Plaid Ball Gown

Dear Friends,

I have recently had the pleasure to have a ball gown made by Sarah Crow, of The Preacher Wife's Gowns and Carr Antiquities (Facebook)!

She and I discussed options, the primary limiting factor being that we would work only with fabric I already owned, with minimal purchases for trim. I had a lovely red/gold plaid silk (with small stripes in navy and green, as well). Using some period images as inspiration, we agreed on a bertha-style, with puff sleeves, and then lace trim with ribbon work. Here are a few of the inspiration images:

1) Just a similar plaid. Since we weren't doing a day dress, this was more to help me picture my flat piece of fabric as a fully formed dress. This pin was originally from Ebay (I think it was a CDV), so there is no link to its original location.

2) Again, a day dress. Yet the way the trim is on the hem and the whole collar/bodice trim was very similar to what I had in mind. There's no good link to an original source, so if you happen to know where this is from, I'd love to cite the source.

3) Day dress.This one is just such a scrumptious blue stripe! Right??? Ok, but seriously, some ideas for a waist treatment (how to attach the skirt). Note that the original Pinterest post is no longer connected to a proper source, so if you know where this is from, please let me know so I can give proper credit/citation!

4) This neckline. This neckline trim. The pleats. The lace. YUM YUM YUM. Note that this Pinterest link also doesn't lead further. Again, if you know the source, please let me know so I can include it!

The sneak preview she sent me... ;)

The bertha was originally going to be a pleated sheer silk, and would be shaped in similarly to image 4 above. Instead, it became a separate piece that sits higher on my shoulders and lower in front, with a higher neckline on the true bodice, and the pleating, believe it or not, is actually the same silk as the dress, just pleated carefully to show only the gold!

Beautiful scrumptious work in progress! This was my main fitting. The minor adjustments I'll make are mainly things like moving a few of the hooks and eyes, since we didn't get a last fitting right before the ball to check those types of things.

And done! This is at the February Ohio Regimental Military Ball (ORMB) in Canton, OH.
I absolutely ADORE all the lacy lace! I felt so beautiful wearing it.

Happy dancers :)

My seamstress friend from The Young Sewphisticate and I, enjoying being beautiful! She also gets credit for loaning me the fluffy lovely cap I'm wearing.

Thank you so much to my friend Sarah Crow for making me this gorgeous gown!

Yours,

Sarah

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Painesville, 2012

Reenactment in Painesville, Ohio, at the Lake County Historical Center! July 14th, 2012 (or 1862, if you prefer!).

Tried to make sure the background was period appropriate!

Back view. The bodice isn't fitting quite right, but I think (hope) that mostly took care of itself with new underpinnings.

The strange juxtaposition of troops marching, hoopskirts, shorts and t-shirts, and kettle corn, with "telegraph" wires?

Working reproduction Gatling - made from the original patent drawings and instructions. The Gatling was barely used during the Civil War - it largely came into use after; versions of this gun are still in use today.

Most sincerely yours,
~ Sarah

Painesville reenactment, 2012/1862

Hello!

Since I've now stepped into Civil War reenacting, during the 150th anniversary cycle, many of my posts from now on will be related to the Civil War era.

I'll also be trying to organize the blog a little better, so you may start to see "labels" applied to old posts too, which should make things easier to find!

This is a picture of me a the Painesville reenactment in 2012.

More pictures to come!
Most sincerely yours,
~ Sarah

9th Century

A friend visits the Anglo-Saxons - perhaps she is a Dane?

Most sincerely yours,

~Anne