The Wedding Gown

So, it is no secret in the reenacting world that a certain Ms. M married a certain Mr. R , of HMS Acasta fame, some weeks back. The project that has consumed most of my year was her ball gown for her wedding ball. Miss Waterman, aka Cousin Emily, allowed me to make her ball gown as a gift for my dear friend.  Now that the wedding has concluded and the official pictures have been released, I can finally show you what she and I created.

One of the main reasons we brought her to the fort was to begin the fittings for the gown. She wanted something from 1812/13, simple, and elegant.

A few months later we started to have a wedding gown taking shape.

The cotton lace trim is a reproduction from France.

Ms M did the trimming and final bits of the gown.

And the lovely Mrs. McCarty helped me with hemming the gown the night before the wedding.

The happy couple and the final result.

These photo were taken by the lovely Lauren of American Duchess.

 

*Note: all pictures were posted with permission from the bride. Please do not repost.

Projects 2013

So I have still been working on projects, even though I haven’t been posting. Here’s the list so far this year.

Red wool cloak, based on the 18th century extant example in Costume Close Up.

 

Two pairs of corded stays. I decided to give them a whirl. They are perfect for outdoor activities. Although they are a bit too casual for evening.

It was that time again… time to remake my white muslin gowns. They last about 2-3 years, if I’m lucky. The old ones were ratty and had definitely seen better days.

The pleated open robe of doom! I loved making this robe and I’m quite pleased with the pleats.

A silk metallic organza open robe with antique silver trim worn for a very special occasion… More on that in the near future.

And finally, a waistcoat, banyan, breeches, and shirt for my dad. My parents came to visit us a few weeks ago and attending a card party with us in kit. There will be more on that later as well.

Well, that’s all for now. There will be more posts coming in the near future. Enjoy and God Bless!!!

Love Lauren

My Dear Cousin Emily Visits the Fort… Part 2

My dear Cousin Emily, spent much of the evening after our tea party catching up on her writing while I prepared the household for bed. The next day was going to be rather busy with the delights of equestrian pursuits.

We started the next morning with feeding the horses. I have always enjoyed feeding them and grooming them and prefer to do so on a daily basis.

The we took to the saddle and rode through our estate. It was wonderful to show my dear cousin the lay of the land and introduce her to friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, my cousin took a fall from my mare, Aspen, and her injury ended our ride rather abruptly. Fortunately nothing was broken, however, my cousin was ordered to keep the injured shoulder in a sling.

My dear sweet Aspen felt terrible that her rider fell and she was very affectionate to Emily.

My Bob was his usual happy and sweet self.

Later that afternoon, my cousin and I decided to explore one of the nearby islands that had recently been discovered by Cpt Vancouver during his voyage on the HMS Discovery. We planed to meet another dear friend, a bookbinder Mr. McClintock, who resides on the island.

The ferry ride to the island proved very cold and windy. My dear cousin, being from the county of Tennessee, was not used to our cold Oregon Territory weather. We arrived at the island safely and proceeded to explore the villages in the area, slowly making our way to our friend’s village.

Exploring the small village of Coupeville

At sunset, we ventured to Deception Pass to see the place where Cpt Vancouver sailed only a few years earlier.

That evening we met our friend, Mr. McClintock at a local Tavern for some fine food and the best drink on the island.

To my surprise, there were a group of musicians performing that evening. A little birdy told them about my signing, and they asked me to perform on the spot.

That evening we made our way back to the fort, happy and exhausted. My cousin’s visit was truly a wonderful time for all.

I’m Back!

Yes, after a very long hiatus I am back to my little blog. Things have been crazy busy, but I have many things to share in my upcoming posts. I have some long overdue posts coming, so stay tuned and be prepared for bombardment! Enjoy!