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.