting adventures in Colonial Williamsburg.

Before the Automobile Someday I hope to sew this beautifully...and she makes most things completely by hand!  It's also always interesting to see historical events in places outside the US.

Not So Geek, Not So Chic A really cute blog, and some pretty fabulously creative sewing.  Also, hooray for super heroes and other geeky fashion!

Oregon Regency Society Northwest Chapter The society's blog offers some pretty fabulous pictures, but also some great how-to's and research segments.

Oh, the Glamorous Life! Glamorous adventures, performance tips, and book reviews from a co-founder of the Boston Babydolls.

Well, that's all I think!  Thanks to Quinn for the nomination---I look forward to many more sewing adventures to blog with you!  And thank you EVERYONE for reading!

Finally (really this time!), I clearly don't read enough blogs.  If you write one, or have one to recommend, please leave it in the comments!

Shenanigans!, or: Regency Games

This August I spent a lot of time in the Regency, and while dancing and lunching and looking cute are all loads of fun, sometimes other amusements are a nice addition to the mix.  Actually, I had so much fun that someday I would love to organize a Regency gaming night, with several card games and other activities set up for people to try.

a Regency card party, via Jane Austen's World

One of the staple games of the 19th century card table (which has survived today), whist, is on my list of things to learn this fall.  It shares several features with the modern game of bridge, and I think part of the reason I find whist so complicated is that I've never played bridge.  Maybe I can get my grandparents to teach me when they are visiting this weekend, and then I will have a head start on whist! One game I was able to master and teach quickly from the period is called commerce.  It involves trading or drawing cards in order to create the best hand as quickly as possible and win the pot.

playing Commerce in August (with period-accurate cards!)

We had a lot of fun playing commerce during Guerriere Weekend, but sometimes it's also fun to be active!  Two more active games I played this summer were Graces and Blind Man's Bluff.  I have a lot of experience playing Graces, because we taught it to children when I did living history in high school, but I'd never played Blind Man's Bluff before.

Graces illustration, 1815

Graces was a children's game popular throughout the period.  It is basically a game of catch, but you play by tossing and catching a wooden hoop using two wooden dowels.  It's a lot harder than it sounds!  The idea is to try and be graceful while playing, and I will admit that if you can throw gracefully, it makes it a lot easier for the other person to catch!  I have yet to manage actually appearing at all graceful while catching, though.
The game is usually played with two sticks per person and one hoop for the group, but we tend to challenge ourselves and will sometimes add extra hoops to the mix.

playing graces in the Boston Public Garden

two hoops!

not quite graceful...

Graces is deceptive, because it seems pretty boring but actually is a lot of fun!  That seemed to be a trend this summer...the other game we played, Blind Man's Bluff, has always seemed super dumb to me, but I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe!

Blind Man's Bluff illustration, 1803

The basic premise of Blind Man's Bluff is that one person is blindfolded, and must try to capture another player and guess who it is they have caught.  When they guess correctly, they are allowed to remove the blindfold and the captured party is the new "blind man."  The non-blindfolded players can try to avoid capture pretty much however they please, but it helps if you stomp around a lot so that the "blind" person can hear you--and don't forget to warn them about obstacles and walls!

There are some pretty embarrassing videos of us playing this, but for now you will have to be content with pictures.

playing Blind Man's Bluff at the Commandant's House

I don't know if you can really tell from these pictures, but this game was a ton of fun.  And best of all, it didn't require much beyond a hard floor (for stomping), a handkerchief (we used a clean napkin from lunch), and a sense of adventure.  I look forward to playing again! 

A Month Away

Oh dear--I blinked and October started, and I haven't posted in ages!! Many apologies!  Unfortunately, life has gotten in the way of blogging lately which slowed me down...but hopefully now I'll be able to balance a little better.  I'll certainly have lots to talk about, with a spencer in the works for my Regency wardrobe, a new 1860s ballgown coming up (impulsive fabric purchase!), and New York Comic-Con only two weeks away...I better get sewing!

In the meantime, here are a selection of images from the end of the summer's busy event schedule.  They don't include any new clothes, but there will be much of that to come as fall sets in and I spend my weekends sewing instead of picnicking.

visiting the Constitution Museum in the Charlestown Navy Yard during Guerriere Weekend

hoisting a goat aboard in the interactive section of the museum

Quinn learns to scrub the decks with sanding blocks

furling a sail!

our last picnic of August in the Boston Public Gardens

watching the swan boats

 Well, it was quite the summer!  I have a feeling post-college life is in no danger of getting too dull or grown-up...there are too many adventures yet to come!  Actually, looking at my calendar, it's going to be quite a busy end of 2012.  I better get sewing!

Guerriere Weekend: A Regency Saturday

As I mentioned, I'm behind a bit...but there are so many exciting things happening!

A few weeks ago the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers performed at Guerriere Weekend, which was a celebration of the bicentennial of the naval battle between the U.S.S. Constitution and the H.M.S. Guerriere.   The Constitution now lives at the Charlestown Navy Yard, and the celebration of "Old Ironsides"'s victory included an encampment of 1812 reenactors, dancing in the Commandant's house (that was us!), activities at the Constitution Museum, and several other events for the public throughout the weekend.  On Sunday, the Constitution was tugged out of her dock to sail under her own power for only the second time in 100 years.  It was quite exciting.

a contemporary image of the battle

In preparation for this, we all needed new clothes!  There was a lot of frantic sewing, and not a lot of sleep.  As a result, most of my dress is actually sewn by hand, because I did it on the train to and from work (as well as during a couple of long experiments during the day-shh!).  This project ended up being a little ridiculous because the sleeves I had made at home were cut from a different pattern than the rest of my dress, which was scaled up from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion.  Had I not been putting the bodice together at 3am, I would have addressed the problem, but exhaustion got the better of me.  I ended up have absolutely NO range of movement, and it was a very silly sight for the dress rehearsal.  Luckily, I had time to put in better sleeves before the real celebration on Saturday. 

All in all, I really love this dress...I am quickly becoming obsessed with tassels for Regency.  Hooray for becoming a walking cat toy!
Here are some pictures of us at the Commandant's House.  All of the images are courtesy of Quinn, because I forgot my camera on Saturday.

Ladies in one of the main dancing rooms

In the entrance hall, which has lovely murals

Almost all the dancers!

Royal Marines encamped outside.  We had a lot of fun watching them drill and yelling "Dudes doing drills!!"

playing period card games in between performances with accurate cards.  Commerce was quite fun and a bit like Gun Rummy, but we cheated and didn't gamble, which removed most of the strategy...oops.

blurry, but I thought this was like a painting

dudes doing drills! (Royal Marines in red, US in blue)

A spectacular hat

on the porch.  Hooray tassels!

All that dancing and frolicking was quite tiring! However, it is hard to flop gracefully with a wooden busk.

More pictures of shenanigans and sailing to come!

Archery Fashion

I am not intentionally neglecting this blog, and have in fact been doing a lot of prep work for projects!  Unfortunately I am having computer trouble that makes it difficult to post.  Apologies for the bursts and droughts of writing recently!
In keeping with my recent need to shoot things, I have totally fallen in love with this fashion plate.

Archery Dresses, La Belle Assemble 1831

Isn't it super adorable? Unfortunately, I really will never need an 1830s day dress.  But this got me thinking about archery and fashion in general, and I did some poking around.  While archery is an acceptable sport for ladies by the very end of the 18th century, I had some trouble finding images of it.  In fact, almost all the images I found of ladies doing archery from the early 19th century (I'm on a Regency kick) related to the British Bowmen, an archery society which was open to women in the 1790s (although the society itself was much older than that).  There are two illustrations of the British Bowmen from the first half of the 19th century, which give a pastoral impression of the sport.

The British Bowmen at Gersyllt Park, 1795-1805

Meeting of the Royal British Bowmen, 1823

Aren't these lovely?  In the first image all of the participating women appear to at least coordinate, if not match.  In the second image both genders are certainly wearing uniforms.  I thought the women's uniform looked like fun (and I love green/gold as a color combination) so I did some more digging and found these two versions at the Manchester Gallery of Costume.

1790s British Bowmen women's uniform bodice

British Bowmen women's uniform, 1815-1820

The wrap bodice is a smart design for easier movement, but I really find the dress to be totally darling.  As I am not British and not a talented archer (although I plan on practicing!), I really don't feel justified making a uniform for an elite archery society...but I am heavily inspired to make some cute outerwear for adventuring!  I am thinking a wool pelisse with contrasting bottom and binding.  I'm holding off until I find wool I like, so I'm not yet sure what the colors will be.

And last, just because I love tartan ever so much, the men also had pretty spiffy archery uniforms.  This one is for the Royal Company of Archers from about 1800.

George Douglas, Earl of Morton in Holyrood Park

Brave Accuracy

I have decided recently that clearly I do not have enough hobbies, and should find something to do with myself.  Just kidding--the truth is that I am a crazy person and apparently hate sleep. But either way, I am investigating taking up archery.  My family used to shoot together sometimes when I was younger, and I remember really liking it.  So with that in mind, I thought it might be a good idea to make a dress I could wear for archery.  I am also planning to go to New York Comic-Con in October, and will need something to wear on the main day of the convention.

Clearly, all of this is a long explanation of why I need to be Princess Merida from Disney'Pixar's Brave.

Part of the reason this project has suddenly occurred to me is this fascinating article over at Clothes on Film. So much went into the animation of these costumes, down to learning how to accurately construct a kilt, and virtually woven fabric for Merida's dress.  It made me start thinking about the historical accuracy of the clothes.

So what about a historically accurate Princess Merida outfit?

A similar, real-life style: Princess Anne of Denmark, 1685 via the Scottish National Gallery

Some things will be easy to adapt: Merida's dress is supposed to be dark blue linen, with a wool cape.  Both natural fabrics, they make a lot more sense than the shiny stuff the Disney World Merida wears--although she is super cute.

Disney World's look-a-like Merida actress.  Darling, but sooo shiny

I tried dating the film beyond "Ye Olde Highland Stereotypes," but it was pretty difficult.  Merida's dress appears to be heavily inspired by a basic kirtle shape, which was worn in various parts of the western world for a very long time; the specific style Merida's resembles (with no waist seam) is accurate for at least the 12th-15th centuries, but also looks a bit like the 17th century portrait above.  

a period illustration of a kirtle

It was however a bit easier to narrow down the time period based on the men's clothing in the movie.  The men all wear kilts with a piece fastened across the chest over the shoulder, which makes it appear to be actually a "belted plaid," or feileadh mor in Gaelic.  This was formed from a single cloth which created the pleated bottom and shoulder piece.  This existed at least as early as the 16th century, which would place Brave in the 16th or early 17th century.  

foreign illustration of belted plaids

King Fergus

While peasants (and the Highlands were a mostly agrarian society) were often behind high high fashions of any given period, there is more debate in the literature about what Scottish royalty wore.  Given that the movie is certainly set before the Union of 1707, I think it is fair to assume that while at home Merida is not dressed in highest court fashions.  With all of this in mind, and the fact that I have at least one portrait of a princess in a dress similar to both Merida's dress and a kirtle from the 17th century, I'm going for that as my basic style.  I also quite like this portrait, which is from the 15th century.

1484 illustration of Joan of Arc at the stake

Here Joan is wearing what appears to be a front-lacing kirtle and quarter or half sleeves.  With this in mind, to get the look of Merida's gown I will follow the character's laced from and cheat a bit on the sleeves.  If I make a dress with sleeves like Joan's, but add ties for more sleeve pieces, I can get the jointed-sleeve Merida look, but take them off and hide the ties if I ever want to look more accurate.

The only other thing Merida's costume lacks is an essential part of the 15th-century Gaelic woman's wardrobe: a plaid or arisaid  worn over the top of the outfit.  These were either attached at the belt or fastened similar to a man's plaid with a brooch on the chest.  This could be pulled over the hair, which was probably a great idea given how cold it gets in Scotland.

19th century illustrations of the arisaid

I would describe what Merida wears as a hooded cloak, but the idea is similar.  Several sources I read also proposed that the woman's arisaid was not always plaid, but often solid with a colored border or striped.  That would mean adding a colored border to Merida's cloak and fastening it with a brooch (which it appears to do already) makes it a passable alternative to a real arisaid--especially if the hood isn't a separate sewn and attached piece.

I suppose this means I need to start looking for dark blue linen...and also that I am a crazy person.  Onward to NY Comic-Con!

Bill Cunningham Comes to Newport

Apparently I lied about finishing the Newport posts, but I am always interested in the "behind-the-scenes" aspects of life, and I thought this was an opportunity to share one.  Bill Cunningham is a fashion photographer for the New York Times, who writes/photographs the "on the street" section and the "evening hours" spread. (and actually quite a fascinating person.  I recommend the documentary about him, Bill Cunningham New York.)
Bill has been photographing at Newport for the past few years, and is truly darling.  He seemed to quite enjoy our young set this year, and we were all completely entertained by his mimed instructions for how we should move to make our various shenanigans more photogenic, and also by the fact that he referred to us as "children."  Anyway, we were in the Times the Sunday after Newport, in two spreads.  Can you find me?

the daytime spread (click to enlarge): I am in 2 pictures, upper left. can you find me?

the evening spread: I am in 3 pictures--do you see me?

My favorite is the one where I am dancing with Officer Scott, because it was a night I was wearing a tiara.  Yay, tiaras!

Bill is 83 years old (he was born in 1929), and we were all a little concerned at his mad dashes through the ballroom for the best possible photograph.  However, he survived, and we were even able to capture him in action!  Here are some (rather silly) pictures of us being photographed by Bill--there, that's actually everything from Newport!

Bill attends the silent film night. Aren't those ushers fabulous?

the shot on the stairs of Ochre Court--did you see it in the final spread?

Bill followed us when we moved to the landing

on a ladder to get the group shot--oh dear!

setting up a shot in the garden at Glen Manor.  I believe this is the one where Bill took a bunch of pictures and then said "ok, I'll leave you alone for five minutes." and then came back and said "I can't help it--it's been five minutes!" He is so sweet.  We will pose for you anytime.

that blur in the bottom left corner is Bill--this shot was also in the final spread, did you see it?

getting the group at the Roger Williams Casino

oh no, caught!

Seriously, thank you Bill Cunningham.  You were so much fun.

Also, BONUS: there is a video over at the NYT website here.

And one last behind-the-scenes shot: sometimes even vintage dancers get dehydrated.  Slurpees!

stopping at 7-11 post Ochre Court...sans dresses

yum!

Hooray for TNG adventures! and I do love my scarlet tartan drawers...although I'm glad those didn't end up in the paper.