Musings of a Lady

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Victorian for Dicken's Faire

I am seriously contemplating attending the Dicken's Christmas Faire this December at the Cow Palace in South San Francisco.  I am not fond of mid-Victorian dresses.  I like the earlier 1838-44 styles and then my tastes jump to 1878-1898.  Alas, the faire hovers around the late forties and into the early 60's.  So, I hate wearing a hoop, I don't mind petticoats so 1838-42 it is.  Design.

Something along these lines.  Simple.  I love the sleeves.  The bonnets - which I usually don't like to wear (give me a jaunty hat any day) I can do this as it frames my face which is oval and long. 






 Fabric.  I bought a repro-cotton that I like...




Probably will trim with ivory and pick up the teal for pipping if I don't use self-fabric for pipping.    Now, the trick will be to make this without a corset. Why?  I don't have time to make one.  The one I have is too big - lost weight in the upper story..hint, hint.  So, boning the hell out of this dress may be the ticket.  Ah! And there is a set of petticoats to make as well.  So, it is October 19th, I plan to attend Dicken'e early December, so I have about a month and a half and the holidays are approaching.  Yikes!  So, I will keep you all posted.!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Gatsby Summer Picnic - farewell to Summer - did we have a summer?

Hello!  Though California experienced one of the craziest summers of cold(ish) weather, the Art Deco Society of California still helped us all say goodbye to summer Sept 12th, 2010.  The Annual Gatsby Summer Picnic at the Dunsmuir Estate in Oakland, was a success!  The weather was fine and everyone was in good spirits even though economy blues we are all experiencing is scarily similar to the 1930's.


Now of course I had a dress I could have worn.  In fact, I pulled it out to press it and wear it.  This is it above from a previous Gatsby Picnic.  It is actually a vintage piece I picked up ages ago and the only one I have left that still fits!  But!  Once again, I had the urge to make something new.  What is the old saying - you have a sewing machine, why not?  Is that an old saying?  Anyway, I knew I had a back up if a).  I didn't get to the new one or b).  I did and it didn't work out.

So, I had some lace fabric in a coral pink and a champagne colored lining material in my stash and started throwing something together the Wednesday before the picnic.  Did I make it?  Yep, I did.  It is so simple in its design so that helped.
The car in the back ground is one of the cars that Joseph Kennedy used as Ambassador to England.  A friend of mine owns it now and it is fully restored.    Anyway, the dress is simple and it worked out really well for me as it was warm that day.  I finger waved the front of my hair and curled the back in two rows of horizontal curls - I was wearing more bobbie pins that I would probably have given a hedgehog a run for her money.

I wrote this post a while ago, uh way back mid September and here it is mid October.  Geeze!  How did that happen?  Anyway, dear readers I am back and hope to post more often.  Keep in touch.