Boots, Petticoat, Bonnet and Mitts

I must say, I can not believe the 1861 Girls School is right around the corner! I have been working full time which makes it harder to gather all of my things, especially the projects I am sewing! Slowly but surely, I have managed to get most of my belongings ready to go. (I'll have to do a 1860's closet review soon!) I have also found a new friend in Goodwill! No more paying for yards of plain cotton, I am buying sheets from now on!
    This leads me to share with you one of my many projects, a new petticoat! I found two drapes that had beautiful lace detail at the bottom, which I am turning into a lovely petticoat.  This will be much simpler than a skirt but same process. Sew the sides together, cartridge pleat the top, sew the waist band. I don't have to hem since the lace is sewn to the bottom! Huzzah for less sewing!

     This week I've been planing a trip to Blockade Runner, which is a civil war shop full of camp things, ladies garments, gentleman's clothing, hats, shoes, books, basically everything one would need to get involved in reenacting.  It's a dream come true. I went over there in search of ladies shoes and a new hat. (Let me mention something about period correct ladies shoes, they are extremely hard to come by and if you do manage to find them, be prepared to crack open the piggy bank and loose a limb.)  Luckily, I managed to search around online to find that Blockade runner had the perfect shoes starting out at, get this, $89!!! Naturally, I wanted to make sure I had a good fit so I decided to go and try them on. Here is my beautiful period correct shoes:

I must say, they are very slick on the bottom of the boot though.
     I also found a very pretty grey felt bonnet and I may get their longhorn hat in cream later if I have some extra funds.

I must say that the people who work there make good quality products and are very friendly! The last thing I have been working on are my hand crochet mitts.  I have never crocheted gloves of any kind before which makes this very interesting, especially with no pattern!  I am currently working on the second hand but here is a look at the first one I've made:

With all of that said, I am slightly closer to having everything ready... Ok, maybe not, but I am getting there. The last of the list consists of a ball gown, a corset, a pair of black gloves, a chemise and drawers, tortoise shell hair combs, a mourning veil, dance shoes, and corset cover. Oh and I'm still debating about one more dress, a sheer plaid cotton dress. So very tempting...
Yours Truly,
Shayla P.