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.

Updates and New Projects...

       Hello! It is so nice to be able and take a moment and blog after so long! I have lots of fun tid bits so I might as well dive in...

       For starters, the living room is fully painted and has a beautiful beach theme! It was an awful orange before had and it was everywhere, literally everywhere. Now that we've improved on the home I've been thinking of little things here and there that I could do to my little apartment.  Enough about that though, I'm sure you've been wondering what I have been sewing and creating.  Well, I'm happy to say I have become branch manager of a company called Enchanted Entertainment.  It specializes in children's entertainment such as birthday parties and special events. It is a wonderful opportunity to be involved with children and making magical memories! I also have a job working as a sort of costume manager/creator/stylist which has been keeping me fairly occupied with sewing.  Although, I have managed to come back from MTAC 2015 with wonderful memories and lots of fun pictures!  I also have a few new costumes for my summer reenacting that I am so excited to get back into. As fun as creating costumes is, the more strict rules of reenacting is calling me again.  So here we go:

       For MTAC 2015 I was able to Disney Bound as Vanessa (Ursula in human form) the first day, be Tinkerbell the second, and a casual look on the last day.

I already had the dress but made the necklace myself.

Yes, I made all that! :)

Grumpy Tink

The shadow was perfect...

     As you can see, I had fun! I also met lots of little princesses and fans of Tinkerbell! They all truly believed. 

    Speaking of new friends I've also made some with Aurora, Belle, Anna, of course Elsa, and Maleficent! I do enjoy my new job! The latest event I attended was the Tennessee Renaissance Festival. My sister and I had the same look going for us but she was a gypsy and I was a fairy who lost her wings. (basically didn't have time to throw anything else together lol)

She makes such a cute gypsy!

God save the queen!

     Elise (check out her blog here: http://blissfulchickadee.blogspot.com/ ) also came with us and even though it was muddy and rainy we still had fun! We also ran into a lot of friends to which was great! 
     
     So what does my Summer 2015 have in store? Apart from working, managing, sewing costumes, etc. I plan to attend my second WWII event in late June at the Wilson County Fair Grounds.  I have the perfect blue rose fabric in my stash and a dress pattern waiting to be used(even though I think I own plenty of 40's dresses. Oh well.) Hopefully I can get that made in the next few weeks.  That beautiful sheer yellow plaid finally has a plan- a V-neck civil war day dress that I can not wait to wear to the 1861 Girl's School Tea. (Also I have a new petticoat thanks to my wonderful friend Linnea.  She lives out of state and I got to visit with her last weekend!) I am unsure about a new ball gown or not but I suppose that depend on time. A just for fun project on my list is a 1700's French dress. I'm not quite sure if I want it in color or simply white with accents yet but I will have to see if I can find the right fabric.

    Well I wish you all a wonderful pre-summer and hopefully I will be able to right again soon!
Yours Truly,
Shayla P.

Dear Old Friends...(Catching Up)

Dear readers,
     It has come to my conclusion that I am terribly awful at writing of late. For this I am terribly sorry.  Recently my family has come into a rough time and we have been busy with anything you can imagine. Including, a spur of the moment task that my mother and I have taken on of painting our whole living room/dining area,/kitchen space that makes up our downstairs heart of the home.  It really does look much better though.  As for what I've been up to includes quite a few projects. I will list each project, what I used it for(or where I plan to), and of course a picture of its state.

Frozen Elsa Costume #2
    I am using this as an upgrade to what I previously started with.
 The dress is finished but eventually I would like to line it, add some more bling to the ice bodice, and put more details on the sleeves.

Frozen Anna: Traveling Costume
     This is for my little sister who wanted an Anna costume since the movie came out.
The main outfit is completed. We managed to make the cape look nice but it is missing the pom-poms, the ribbon trim, and the little details above the ribbon.  She also doesn't have the hat, gloves, or boots with the details on them. As it is becoming Summer I won't worry about it until fall.

Tinkerbell
     My MTAC (Comicon) costume that I will be wearing Easter Weekend.
I am still working on this as I need to finish the wings, the shoes, and fix up the dress. It needs a better neckline, some minor adjustments in the seams, the leaf details, and some straps.

I can at least wear it though!

1950's Inspired Cinderella Dress(based on the 2015 movie)
     I wore this to the premier of Cinderella (3-12-15)
This is completely wearable(I even wore this out in public!) I would, however, like to adjust the bodice to fit some more and maybe fix the gathers on the skirt.

My Glass Slippers!

Finished dress, complete with 6 layers of tulle and chiffon!

I made my sister a tulle skirt as a surprise to take her with me.

 Cinderella Cartoon Work Dress
     I have no idea where I am going to wear the dress but I love it! I have the pieces but I am far from done. I need to adjust the necklines of the two shirts, make darts or take them in, fix the skirt or buy a new one, sew the apron and hair rag. (Fairly simple but that's at the bottom of my list.)



Comparison to the original movie(the colors are spot on!)
 

     Oh yes, and then there is a stash of beautiful semi-sheer sunshine yellow plaid cotton in my sewing pile that I am undecided on. I have enough to make a Civil War dress, which I am dying to get back to historical projects, or I could make a bustle dress (I have never done that before) or a 1950's tea dress that I can wear in public(Which is so nice to do!). I'll have to see where my imagination takes me on that one.
      I hope you've enjoyed getting to see what I've been up too! I will do my best to try and post more but I cannot you will be sure to hear from me after MTAC! Oh, and please feel free to meet me and say hello! I won't bite. ;)

Yours Truly,
Shayla P.

P.S. If you are interested, I have been considering a YouTube channel where you can see my work and what I've been up to.  Let me know in the comments!

Did Someone Say New Year?

Dear readers,

I hope you have had a wonderful New Year so far. I have been busy with quite a few things lined up on my plate already.  First off let me tell you about the delightful party the Bonnie Blue Gals hosted the first Saturday of the New Year.  We had all worked very hard on getting the details just right and I must say, all our hard work paid off beautifully. Most of everyone from our invite list was able to attend so we were not lacking in company.  I really felt like we were back in the 1860’s during Christmas.  It was such a wonderful feeling! We played parlor games, listened to some history about the home, had tea and goodies, and had such a wonderful time with friends.

     My second reenactment of the year was set in 1812 during the battle of New Orleans.  This took place at the Hermitage, home of former President Andrew Jackson, where we were able to participate in a fashion show.  My good friend Elise and I were even able to have a mini photo shoot after the show! Thanks to another one of my friends, Sarah, we were able to take some lovely pictures (down below).  I swear it wasn’t much warmer than 30 degrees but we enjoyed running around in a historical place with our regency clothing.  It was very Jane Austin of us. That is all the reenacting I’ve done so far this year. It is off season here since its cold and honestly, who wants to camp in the cold? I don’t blame them.

     I do however have some very exciting news!  I hope you all liked my Elsa costume because it finally snowed here! So naturally I had to take pictures in it before it warmed up.  Now that I’ve had the basic outfit down I’m planning on practically re-doing the whole thing.  (So much for having an “ok” costume. I am now terribly nit-picky about the whole thing.) The idea behind restyling the dress came to me when I found some leftover fabric from my grandmother’s collection! (Praise the Lord I don’t have to spend a fortune on more fabric!)  It is the perfect shade of light blue which is a lot better than the darker sea green/blue it is now. I also have some great ideas on how to cheaply restyle the corset like bodice.  I have also been working on a Tinkerbell costume for the 2015 MTAC convention! I haven’t officially bought my tickets yet but I am hoping I can do that soon!  The plan is to have a ballerina costume inspired by Tinkerbell! I think it’s the neatest thing.  I’ll have a tutu and possibly some pointe shoes dyed to match the costume.  Haven’t started on the bodice but I have the material ready to start! (I finally have a sewing machine that works now! I ended up going through two others before the one I have now.) Before I sign off, I have also began progress on my sister’s Anna outfit again.  I’ve got a new corset vest ordered that I’ll embroider whenever it decides to get here.  Oh, and I came up with a great idea for the cape! I am using a very soft fuzzy blanket that I picked up from my local store. It Is the perfect color, however, I underestimated how fuzzy it is and how easily it sheds.  Oops.  Well you live and you learn.

Yours truly,

Shayla P.

P.S. Please enjoy the many photos!

Bonnie Blue Gals' Victorian Christmas Party

Tori and I

Our very Victorian Christmas Tree



What a wonderful group of people!

Regency

One of my personal favorites.

The dress had such wonderful color!

Elise :)

Regal in front of the Hermitage

The Hermitage Gardens

Frozen: Elsa

 

Love this one!

I think I do a good job as Elsa.

In the light of day!

 

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.