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.

My Three Day Quest!

     Whatever shall one do when invited to a friends birthday tea with nothing to wear and material scattered about her work space?  Make a new dress in three days of course!  As I mentioned, one of my Girls School alumnae invited a few of us to her birthday tea at Carnton Plantation this weekend.  I was eyeing my wardrobe thinking to myself how I've been wearing almost the same dresses for three years and I've only added two ensembles to my wardrobe(minus ball gowns).  What a shame.  So with my phone's picture album of Civil war costumes ready for an occasion like this, I found this lovely:

     Now, I love both but that beautiful coral color struck my attention. I unfortunately do not have time for the full bodice that she is wearing since I don't have a pattern yet.  So in lue of, I am using my Zouave jacket pattern that I used to make my plum and green dress awhile back.  I decided to take one of my old cheap petticoats that doesn't cover my hoop all the way, and use it as the base for an underskirt with the new coral material slightly gathered at the bottom.   For the main skirt, I had some lovely lace material I meant to make a new petticoat out of but thought it would look similar enough to the picture.

     Thankfully there is enough for two skirts and maybe something else down the road.  With the wonderfully embroidered material I needed a pretty coral color.  My local fabric store had some drapery fabric that is a two toned burnt orange and pink which isn't exactly a coral color but it looks so stunning! I'm hoping I can make a fall dress out of it if I can get some more later on.  The underskirt is almost finished I just need to sew the "coral" to the old petticoat and I will be done with the skirts!
     As far as my jacket goes I have the pieces cut and ready to sew! This three day project might actually get done in time!  I am most definitely proud of myself.  Hopefully we will be able to take a few photos in our lovely period garb so I can show them off .
Yours truly,
Shayla P.

Weekly Letter: Proper Under Things

Dear readers,
     This week I thought it would be good to discuss the "hush hush" things of the Victorian period.  This included many layers during the early 1800's till the end of the Victorian age.  First off the most important layer: the corset.

A period corset and hoop

     Now, I know that to modern day society the corset is scandalous and slightly daunting, however, not only have women been wearing these for centuries but laced up properly it will not effect you drastically.  Please take the time to indulge yourself in this lovely written article about wearing corsets: With and Without a Corset by the Pragmatic Costumer
     Now, the corset in general was made to give you the proper shape, but of course, like all things can be taken out of proportion.  Thus, Scarlet O'hara's 18 1/2" waist (Emphasis on the fact that she was 16 during the beginning of the book/movie and they did not have a McDonald's).  So do I love wearing my corset? Absolutely! If it wasn't for modern day clothing I would wear it more often.  The back support that it provides is incredible and the way it makes my waist looks is magic by itself.
      Wear do you get a corset you ask? Well, for beginners I lucked out on eBay. I know it is uncommon to find a well made, legit corset, however, it can be done.  My first black one was only $38! It was quite a deal.  Then I moved on to a more period correct corset from Etsy (I wrote about it Here) which gives me a more accurate shape.  Next, I am looking a corsets by Kay.  One of my fellow Girls School mates has one that she bought at a reenactment that she absolutely loves! I am hoping to purchase one when I go to an event myself.
      The next layer would be the chemise and drawers(also called pantalets).

My own chemise, drawers and corset

     These would be made of a light cotton and would have lace detail maybe with ribbon and pretty trimmings.  The most common drawers were called split drawers which had a slit up the crotch for when one had to use the facilities.  Oh! Of course you would have your stockings and boots as well, "Boots before corsets ladies"!
     Now, for modesty purposes you would have a small petticoat under your hoop in case your hoop, for some reason, flipped up.  After that you would then have another petticoat over your hoop.  Before the hoop was popular ladies used several layers of petticoats to get a fuller effect for their dresses.  Luckily, the hoop caught on and eliminated most of the petticoats, however, the bones can still show through a dress if you are not careful.  I use two petticoats over my six bone hoop to give the perfect fullness to my skirts.
     Hoops are the second most important pieces next to corsets.

My petticoat and hoop

     Hoops are pretty common to buy but you may not always get a sturdy hoop.  During the 1800's hoops were made from whale bone(which was actually the teeth of whales).  Now days they are made from steal, plastic, wire all sorts of materials.  A long lasting hoop will be made from a strong steal.  I have yet to make a hoop but I would love to try.  Cage hoops were the most common of the time:

      Shapes varied depending on the time and what you were doing.  Some ball gowns required bigger hoops for the weight of the material, while simplistic dresses you wore at home only required small hoops.  The best place to find a well made Victorian hoop would be a sutler( Blockade runner has a nice variety).   

     Hopefully this has given you a better insight to what one would need in their Victorian wardrobe.

Yours Truly,

Shayla P.

Weekly Letter: Civil War Hairstyles

     Dear readers,
     My second weekly letter is all about hairstyles from the Civil War.  I wanted this post to be my first since it is something I'm very passionate about, however this is more like the second place to start.  What good is a beautiful garment without the right accessories?  Your hair is the most important accessory you can have when reenacting.  Let me show you some lovely examples of period correct styles.

 An example of a ball hairstyle.

Daytime hair for different faces

     There is many ways one can twist and braid hair.  All of these have something in common if you've noticed: the middle part.  Now, in today's time not everyone likes the middle part or wears it regularly, however, that was the most popular part of their style back then. There has been a few cases in ball attire that you see a slight side part but that was not the norm of the time.  Another thing that is most common with day styles is the bun (or chignon) at the nape(lower part) of the neck.  The basis of the day styles consisted mostly of a bun with different techniques of braids or twists added to the sides.
     Now lets take a look at modern day reenactors to get an idea of how you can look just as Victorian as the ladies in the pictures.

 This is a good example of using the modern sock bun.

(Photo credit and model to my Girls School alumni)

 Using multiple braids is perfect for long hair!

(photo credit to Rapunzel's Resource)

A braided bun is an easy go-to hairdo!

(Photo credit also to Rapunzel's Resource)

     There is a good amount of hair tutorials out there but don't forget to be creative and make your own styles! A very period thing to use would be false hair, and hair pieces such as sock buns, hair extensions, I've even heard of people growing their hair out and cutting it for their own extensions so it matches their color! The possibilities are endless.  Hair spray should only be used in small amounts and gel or pomade will help it stay better.  I know this may sound gross to most people but not washing your hair and leaving the natural oils in your hair (like the Victorians did) really makes a difference in styling your hairdos! 

     If you have any other tips feel free to comment or email me! Is there anything special you do to your vintage styles? Let me know!

Yours truly,

Shayla P.