Finished Tidens Toj Gown

I happily finished my round gown this afternoon and took some pictures. Enjoy!

Next I will be working on a few open robes, a ball gown, and another chintz round gown. So, stay tuned :)

Love Lauren

Tidens Toj Round Gown

Hi All,

   Guess what?!?! I’m finally sewing again :) I decided it was time to do my own version of the Tidens Toj Round Gown. I didn’t follow the pattern, but I used it as inspiration and drafted/ draped my own version. I also decided not to do the massive amounts of embroidery on the hem line. Here are a few pics of the progress, enjoy!

The original gown.

The back of my version. I draped a piece of fabric onto the lining, pleated and sewed the pleats down. Then I trimmed away the excess

The finished back with the pleats sewn down to the lining.

The front.

A few from the side. It won’t give the most slimming line, because if the high back, but I still love it :)

I should have it completed sometime this weekend. Have a lovely day!

Love Lauren

Tea with the Ladies

Monday Lady Devereaux, Mrs. Cartwright, and I had high tea at a local tea house in Portland. It was a quiet, lovely afternoon. Here are a couple of pics. Enjoy!

Mrs. Cartwright is wearing her lovely Robe a la Turque.

The always lovely Lady Devereaux

And me :)

Sewing Again

Well, as you all know, my sewing has significantly dropped this year. My personal life has been extremely busy and, as I said in a previous post, my sewing was the only thing that I could take a break from. Things have finally calmed down a bit and I am ready to start sewing some new things. Many of you also know that the Oregon Regency Society is having their 2nd Annual Retreat this summer and I plan to attend. This, of course, means that I will need some new things to wear. I have a very full wardrobe, but one cannot have too many gowns :) So, here are a few plates and images for inspiration. Enjoy!

I have a printed muslin that would make a lovely open robe, similar to this one.

I have another printed muslin that would work well for this style. However, I’m planning to make the sleeves 3/4 length because the retreat is in August :)

The robe on the left would be quite lovely in the red silk that currently sits in my stash.

And of course, it’s time to make a new chemise gown for the season. I typically make at least one a year, due to wear and tear.

Have a lovely weekend! I should hopefully have some progress photos for you in the next few days.

Love Lauren

Sea Bathing 18th Century Style

This summer, we have an event coming up that involves creating sea bathing attire. Now, here comes the problem…. Most of the research I’m finding shows people in the 1790’s, which is my particular era, sea bathing nude. I have found a few examples of women bathing in chemise-like garments, but not many. Here are a few pics for inspiration and I will post more as I find out more on the subject.

Here you can see why bathing machines were so important. They offered privacy for taking the waters :)

1813 Sea Bathing… This time, the women are actually clothed.

And more nudes in the water :/

So, have any of you come across examples of interesting sea bathing clothing from the Regency???

Gratuitous Vacation Photos

Hi All,

   I returned home from my wonderful, wonderful trip late Friday night. I can’t believe how many amazing places we saw and the history that surrounded us. We started in Chicago, then made our way to Dearborn, Michigan to the Dearborn Inn and the Henry Ford Museum. Then we went to Dayton, Ohio to visit family, followed by a stop to Morehead, Kentucky to see where my relatives are buried. Finally, we went back to Chicago and explored the downtown area. It was a blast, but I am happy to be home. My mom took a number of pictures, but here are just a few to hold you over till I get all of them loaded. Enjoy!

Part of the English Walled Garden at the Chicago Botanical Gardens

Mrs. Cartwright and I in the Botanical Gardens

The Henry Ford Inn in Dearborn, Michigan. This place was AMAZING and had some lovely Georgian buildings all over the property.

One of the Georgian outbuildings on the hotel property.

Henry Ford’s estate

The massive lawn at the Henry Ford Estate

Me in my 1910’s gharb at the Titanic Exhibit. It’s a proof photo, but you get the idea. My blouse is an original from around 1912. I wore my Astorias all day, and I LOVE THEM!!!

This is a replica of Titanic’s Grand Staircase. It was absolutely amazing!!!

Percherons plowing the fields at the Greenfield Village in the Henry Ford Museum

One of the many cemeteries where my ancestors are laid to rest in Morehead, Kentucky.

This is the cemetery by our old house. We used to make snowmen, sled, and play here when I was very young.

Morehead Lake. My grandparents used to play here as children and my dad and I used to walk here when I was a wee one :)

Beautiful Downtown Chicago. This city blew me away. The architecture, the food, the sites were all amazingly beautiful!

The 96th floor of the John Hancock Building

The INCREDIBLE ballroom in our hotel. The pictures do not begin to capture it’s beauty.

The Grand Staircase in our hotel. Jaw dropping!

And finally, Beluga Whales at the Chicago Aquarium!!! They were so cute and playful :)

I owe a huge thank you to my wonderful parents for taking Mrs. Cartwright and me on this amazing trip!!! They are such amazing and generous people! Love you guys!!!

Well folks, that’s all I have for now. I will have some more pics of Mrs. Cartwright and I at the Henry Ford Museum in the near future. God Bless!!!

Love Lauren

Off on Vacation

Tomorrow I am leaving for a much needed 11 day vacation with my parents and the lovely Mrs. Cartwright. We will be visiting Chicago, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. A few of those days include some costumed fun for Mrs. Cartwright and myself, so I will hopefully have some pics for you all when we return. Have a lovely week! God Bless :)

HP Lovecraft Film Fest

Over the weekend we went to the annual Lovecraft Film Fest in Portland. We decided to dress for the occasion in 20’s and 30’s in honor of the years Lovecraft was writing. It was a blast and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Here are a few pics that were taken by the even photographer.

Aaron and me earlier in the day. I’m wearing an original late 20’s piece.

Angel and Me after we changed for the evening. I’m wearing an original 1920’s gown and Angel is wearing an original 1930’s gown.

The whole gang at Tony Starlight’s Supper Club After Party.

That’s all for today. I am currently working on 1910’s undergarments and a skirt. I’ll have pics soon.

Good News!!!

I just received word that Beezus, the horse that was going to be put down found a home that is willing to take on her special needs. The vet gave them specific instructions and since the home already has had a blind horse, they know how to deal with her issues. What a huge, huge blessing!!! My heart is happy and relieved :D She has a retirement home to live out the rest of her days.

Here she is, the little gray girl on the right, with her new horse buddies! She’s going to be a therapy horse for a special needs little boy. They both are special needs! How amazing!!!

God is soooo good!

My Horse

Hi All,

I’m sure you have noticed the huge lack of costuming posts and an influx of horse posts. Well, after a very emotional month full of difficult decisions and heartache things are starting to turn around. Now that everything has been announced, I can share a bit of what has been going on.

My dear friend, who is also my  riding instructor, sadly had to close her barn and lesson program due to external forces beyond her control. The news came in the first few days of this month. The month of April has been bittersweet and heartbreaking watching the horses that we have loved and worked with in the barn go to new homes. As many of you know, I am in love with a 1200 lbs boy named Bob :) We had been planning on purchasing him later this summer and eventually, if things worked out, purchasing the horse my husband rides early next year.

Sadly, the horse my husband rides is in poor health, due to her previous situation, and her eyesight is almost completely gone now. She was showing vast improvement and we thought she would make it a few years longer. However, she started fading this week and her eyesight is continually getting worse. So, she will be graduating to horse heaven, per vet recommendations, later this week. It was an extremely hard decision that both myself, my husband, and our friend, the owner of the horse, made together. Luckily, we were able to give her an amazing last few months while she was under my friend’s care. She turned out to be 32+ years old. So, Aaron and I are at peace knowing that she will be out of pain and suffering.

The bittersweet side of the whole situation is my Bob horse. Aaron and I were blessed with the ability to purchase my boy. As of yesterday, he is officially mine. We will be in the market for a horse for Aaron sometime in the nearer future, but for now, we are enjoying just having Bob.

Yesterday we moved Bob and his rooster, John Wayne, to the new barn. It is a very nice facility with a HUGE arena, trails, and lots of other horses for Bob to play with. It’s also only a few miles down the road from one of my favorite trails. Another friend, who boarded her horse at our previous barn, moved with us. So, Bob and Ramona, my friend’s horse, get to be together and they are good buddies.

I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity and a life long dream finally coming true. Through the sadness I have seen God’s hand and provision. I know they are just animals, but they are my passion and it always amazes me how God provides for my little family of fur, feather, and now equine babies.

Bob and his rooster, John Wayne, in their new stall. The move went very, very well and Bob is settling in quite nicely.

I will keep you all posted as we get settled into our new routines.

Love you guys!!!

Lauren