Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Hello dear readers,
     Long time no talk. Sorry about that but I was off having a wonderful Holiday season.  First off let me show you the pictures from the Spring Hill reenactment and the Christmas ball. The Spring Hill reenactment went so well! I got to see many familiar faces and dance most of the night at the ball. My theater buddy came with me to her first reenactment and enjoyed it so much that she is now "into" Civil war reenacting.  Makes me so happy! :) 
     For the Christmas ball I managed to sew two and a half ball gowns plus help my friend on her first Civil war dress.(Which she did a fantastic job on!) I was not able to trim my dress but under the time constraint it turned out pretty decent.  The half ball gown was a last minute request of one of my other friends.  I gave it a new look by putting a lace overskirt in replace of the old one, a new bertha, and trimmed it differently. I do not have a picture of that but I am hoping to adjust it whenever I get the chance and take a few before and after shots. 

The Battle of Spring Hill (Godey's Pose)

Me and my lovely friend Elise(Please excuse my oddly shaped bonnet)

Elise made her dress in a week! Can you believe it?! Oh and there is mine too.

     On another note I had a very merry Christmas present.  My parents took my siblings and I to Florida! We enjoyed a vacation to Disneyworld and Universal Studios! Oh it was such a blast! My sister and I met Ariel, went to Hogwarts, drank some butterbeer for the first time, watched the Blue Man Group, saw Elsa light up Cinderella's castle, and so much more.  It was truly a magical trip.

Sorry to post Disney pictures, but let's be honest you wanted to see it. ;)

Always and forever, My sister!

      So what have I been up to besides the usual hustle and bustle of my life? Well, I am excited to announce that the Bonnie Blue Gals will be hosting a Civil War Holiday party on January 3rd! (The Victorians would have celebrated Christmas and the New Year well until January.  I wish we did so now!)

The Bonnie Blue Gals get ready for Christmas!

      Here is the house that we are using to host the party. It is such a wonderful piece of property and history that is in Manchester, Tn.  I am not planning a new dress for this but I will be using my new green skirt and a jacket to go with it.  Hopefully it will go well and everyone will enjoy themselves!
     Well I suppose that is all the news I have for now! In the new year I would like to fix up my current costume wardrobe, make a Tinkerbell costume, finish up/perfect my Anna and Elsa duo, open an Etsy shop, audition and be in another play, and love and laugh more. I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!
Lots of love,
Shayla P.

 

Thankful Thanksgiving and Catching Up

Dear readers,

      I am so very sorry I have not posted in weeks! I feel awful that I haven't given you all updates, however I did come back to find a wonderful surprise! I have had over 900 Pageviews! I am beyond excited! I did not think my small adventures would be of interest to many but this has definitely made my day (maybe month)! This Thanksgiving I am so thankful for everyone that clicked or stumbled across my blog. Thank you! To think it all started with a small whim of curiosity that maybe someone might like to know my perspective on reenacting or to have some help on becoming a reenactor! Thank you!

      Well now, I must let you know what I have been up to that has been keeping me so busy from blogging. Let's see, first off I finished my first play at the Cannon County arts Center as the Candy man (Ma'am).  This play was absolutely amazing.  I met so many new people and I got into theater once more.  I have truly missed it. On a Frozen note, I unfortunately did not get to go out on Halloween like I had planned, but, my sister's skirt turned out beautifully (pictures down below).  I was in a rush to get the "vest" done so I have not embroidered it yet.  That will have to wait.

      My list has grown a bit bigger before the Christmas ball this year as Tori (from the Bonnie Blue Gals, also a dear friend from the 1861 Girls School) has asked me to make her a Navy blue ball gown. Her first ball gown not only with color but to own as well.  She has such faith in me! I have grown in confidence that this will turn out not only on time but a beautiful ball gown to show off.  I am so excited for her! Also, one of my other Bonnie Blue Gal friends, Emma, has asked me to make her an Elsa costume which I hope to have done my late December or early January so she can take pictures in the snow.  Hopefully I can do that as well as soon as I don’t have anywhere to go and I can actually enjoy the snow.

     So what is the Christmas ball you might be wondering?  Well, every year on the first Saturday of December, there is a historical ball (1860’s civil war to be exact) where people dress up and enjoy an evening of period dance and an evening of fellowship. (I love it mostly for the chance to have a new dress and pretend I am a princess! ;) ) This year I will be wearing a green, black and silver plaid dress. I haven’t figured out what the trim will be but I am leaning towards red, because let’s face it, who can resist a red and green Christmas dress?

      I am so excited for all these new projects plus a few fun Christmas goodies on the side.  With all of the Christmas excitement I am hoping to start a small Etsy account to maybe make some money for Christmas. But I am at a loss as to what to sell since everything I know how to make is either Disney or Civil war related.  That will make for an interesting shop name… Oh! I almost forgot. The Spring Hill battle is this weekend at Rippavilla Plantation which I will be attending! I am very excited as the 1861 Girls School will be hosting a ball on Saturday evening.  I am hoping to be there most of the day so feel free to come say hi! I won’t bite ;)

     Well hopefully I can be more diligent in keeping this blog updated now that I have all my plans in motion. For now please enjoy some pictures of my adventures…

This is my fabric but the picture is so bad. The green is darker and needs more color to pop(thus the red trim)
I do believe it is a cotton blend but it feels like true cotton so I should be ok.

 

This is Tori's fabric which is a satin/cotton I think.

 

This is my progress on Tori's dress so far and I was able to have a fitting with her last night so this is prior to that.

My sister's Anna dress! It looks better on her then the mannequin.

 

The hand embroidered design that is all the way around the skirt. (My sister even helped!)

This is from my final performance of Willy Wonka.
From left to right: Me(candy man), Charlie, and my sister(Oompa Loompa)
 

Yours truly,
Shayla P.

Did Someone say Frozen?

Dear readers,
I must say this was on heck of a project!  I enjoyed it probably because it didn't involve eight yards of fabric and I found a best friend in a hot glue gun! The best part is I did manage to finish it in time(when do I not?)! So without further ado...ELSA!

 

This was before my hair was fixed and it was super windy.

 

The Phantom(also a Jackson Cadet), Christine(Tori from the Bonnie Blue Gals), and Elsa(me)

The hair and cape are spot on!


       Well I am so glad it turned out great and hopefully I will have pictures with Anna this weekend because we plan to run around and explore Murfreesboro! Feel free to come say hi!

Oh and you might enjoy this: I went to my church "hoe down" where there is a ton of stuff to do for the family and my friend and I dressed up as Belle and Alice! It's amazing what you can do with a wig and an idea in ten minutes!

I had so much fun being curious!

We had some little kids come up to us and it was adorable!

That is all for now!

Yours truly,

Shayla P.

Weekly Letter: The Harvest Ball(For the week ok 10-20-14)

      I am so very excited to say I was once again successful in finishing both my sister's dress and mine before the Harvest ball this weekend.  I truly wanted to update you all with my progress last week but I got so busy with everything else.  The ball was so fun and it felt like I was home.  I truly get a sense of it when I'm reenacting and it makes me so happy!  I arrived fashionably late(as always) but was greeted with the most welcoming sight; a group of hoop skirts walking along the drive way with the hills and plantation in the background. It was magical. This ball was slightly different as we had a dinner before dancing and it felt more like a family gathering then a formal get-together.  We had a wonderful dinner full of pork, beans, potato salad, a version of coleslaw and bread.  It was delicious!

My Sister's finished growing day dress

My re-done Christmas ball gown

We had such a fun time!

The wonderful setting at Antrim once again!

      Then came the dancing! Everyone seemed a little rusty on the dance floor even though it had only been three months since we were at a ball.  I hadn't laughed that hard in a while, which was so sad because I unfortunately laced my corset to tight making it slightly painful when I laughed(The pain was nothing I couldn't handle but it only made me laugh harder).
       After a while we somehow jumped a few eras and starting swing dancing! (I really don't know how that happened but it was fun none the less).  The ball ended around ten but the fun was far from over as we tried to hunt down a place to eat at.  After three tries we ended up at McDonald's since it was still open.  We continued the laughter and conversation until we were asked to leave around 12:30 where my sister and I still had an hour of driving to go.  We were both tired but we agreed it was so fun!  We both can't wait till the Christmas ball in December!
Halloween update: I will be attending my friend's Halloween party this weekend and will hopefully have my Elsa dress done before hand.  Yes, another last minute ditch to make a dress.  One day I will learn... hopefully.
Yours truly,
Shayla P.

Weekly Update: Surprises, Teen Dresses and the Frozen Bandwagon!

Dear readers,
      I am happy to say that I have finally made progress on my sisters surprise outfit for the Harvest Ball on the 18th of this month.  One of the hard parts was picking out fabric. I am trying to be more cautious of what I use since I don't want to be farby. As for the pattern I wasn't quite sure of what to use.  Young girls did not start going to balls until they were at least fourteen and once they had their coming out party.  However, they did attend parties and fancy gatherings.  The outfit I found to best fit my sister was a gathered growing dress, which was most common for younger girls. My version will add some fancy and mature features to it to be appropriate to wear for the event.
      The idea was to take my existing basic bodice pattern, add width to it, and gather where it needs to.  I'm not sure I'm in love with how it turned out but the little stink pot caught a peak and said she loved it, so as long as she's happy I will be ok. 
     

This is my mock up.
I didn't draft the pattern but I added fabric to it.

The fabric is a cotton print.  The picture is as close in color to the real thing!
(Luckily she didn't see this!)

 



Now for one of those posts that you won't see very often but I thought would be fun to share.  My sister and I have found a bond in sharing our love for all things Disney.  With that being said I tried to surprise her for birthday, back in July, with a fully tailored Anna dress from Disney's latest movie, Frozen.  However, being the procrastinator that I am and having Girls School in the same month, I only got the skirt finished and the bodice started.  I did manage to surprise her with a wig and cape which made her very happy. 

      As Halloween creeps upon us, I decided to finish her outfit and create my costume, which as you might guess would be the sister to Anna, none other than Elsa! Around the time I got back from Girls School, I managed to get a wig and the McCall's sewing pattern for the basic start.  I didn’t realize though, that commercial patterns aren’t always the best, and for the most part I’ve had bad experiences with them.  Alas, I have made progress but not as much as I would like.  The bodice has too much extra seam allowance and it causes me to almost completely alter the bodice.  A typical sewing day for me.  I managed to find the best fabric though.

I used the sparkly fabric for the top, the shear blue for the skirt as an over layer, and the baby blue/white polka dot for the sheer sleeves. 

Then came the make up test...(sorry for all the selfies but the makeup turned out amazing!)

The wind was not being very nice...

My sister's Anna test run! Isn't she cute?

My progress so far...


     Well that's what's new on my sewing list.  I would love to hear if any of you have attempted an Elsa costume or have tips on sewing with this pattern! Also, if you have any tips on my costume I would love to have input. Thanks!
Yours truly,
Shayla P.

Weekly Letter: World War II,The Bonnie Blue Gals

Dear readers,
I am excited to tell you that Sunday I got back from Linden, TN for the Remember WWII reenactment. (You can find all about how it started here at their website http://dominionskills.com/remembering-wwii/) I must say for the first event I was very impressed! I'm sure it can only get better from here.  The family that hosted the event was so nice and everything was very well conducted!  There were even lots of reenactors there to make it special!
     I even got to meet the Boyer Family Singers who were so nice and are a wonderful singing group.  They started singing 40's only a year ago and have a CD out which we were able to purchase. Their main inspiration is the Andrew sisters who were a huge hit in the 1940's.  Their website is http://boyerfamilysingers.blogspot.com/ where you can learn about vintage things, their singing, tutorials and lots of other fun things.
     One of my favorite parts was the battle that took place in the square.  The town was set up so it looked like the Germans had control and then the Americans came and took control.  I have only been to one other battle(Tunnel Hill), but this was very action packed, it moved a lot faster and it was fun to watch.   From my understanding there isn't hardly any WWII reenactments in the US so there was a nice turnout and hopefully it might spark some interest.
      Now for a fun tidbit, my friends and I started a reenacting group called the Bonnie Blue Gals! I am so blessed I found friends that have shared my interests in fashion, theater, and history.  I am hoping we will start an official blog soon and will be able go to more reenactments to spread the word.  I think we are so in love with the name we aren't sure of what are group will be doing but as soon as I find out I will post it here.
      With that being said, three of the four Gals made their debut at the Linden reenactment.

Looking fabulous in front of one awesome Roadster

We found sailor men from the USS Alabama Living History!0

      We had a blast! I'm so sad it is over but it only makes me look forward to the next reenactment more. Until next time!
Yours truly,
Shayla P.

Weekly Letter: Regency and Royal Meetings

Dear readers,
I am so happy to share with you what I did over the weekend.  I know I said my next reenactment was going to be at the end of the month for a WWII, however, one of my good friends invited me to Daniel Smith Days at Rock Castle.  It was wonderful! It felt like I was in a Jane Austin novel.  We participated in the fashion show and modeled wonderful summer dresses and met some amazing people.  Everyone was so nice and was nice enough to offer a spot among their group, Regal. I do love meeting people from all over enjoying reenacting as much as I do. Here is a few pictures:

My first time in Regency! I love it!

Rock Castle and the Camp Tents

What is a reenactment without a historic selfie?





     Moving up a few years to the Civil War era, I am going to start working on my sister's fancier dress for the Fall ball next month.  I really wanted to do a ball gown for her but she is only twelve.  I did some research to find out that the "coming out" age started around fourteen, which happens to be when younger girls were aloud to start wearing ball gowns.  This came about when debutaunts would be introduced to the queen! They would have to be mature, of good families and stature.  Once they were introduced, the young ladies were able to attend court social gatherings and hopfully find a husband within the first two to three years!  If a lady reached the age of thirty and was not married, it was said she would only be a spinster and could not be married off.  Imagine that!
     My plan of action for the Harvest Ball seams to be making my sister a nice day dress with new undergarments for both of us.  (Since it is now fall, we will both need wool underpinnings since I'm not sure if the weather will be warmer much longer.  Off to my local thrift shop I go!) I'm hoping to make a style similar to a Swiss waist with a fancy shirt underneath but I haven't quite made up my mind.  For my dress on the other hand, I either plan to re-do my plum and gold Christmas dress from last year or finish my new Christmas dress early.  So many decisions so little time.  I will hopefully post my final decisions next week I will have most likely started by then.
Yours truly,
Shayla P.

Weekly Letter: Time Traveling to the 1940's

Dear readers,

    I am officially 19! Yay for me.  I am so blessed at all the fun things I recieved for my birthday as well! I received a new lantern with beeswax candles, a few new shirts, a new pair of lace gloves and a longhorn hat, oh, and this wonderful new device I am writing on: My very own laptop!  It was absolutely wonderful day!

     I am so excited for my next reenactment; World War II! The swinging 40’s is one of my favorite eras for music, people, and makeup inspiration.  I have gathered a few outfits that I am excited to wear! I have one simple black dress that I am pairing with a red belt and cute red heels.  My teenager outfit is brown with white polka dots and I haven’t quite figured out the accessories on that one yet.  Then, I have a green coat dress that has the most beautiful embroidery on the sleeves and pocket!  My last outfit is a green long sleeve blouse with a decal just below the collar.  I plan to wear a pencil skirt and black heels with it.  Oh! Let’s not forget the hats.  A lady in the Victorian age never went anywhere without a hat, in the forties the rules had changed quite a bit, however hats of all styles remained an important accessory to a lady’s wardrobe.  

A catalog article about lady's millinery.

     On a Victorian note, I also have a harvest ball coming up in October and I am hoping to take my sister with me.  I will be making her a new dress within the month along with finishing up a few projects and altering a few of my current outfits.  It is all very exciting!

Yours truly,

Shayla P.

Weekly Letter: Battle of Tunnel Hill 2014

Dear readers,
If you have never been to a camp reenactment, please do so.  This weekend was spectacular and if it wasn't for a nice hot shower I wouldn't have wanted to leave!  The best part I must say was the people.  Everyone coming together for the love of history was a wonderful sight! I was lucky enough to enjoy the full weekend including watching both battles.  The experience of camping out plus hearing the cannons roar in the valley as the troops marched on was one I will certainly never forget.
      I must say it became magical at night with the lanterns and the sounds of nature.  The first day was Thursday when we set up, the second was a school day, on the third day we watched the battle and had a dance in the evening, Sunday was the last day when I watched the battle from the hill(a much better spot) and then after taking things down we said goodbye to friends and went home.  It sounds so simple, however, it is full of long days with fun and fellowship.

Our wonderful host an campsite.

 The magical lanterns at night!

The sunset the second evening.

     Well tomorrow is a very important date for me, it is my birthday! Hurrah! I hope every has a magical day and is blessed.

Yours truly,

Shayla P.

Weekly Letter: First Camp Reenactment

Dear readers,
I hope you all had a lovely Labor Day weekend! I spent my time enjoying the company of my  family and sewing.  I managed to make a new dress(not seperates, an actual dress) for my very first camp reenactment.  I am very excited! I will be going with two other lovely ladies to the battle of Tunnel Hill! I hope it is like I imagine.  My new dress was made from unknown material from my grandmother's old stash.

     I used my favorite Period Impressions shirt pattern and made the skirt from scratch then I sewed the two together.  The trim is black ribbon I found amongst the ribbon container.  I am very happy with the simplicity of the dress and I hope it works well during the reenactment!

     As soon as I return I will post more about what is going to come and pictures from the reenactment!

Yours truly,

Shayla P.

Weekly Letter: My Favorite Things

Dear readers,
     So much has been going on these last two weeks and I shall do my best to share it all with you.  (Be warned it is not all Victorian things this week)
      First off I am attending some reenactments coming up that I am very excited about.  The battle of Tunnel Hill will be my first camp reenactment to which I am quite struggling with.  Since I am used to the Girls School and my fine day wear(mostly a trimmed skirt, sheer bodice and belt.)  I am having to adjust to cotton fabric of which I have none(unless it is hiding somewhere).  So it is off to the fabric store as soon as I get paid! I really must start selling these...
     Any ways, I will also be attending my First World War II reenactment in late September.  I am very excited as I have always wanted Allie's wardrobe from the Notebook.  I know it is not Victorian but I think you all might like to see a few other things as well.
     On another note I did something most reenactors don't: I have dyed my hair!  Bright red ombré to be more precise.  This is not at all a period style or color. (oops.) Either way it might be good to know how to style non natural hair for those of you who would like to dress accurately. :)  I do love it though!
     Yesterday my sister and I boldly went and auditioned for our local theater who is starting production of Willy Wonka!  It was the first time I sang for a group of people I did not know! I must say I may not be bread for Broadway but I can hold a tune.  I sang My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music which I think is a classic! I was so proud of my little sister though! She did so well! As far as projects go I do have some fabric I could be using.  I will need to make a new Christmas ball gown since I have gotten much better at sewing things.  Sitting in my stash is a lovely green, black and silver plaid that I will hopefully be using.  I don't have much else underway at the moment so for now, here is some lovely Civil War inspiration:

Weekly Letter: Updates(8-18-14)

Dear readers,
      My apologies for not posting this the past two Mondays as I did not have time to finish my post of late.  First, let me tell you about my weekend of Carton.  I had a wonderful time at my friends birthday full of laughter and history.  We first started our adventures getting ready and headed over Carton for a garden tea and tour.  Yes, I did finish my lovely dress in the nick of  time! It turned out beautiful! My only flaw was that I put in a drawstring thinking I could hid it until I could properly finish it.  Oh how wrong I was! However, the dress turned out beautiful none the less.

 Not the best photo of me, but the dress is wonderful!

      After our tour of the house and gift shop we walked to the Cemetary for some pictures.  We had lots of people ask us if we worked there! If only...

 This was in the gardens.

 Godey's perfect!

Carton Plantation.

Here is all of us sitting on the front porch of Carton.

It was such a lovely time with friends. All the people at Carton Plantation were very nice.  We are very grateful they let us use the property for this special occasion!
Yours truly,
Shayla P.