Little White Dress: the Regency era staple

  Last weekend I escaped the desert heat with some friends and rented a cabin for a ladies getaway, and it was WONDERFUL. We left our husbands and kiddos behind for a couple nights of junk food and bonding and being outside on purpose. This included a hike that was really more of a walking trail, and since my friends are very dear, tolerant ladies and one of them is a talented photographer who brought her camera at my request, our hike turned into a photo shoot!

  I actually made this gown several years ago, but never got around to doing pictures of it with my sister, so it was nice to finally model it for posterity. It was loads of fun wandering around and picking flowers for my basket, even if, it turns out, I have absolutely no idea how to wear a market bonnet. (I ordered mine from arachneattire on Etsy) When we got back to our cabin my incredibly talented friend Sarah (seriously she did such a great job, thanks again!) asked how my feet were doing, but since I was wearing the Manchester boots from American Duchess they felt great! I believe those boots are sadly sold out, but seriously all my shoes from their brand are so comfortable, I love wearing them. Additional thanks to my other friend Sarah who acted as my unofficial “fluffer!”

  I’ll post some photos of the gown’s guts in a later update; for now, please enjoy my cheesy excited smiles and my first attempt at the requisite Regency wedgie :)

Interesting Times

  Well.
  Well. Life doesn’t feel much like a fairytale recently, does it? Maybe more like the apocalyptic preface in a post-apocalyptic novel, one of the really dreary sci-do ones. Or perhaps it is like a fairytale, but we’re used to knowing the happy ending and focusing on the Happily Ever After, rather than the murky, scary, middle. The middle of any story is the tough part, when all the bad things happen, so that the climax and resolution have something to address and fix. There’s a reason the Chinese proverb “May you live in interesting times” is considered a curse.
  And yet, these past few weeks months I’ve grown closer to friends as we chat over videos on the Marco Polo app, I’ve spent more time back in prayer (I’ve been praying the psalms, thanks to my Dad for a great Christmas gift!), and I’m all set to do a lot of baking with my toddler while the baby watches from her bumbo seat. I want to foster community and focus on hygge even while we do our social distancing. I am so proud to be part of the healthcare community - I have some wonderful coworkers that make going to work feel less like a chore to dread, and help me stay positive.
  A lot has happened since my last post almost two years ago to derail my creative endeavors. I suffered another miscarriage, then carried my next pregnancy to term and had a beautiful daughter. Our whole little family dotes on her, and she is a joyful little love full of smiles and happy noises. So while our lives are always interesting and full of individual struggles, I’m hoping that these “interesting times” we are experiencing as a global community will point us back to Christ, to trusting him, to enjoying simple pleasures and time spent with family, and of course, that when we emerge on the other side of this story, that we all find a happy ending to this chapter of our lives.

New Endeavors

 So I’ve taken up knitting. I technically learned how when I was about ten years old, as I’d already learned how to crochet from an awesome babysitter and really liked it. Turns out,. I liked crocheting better and pretty much didn’t knit at all after I learned the basics. But I love historical clothing, and those knitted mitts from the 18th century are so fun and cozy and pretty...and crocheting wasn’t really a thing until the 19th century. So I thought I’d give it a try.
 After, uh, multiple restarts, I think I’m making few enough mistakes that’s it’s passable. Turns out I still don’t really enjoy knitting, at least not like I do crocheting. Something about it is different enough that it’s just not as relaxing, and I need frequent breaks. But I realllly want a pair or three of knitted mitts. I’m determined.
 I also brewed my first batch of beer! I LOVE the Townsend’s channel on YouTube where they cook historical recipes and answer questions about the 18th and early 18th centuries, and I’ve been curious about “small beer” for awhile. So I invited one of my husbands best friends who has brewed before over to help me try out this video:“Swanky”. It’s good that he was involved, because I would have made ALL the mistakes and probably caused an explosion. Crises averted, and it turned out pretty well! I don’t even like beer (sometimes I really just do very weird things for the curiosity of it), but I liked the way this small beer tasted. It was mild and refreshing, and now I want to try another of the Townsend’s brewing videos!
 So, I’m not even halfway finished with my first mitt, but it’s August, so I’ve got time, right? And in the meantime I’m gonna sip my home brewed small beer and plan future shenanigans.

Hygge

  Hygge. Everyone seems to be blogging and posting on Pinterest about it lately. I love the concept: coziness, the focus on family and friends and togetherness, building relationships and enjoying a slower pace of life appreciating the small things. Of course, because it originated with Danish people, it’s pretty heavy on the wool socks, hot drinks, and cuddling under blankets. I live in the desert, where we are more about iced everything, tank tops, and air conditioning. So I search Pinterest a lot for things like “how to hygge in the summer” and variations of the same, finding really cute pictures of outdoor picnics clearly taken elsewhere because here, no one goes outside during the summer months unless they are walking between their car and a building with the aforementioned air conditioning.
  But the more I read about it, the more I’ve come to realize that we really do practice a lot of the concepts in our home. We play games as a family, and my husband has a few work friends over pretty regularly for a game night. Our daughter still doesn’t really get screen time, but she loves to read and be read to. We snuggle a LOT. It’s the best. And I’ve been making an effort to actually light the pretty candles we have, to wear something cozy and comfy when I spend time at home with my daughter, to savor the ritual lately of boiling the water for my tea rather than just use the keurig, making a whole pot to pour over ice and enjoy throughout the afternoon. (I can not overemphasize how HOT it is here right now).
  And having the mindset has really helped: being focused on the moment and enjoying the simple things had lead to enjoying them more, and a sense of joy and how blessed I truly am. I feel closer to my family. I feel more settled and grateful for what my life is right now. I’m in a better state than I was even just a week ago; we’ve been dealing with some loss and grief lately and this focus and the results have been very therapeutic. Am I still sad? Of course. And I’ll keep being sad for a long time. But does it help to deliberately choose to do and eat and spend time with activities and people that I enjoy and derive a deep joy from? Yeah, I have found that duh, it really helps. So I’m going to keep on practicing this hygge thing.

Little Red and her Big Bad Best Friend

  I have always loved big fluffy doggos, especially doggos that look like wolves - probably at least in part because of my family’s first dog, who actually was part wolf but was a complete snuggly sweetheart. So when my husband stopped to look at some German Shepherd puppies on the side of the road a few years ago, it was over before I knew it had started. I’ve always loved how our dog grew up to look scary but is just a great lovable goofball (although the lovable part is up for debate according to some of my family members). Mostly I love how patient and gentle my dog is with my little one, and how having a dog has helped teach my little one to be patient and gentle with others. They are so precious together!
  And of course, I love fairy tales. So I read them to my toddler. We were reading the story of the three little pigs a few days ago and when my daughter saw the illustration of the Big Bad Wolf she got excited, pointed, and shrieked our dog’s name.
  I was laughing, and also realized that despite having these gorgeous photos waiting for months I hadn’t yet posted them - for shame! Plus it’s stupid hot here in the summer and I like remembering when we could stand to be outside, wearing a cloak no less.
  Months ago my sister assisted her photographer friend with a workshop on how to take better pictures of your kids, and felt inspired, and offered to take pictures of my kid for free since she doesn’t yet have any of her own. Who would turn down free photos of their toddler? Not me! And she knows how much I LOVE the tale of Red Riding Hood, and suggested that for the theme.
  These amazing, gorgeous pictures are the result. I could get used to having such as talented sister! (Honestly I’ve had her whole life to get used to it and yet I’m still surprised by how good she is at all things artistic. You’d think I’d learn...)

  Details: the hood is crocheted from red heart acrylic yarn that I actually made for myself several years ago, the dress is hand sewed from linen fabric (the same I used for my Cinderella short gown), and the boots are from amazon. One of the baskets I got on Etsy and the other is from...hobby lobby? I think? It’s been awhile!

  Also pictured: our beautiful fierce dog, who thankfully loves this child with a long-suffering love. What did we ever do to deserve dogs, really?

Cinderella in detail

So, my sister got a new camera, and as promised: more photos of the Regency inspired Cinderella outfit!
The short gown: I sew everything by hand, which means I need to like the feel of whatever fabric I’m working with, and I love linen, so when I accidentally dyed some white linen this light blue color (rookie mistake that I still make: forgetting to wash all my new fabric SEPARATELY) I decided it was perfect for this little gown! Worked out great since the cotton I bought for this project ended up feeling too stiff and I hated my first attempt. (Also, this was the third of fourth attempt at this deceptively simple project; getting the ratio of tiny skirt right so that it didn’t look ridiculously floofy at the back took several attempts...in several fabrics, like I mentioned.) I based my short gown on this one with the front drawstring opening, and made the skirt a little shorter. It’s still not the most flattering, but that’s not really the point of this anyway, right? Work clothes seldom are!

  I also pinned on a little Northanger Abbey book locket charm that was a Christmas gift from my brother and his wife in a nod to the shared love of books between the young girl and her father in Ever After, another favorite (historical!) Cinderella adaptation. It seemed like the kind of cute little brooch her dad might have gifted her before his death. I forgot to take off my wedding ring but left off other jewelry.
  On the back I put two white cloth covered buttons to help hold up the apron, since the Regency waist is so unnaturally high, as on this short gown.

 The brown skirt is sewn from a sturdy cotton with stiff body; I initially tried to put a whole 3yards of fabric into it but NOPE, waaaay too much when the fabric is not the usual lightweight sheer cotton that I usually sew these skirts with. So I ended up using the Sense and Sensibility Regency gown pattern from Simplicity. I imagine the skirt to come from a gown handed down to Cinderella from one of her stepsisters after she damaged, or perhaps simply tired of, her gown. Perhaps she remade it into a spencer or tore one of the sleeves on a country walk...either way, I left the pattern long (I have short legs!) and took up the excess with tucks, because of course Cinderella is more petite than her stepsisters, and I think she would have wanted to wear pretty things, even if they were old hand-me-downs. Tucks were a way to add interest to a hemline and otherwise very simple silhouette. Plus it needed to be short enough not to trip me going up the stairs with full hands!

  As a thank you to my sister for the awesome pictures, I made dinner in full regalia to add some patina. Only splattered a little tomato on myself - thank goodness for modern washing and drying and gentle soaps!

Aprons: a love letter

 Oh, the apron. So simple, and yet so...not. It’s been around for practically forever, it’s endlessly useful, and just as endlessly changeable. Not only does it protect the clothing underneath from whatever muck might threaten, it has at many points in history, much as today, served as a fashion statement and accessory. Ask ten different people to sew an apron and you’ll get ten wildly different results, from silhouette to fabric choice to trim.

  When I was working on my historical Cinderella ensemble, I spent longer than was reasonable (certainly longer than was necessary) agonizing over every detail of the apron. Pockets? No pockets? How long should it be? How full? Wide waistband or narrow? How wide or narrow should the hems be? I ultimately decided on narrow waistband and hems with no pockets in the interest of maximizing my fabric, and because a white apron would probably have been more for show than practicality, I left off the pockets.

  I have scads of aprons pinned on my Pinterest boards, ranging from frilly unpractical styles popular with the upper class during the eighteenth century to coverall linen styles inspired by Japanese smocks to gardening aprons with pockets to the “apron dress” ubiquitous amongst Viking and SCA reenactors.

  Some of my very favorites come from the eighteenth century, either very frilly and silly or colorful and practical and a fun way to add some color to an outfit. My other favorite time for aprons is the 1930s, when the Great Depression made economy a concern at the forefront of most people’s minds. Traditionally the purpose of an apron was to protect the clothing underneath, as the apron would be easier to launder and could be worn several times in between washing. Not only was laundry a very labor intensive chore for generations preceding the automatic washing machine, soaps were often caustic and damaging. An apron was less fabric to wash and cheaper to replace. During the 1930s there were patterns published for aprons that only needed one yard of fabric, and plenty of ideas for trim to add some style.
  I have half a shelf in my pantry devoted to storing my own aprons. I have a cute little red and white checked half apron from my childhood just-learning-to-bake days, a yellow cotton crocheted half apron that was an impulse project a few years ago, the green linen smock apron I bought from this awesome Etsy seller (I LOVE Etsy, that’s a whole ‘nother post!), and very fun Firefly nerd reference apron from a dear friend with Vera composed of versions kitchen tools on it, a strawberry shortcake apron my mom sewed me...I have plenty, is the point. More than. I have enough to host a baking party and outfit several guests. And yet like Ariel, I’m not satisfied - I want more! My next apron project will probably be an attempt at the Dottie Angel frock pattern from simplicity (1080). Because I definitely need another one to add to my collection ;) And some matching ones for my daughter. Because reasons.