Getting fit for stays (and living history season) follow up part 2

Tags

90 degree temps, living history, living history sarcasm

Along with my yoga plank morning workout, I have now added these to my list of ways to get fit for the living history season:

1. Carry buckets of water to the three gardens and 7 pots around the yard. Without a yoke for hauling buckets of water, alternate arms for maximum workout.

2. Cook in a house with no AC when it’s 90; be sure to use both the stove and broiler to make dinner.

3. Iron upstairs where there is zero cross breeze when it’s 90.

4. Sit on a quilt in the sun/partial shade sewing by hand for at least 4 hours.

5.  Drink beer.

6. Enjoy every minute of it before the snow is back.

 

I am nearly ready for the living history season!!

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Regency Re-do

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hand washing hems, lavender soap use, Regency ball gown trimming

I may have mentioned this before, but now it’s an all systems go project. On Jun 14, there is an event an hour south of my home and it’s a Napoleonic Timeline event. I portray the Tavern Keepers’ daughter. (It’s a swell time). Anyway, there is to be a dance at this event. I, of course, like any girl, want(ed) a new dress. However, time is a huge factor what with end of the year grading, moving stuff out of the classroom, and sewing a new working gown to wear at this event also. (Oh and next weekend, two weeks before the event, I’m hoping to crank out my first pair of Regency stays. *fingers crossed*). I asked the fab group on Historical Sew Fortnightly fb and everyone agreed that I should just re-trim my old gown. Hurray. It’s a most Regency thing to do as well.

I now have color choices of ribbon:

 

From left to right, the colors are: soft mocha, navy, orchid, cream, deep purple, and dove grey. They are polyester samples from JoAnn’s. I try to be authentic in every aspect of my appearance and demeanor at events. And I really can’t bear the thought of polyester ribbon on my dress. I will most likely drop some money on silk.

And here is my inspiration.

I want a really simple, easy to do trim. This can only take one to two days of sewing; no more.

Yesterday, I was looking at my blue dress and realized with horror that the hem was filthy. I may or may not have washed it after the last time wearing it in Dec. Woops. I try not to wash my clothes too much so they look worn, authentic, etc, but if this was to be a fancier dress, I couldn’t go to the dance looking like I spent all day cooking by the fire!!!!! I also try to hand wash as much of my stuff so that it does not get wear and tear in the washer. Light bulb! I thought my idea was genius. I grabbed my little nail scrubby brush (which my mother swears by and bought me three of them) and put a dollop of lavender hand soap on it. I scrubbed the entire hem of my dress. It ALL came out. I am shocked and really pleased. I knew lavender has natural cleaning properties (and it’s my fave smell/color); however, I didn’t expect my hem to get this clean. (And the dance will be in a dimly lit area with libations flowing so no one will notice it anyway). So huzzah!!!

Spring Planting

Tags

2014 flowers, spring flowers, yard work

The first warm weekend and I intended to sew, but did quite the opposite. First it began with a trip to a new antique store a few towns over. I’d never been inside and it looked pretty good. It’s a consignment shop meets antique store and she had some good stuff; specifically a fabulous rocking chair that I wanted super badly. I still have not gone back to get it. I feel like it would be a good chair to have on the screened porch. After perusing that store, I headed to The Home Depot because I thought they might have furniture slip covers. Nope. But they had lots of fun flowers. I got those instead.

All the flowers went in the ground. We’ve had a bit of a drop in temps since this planting; hopefully none got damaged too badly. This year I’m trying snap dragons, verbena, and vinca vine again. All three did well last summer and I think the snap dragons just need more water than the others. New this year: celosia, speedwell, and columbine (there are others, but I can’t recall their names). It’s funny how each year different plants catch my eye. I didn’t find celosia all that appealing last year, but this year I was like ooh that’s fun! Hehe.

The tulips, hostas, bleeding hearts, hyacinths, crocuses, irises, surprise lilies, day lilies, pin cushion, and jonquils all came back this year. I love perennials. Each year I like to buy one more perennial to expand my collection. I added big purple and white hyacinth to the big pink ones by the giant rock. I also got two new kinds of tulips to go with the bright red ones.

Here is a sample of some of the flowers so far….

Getting Fit for Stays follow up

Tags

core workout, plank, stays, Yoga

Two weeks ago I started doing the “plank core yoga stance” every morning to strengthen my core muscles. I am still only able to hold the pose for about a minute, but I think it’s working. Today I was in 1870s garb, full corset from 9 – 6. My main core is not sore at all. The only part that is a wee sore is in the middle of my upper back, right where the top of the corset hits my back. Odd. But I feel good!!! Healthy and ready for a full summer of living history! Woot! 

1810 Work Dress Part 1 Complete

Tags

1810 Morning Dress, brown linen, hand sewing, Regency

One month to make an 1810 work dress for an event in June. This will be my third time using Reconstructing History’s bib front morning dress pattern. I’m familiar with how everything goes together and this time I’m hand sewing it all. Hurray!! I chose a brown striped linen fabric because I did not want it showing the dirt. I didn’t have any fabric for the lining that I liked, so I just grabbed my mock up muslin because the off white color was good enough.

Now, I’m madly hand sewing every day after school. It gives me something to look forward to when I wake up in the morning and when I’m watching kids take quizzes. Anywho, the good camera is at my husband’s desk at his job, so I don’t have any pictures, but this afternoon I finished hand lining the bodice. It’s not too much of a painstakingly slow and tedious process as one would think. I really enjoy the look of a hand sewn lined bodice. It’s so pretty now that that part is done. 

I’m in that sewing mood/mode of “do I go ahead and cut the skirt pieces and sew those together?  Or do I just continue to look at pictures on pinterest to help me figure out how I’m going to retrim my other Regency gown?” Yeaaaaahhhhhhh. 

1926 Haggar Original

Tags

1926 Haggar Suit, Vintage inspired clothing

Because of my love for historical/vintage clothing, I geek out when I see a modern reinterpretation/bringing back of any vintage style. So a bit ago, my husband “dragged” me to Kohl’s because he needs new clothes. (What woman doesn’t want to go shopping with her man?) We were perusing the suit selections when I saw a “Haggar 1926 Original.” I may or may not have squeed out loud in the store. Luckily no one was nearby to hear me. I grabbed my husband’s arm and demanded he try on the jacket. He likes a nicely tailored suit jacket and this one was pretty swell. It fit him perfectly. We were a little saddened by the price – almost $200. *sigh* Was it worth it? Yes…..kind of…..1926!! Com’on!!!!!!! Kohl’s digital sale display signs all over the store looked a little wonky, so I went over to the scan price tag machine and the suit jacket came up as $80.00!!! What?! A sign? Absolutely! The suit came home. My husband wore it to school on Monday because he was so excited. I had to take pictures – he’s so cute!!!! 

 

 

 

Butt kicking stays = get fit for stays/corset season

I’m going to be honest. I don’t work out. Ever. Except for walking really fast from the parking lot to my classroom or walking fast from my classroom to the copy machine because I instantly need copies or wandering around my room at a leisurely place when my kids are quizzing, I don’t work out. I eat ice cream; I enjoy cake. While my muscles are not bulging, I can lift heavy boxes and the like. However, back at the end of April at the first event of the season, we had a long day of cooking and moving and doing. The last time I wore stays was in Dec at a similar type of event. There are not a lot of events from Dec – April that occur in my area or that I can attend because of my teaching schedule. But apparently after three solid months during the summer of wearing a corset/stays five days a week, four months of not wearing stays/corset was enough to turn my core muscles to goo. No beuno. Hence, after my event in April, my entire core was extremely sore/achy. Not cool.

I mentioned this to my sister whose job is a lot more physical than mine. Recently she started a core/yoga routine in the mornings. She demonstrated the main position that strengthens the core. Basically, you get in the position for doing a push up. But then angle your arms from the elbows forward in a triangle shape and rest your weight on your forearms/toes. Here is a really terrible drawing of it. Just google “yoga dolphin plank pose” and you’ll see it. Anyway, you are supposed to hold the pose for 60 sec; I alas cannot accomplish this feat. I was going to do two sets of 30 and take a teeny break in between….yeah well that did not happen. So currently I’m at 45 sec. I’d say that’s decent. I hope to ramp it up in a week or so.

I have an intense summer of working at OWW and attending lots of events where I will be cooking/moving/lifting heavy pots etc and I need to have solid core muscles so I don’t wake up sore every day.

 

 

 

 

 

Macktown – The Gathering – An early spring event

Tags

18th century tavern life, independent women, Macktown, reenacting, The Gathering and Macktown

A much needed girls’ weekend. The tavern proprietress and I were in charge of the tavern this weekend. We were husband-less. But we relished in our independence; we made tasty meals: porridge and bacon Saturday morning and common stew for the midday meal. We were lucky to have had a building to shelter us from the wind/drizzle because living in a tent would have been slightly unpleasant. By 7:30, the tavern was open and full of business Saturday night. Our soldiers made it home safely from the war and graced us with their presence later Saturday evening. The following morning, the soldiers took it upon themselves to cook a hearty meat-filled breakfast too. How kind of them.

Just a few photos from the weekend….

The lovely tavern

 

Visitors

 

Part of the kitchen

 

Patron seating

 

taking a break

 

other part of the kitchen

 

Hungry soldiers

 

Owner (cream colored gown) and servant (blue jacket)