Civil War Skirt -- Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek of my latest project:

It'll be a plaid taffeta skirt in sage, burgundy, and cream, to be worn with a garibaldi blouse and a burgundy swiss waist. The blouse is almost done (just have to set one more sleeve!) and the skirt is, too. The waist is patterned and cut out, but still has to be assembled and fitted. I'm hoping to have it done for Greenfield Village's Memorial Day reenactment, but won't get to work on it much until the semester is over in a little over a month. I'm so excited for it to be finished, though! The skirt (pictured) has a pleated hem, trimmed with burgundy velvet ribbon. If I do say so myself, it looks awesome over a hoop!

Stay tuned for more costuming projects :) Due to school, most of the breaking sewing news will run from May to August, but I have a stash of photos and projects to show before then!

Quote Thursday

New plan: post an awesome (preferably historical, in keeping with the blog's theme) quote every Thursday! 

Things are pretty up in the air on every front for me right now... so here is a Robert E. Lee quote that I find myself frequently referring to. (Most of my favorite quotes are from the General, so expect him to surface again!)

Remember to look at the big picture!

Gods and Generals!

... is my favorite movie of all time. When it came out in 2003 it received massively negative reviews, but in my eyes it can do no wrong. I've seen it so many times that I can literally quote along for the whole film. When the Extended Director's Cut came out, I of course was out of my mind with glee and bought it immediately. But as it was only on Bluray, I can't watch it while I am at school. So yesterday, I caved and bought it again on Amazon to watch on my computer. It's only my third copy...

Ames instructs Chamberlain in the finer points of military strategy.

(my screencap)

I'll probably end up posting a more in-depth review of it in the future. For now, suffice it to say that it was probably not the best idea for me to have the extended cut here at school... now I can watch it whenever I want!

Kalamazoo 2012!

For those of you in the Midwest, you've probably heard of and/or attended the Kalamazoo Living History Show. I went yesterday with my friends that I Civil War reenact with, and had a few fun finds!

Red linen (a yard for $2--score!!), white linen,

yellow and blue embroidered cotton, and a new fan.

I also got some teas, a pair of rooster sewing scissors for my mom, and some seed beads which will probably be woven into something for Civil War. The total damage was just under $30, which I was quite pleased with!

I've been looking for red, white, and blue linens to make a patriotic apron like this one that I found in the Custis Lee issue of the Civil War Times magazine: (he was on the cover recently... I don't remember the month, though.)

Great, yes? I love the variety in size of the stars--it gives it a really great handmade feel. The original is silk, but I'm making it in linen so that I can use it for cooking, etc. in addition to decorative purposes. I reenact as a relocated Southern civilian sent north to live with family for safety. Patriotic aprons were all the rage last year but they were all Union, which comes as no surprise as I live in Michigan. I think it will be fun/interesting/instructive to have one from the other side walking around too! Now to find at least semi-affordable blue linen...

The fan has been dubbed Adelbert Ames after the Union General, in keeping with the color. He's so pretty and glossy... I can't wait to bring him to a reenactment!

SHOES!!

What girl doesn't like a good pair of shoes? Lauren over at American Duchess has been cranking out historically accurate period shoes for 18th C, Regency, and Edwardian reenactors (although I'd be tempted to wear them with my modern outfits too...) and I love them all! And now, she is having a giveaway for a pair of her newest model, the Kensington:

[droooooooooooool]

and a Rev War-era series called Courage, New Hampshire, which I've not yet seen but would like to!

If you aren't following her already, pop over and check out her blog... I've followed it for quite a long time now, and it's one of my very favorites! And if you're in need of any period shoes, look no further!

Fabric Flower Friday

As I have a rather large fabric stash (and equally large stash of small pieces with no purpose) I am always looking for new things to make. I've recently gotten into fabric flowers, which are (sometimes) quick, (generally) easy, and always cute! Here is the quickest type:

(But don't sew the button on so badly...)

Materials:

- Needle and Thread

- Five fabric circles (a lightweight fabric will work best. Mine were cotton and about 2" across, but you can vary the size as desired)

- A button or bead for the center

1. Fold one of the circles into quarters

2. Put a gathering stitch across the raw edge

3. Gather the edge and repeat for the other four pieces, keeping the same piece of thread going

4. Voila! Tie it off, and add a button, etc. to the center

You can vary the size and number of petals, and create a whole bouquet of these in no time!

Happy Friday!