Engagement Photos by Michael Perron

Just a few of my favorites... :)

    

1812 Border Print Gown

Home from Hawaii!

My family and I had such a lovely and relaxing time this year, with the added bonus (for me, anyway!) of getting to bring one of my dresses to wear in the 4th of July Parade and the Mission Houses Museum. 

Everyone that I met in the Hawaii Civil War Roundtable was so kind and enthusiastic. The weather was really glorious and I was perfectly cool in my newly adapted teen sheer. My poor bonnet got a little banged up on the plane, though... But I think it's time to re-cover it anyway.

The Mission Houses Museum features a collection of c. 1820 buildings built and used by the Protestant missionaries who were in Hawaii from 1820-1863. No pictures were allowed inside, but we managed to get one sneaky one when our tour guide was in another room. ;-) I think next year, I should definitely have an 1820s dress to wear here!


And so... I'm madly stitching a matelasse petticoat for this weekend's event. It's literally seaside and even in the height of summer gets pretty chilly. 

UTR Write-Up: Quick and Dirty

Hello everyone!!

I've been meaning to do a write up on the UTR event, but life has been CRAZY since I got home, and I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a week in Hawaii! No rest for the wicked... ;-)

I promise to write more in depth when I get a chance, but in short-- it was amazing!!!! The 33rd kitchen and serving crew (Mike and myself included) worked their tails off, but boy did we have fun doing it. I always enjoy events the most when I have something to do and interpret. But definitely the best part of the weekend was spending time with dear old friends and meeting a TON of awesome LJ friends! I wish we could have spent more time together, girls!

For my first trip to Williamsburg, I was absolutely enchanted with the place. I like to think of it as a historical Disneyland. And I LOVE Disneyland! I would have liked to wander around the city more, but I was (happily) chained to the kitchen for the majority of the weekend.

I came away with good memories and good souvenirs (fabric included!). Hopefully I will get around to writing about it...

Thank you to those of you who introduced yourself to me! I love meeting people who have managed to stumble upon my little place in the blogosphere...

My favorite picture, from Katherine! It just makes me so happy! :D

A Fancy Dress :)

It's done! I'm so tickled with this outfit. It's incredibly girly and colorful and frilly and unlike anything I have in any of my historical wardrobes!

Here's to hoping the next two days go by very, very fast! If any of my dear readers are going to UTR as well, please say hello and introduce yourself. I will be with the 33rd Regiment of Foot. :)

Hawaii in the Mid-19th Century

Hawaii has, and always will have, a special place in my heart. It might seem strange to someone who loves history and is excited about moving from California to Michigan because there will be more, older history. But despite its reputation as a tropical paradise, Hawaii has a fascinating and heartbreaking history of its own.

My own personal history involves 13 straight years of visiting the islands. This year, I get a special opportunity to walk in Waikiki's Independence Day parade... with Civil War reenactors! Yep, that's right, there's Civil War reenactors in Hawaii! Who knew?!

This means that I will be bringing an 1860s outfit with me and wearing it in the parade. Which begs the question, what will I wear?

Even though I didn't get around to posting pictures of it, I did indeed make and wear my teen style sheer dress for Greenfield Village. However, in light of my engagement, I feel much too old for it now! So I've been perusing images for inspiration on how to remake the dress (I have lots of left over fabric for this express purpose). I had originally thought I would just make undersleeves to baste in, but I no longer want the open neckline.

Then a thought struck me-- why not look at images from Hawaii in the 1860s? Because believe it or not, they didn't go around wearing grass skirts and mu'u mu'us all the time. After the missionaries started coming in the 1820s, many Hawaiians adopted western clothing. The kings, queens, princes, and princesses of Hawaii were arrayed just as beautifully as their European counterparts.

What follows are some really beautiful images of Hawaiian royals in the 1860s (and earlier), including the picture I've settled on for re-doing my teen sheer. Enjoy!

Design for the new sheer. Queen Emma.

Sneak Peak at the Pink

This is one of two linen gowns that I whipped up for Under the Redcoat (the other one you can see at my Livejournal!). Since my wardrobe up to now consisted of all wool gowns and jackets, I wanted some lighter-weight items in my arsenal. ;-)

Nothing fancy, since this is meant to be worked it. I will be hauling water, splitting wood, and helping Mistresses Sarah and Emily in the officers' kitchen. No frills here!

In regards to my previous entry, I listened to the voice of reason (aka my fiance) and decided to just fix my current stays. The nice things is, it worked! No more muffin top or side bosom. He also convinced me to set aside the silk gown for a little longer and instead dress up the chintz gown I made last year. After I tried it on, and remembered how much I really do like it, I was convinced. I only wore it for one day at Costume College. I plan on retrimming it with silk organdy and silk ribbon, like this painted silk gown from KCI.