Exciting News!

 

Hello there!
      I realize that it has been quite a while since I updated you with news. Well, here I am! I have really exciting news but you'll have to wait until I've finished updates! (haha!). As you probably know, I have been extremely busy this last month because of many events and such. The first thing that happened in July was the 1861 Girls School tea. I was an alumni this year, and I made my new Summer Sheer dress in that gorgeous yellow plaid I bought a while back(see it does pay off to have a fabric stash at times). Here is the finished product that I wore to the tea:



My first ruffle dress!



The Ladies of Murfreesboro

Elise and I

      After the tea on July 16th, was my sister's birthday and the graduation ball.  Now my sister was insistent for a Harry Potter party so we decked out the house with candles for the "Great Hall", Platform 9 3/4, a whomping willow, a spider trail, moaning myrtle(yes she talked in the bathroom courtesy of me!), chamber of secrets, house banners, the rules from Umbridge and a whole bunch of themed treats that I don't want to know the amount of sugar to! I had the idea to dress up as Bellatrix, a crazed wizard who follows the bad guy like a puppy, and I managed to get the skirt, shirt and sleeves together.  I also needed to finish up my ball gown that was revamped from my mother's dress she used in the play Go Tell It on the Mountain. Long story short, I didn't worry about pictures or finishing that costume since I had to leave for the ball in two hours. HA! I left an extra hour after that due to my ball gown needing to be finished... everyone loved it though and I had the most magical time once I actually got there. (Get ready for more pictures!)


Please excuse the "after polka hair"

I'll be fixing the hook and eye tape later...

The full group of ladies from Murfreesboro!

My dear friend Katie whose dress makes one with mine!
 

      We had a wonderful night mingling and dancing the night away, per usual, and a great hurrah at Waffle House afterword, as is tradition.  We also found out that the Harvest Ball will be a themed Fancy Dress Ball! This was the official name of an 1860's costumed masquerade ball! Yay! The ideas immediately started coming and I couldn't get a sketch out quick enough!
     The last update was at Miss Charolette's birthday party(pictured in the beautiful white and green at the tea). She had a wonderful theme of Disney VS. DreamWorks, which of course I went as Disney! I was Ariel in her town dress and yes, that is my real hair just with tons of red color spray!

Ariel, Esmeralda, and Elsa(Murfreesboro gals!)

Now on to more exciting news! Just this morning I had a moment of realization of what I wanted to accomplish! This may not be a big deal to half of the population who know from the moment they hit high school or even the 5th grade what they will be doing for the rest of their lives (which I have to admit I know about half who do half who don't). However, I never went to college or a trade school, in fact after high school I stayed with my parents and continued my small job at a very well known sandwich restaurant. I just didn't know what to do with my life, and during high school I had put off sewing so it wasn't my passion yet.
     First off, it's ok if you haven't found out what you want to do in life because I believe finding what you love is a trial and error. It takes time and some "soul searching" to find what you love.  I am happy to announce I have found just that. My love history and fashion has been growing whenever I find research or a new project I love, unfortunately there is not many colleges that offer a degree in historical fashion/costuming. If they do its far away, expensive, and doesn't guarantee you a job. None of which I want to dive into. So, I've decided to start from maybe about the 1300's and work my way through history by costuming and research! I may not go into extreme detail by costuming each decade but definitely the change in eras and researching what made the changes in fashion and how it affected the people. (That's my type of history!) I'll do some research and decide on a starting point within a few weeks and I hope to blog about the journey especial fun facts and the finale product, maybe even a few tutorials. :)
     I'm sorry this post ended up being so long but I hope you'll join me on this new adventure and feel free to share information and facts, history has a lot to it and I love discussing all things history and fashion, obviously.

Yours Truly,
Shayla P.