MLS Designs

The Jane Austen festival was so much fun this year! Mummy and I stayed in the centre of town this time, instead of staying with our friend who lives in the suburb of Odd Down. We love staying with Ginny, but it was so nice to be 1 minute's walk from the Abbey Church Yard and able to say to new acquaintances 'come for tea this afternoon, and we'll have a nice noisy game of cards afterwards' which we did nearly everyday! Even better, we were only a few minutes walk from the lovely cocktail bar Ginny introduced us to last year :)
Mummy and I both had complete, brand new outfits for the promenade, then the rest of the week was a mixture of old and new, dresses and spencers, hats and caps, it's wonderful to have such nice big wardrobes of clothes to chose from each morning, I took everything we have, and some things came home unworn but it was so nice having them there if we wanted them, and I never wore the same thing twice, except my stays and petticoat ;) Then Aunty Jac joined us for the rest of our stay. I managed to get one of Clare's dresses to (sort of) fit her, and she wore mummy's spencers and wide brimmed hats to cover her modern hair, so, not too bad for a last minute addition!
Now, without further ado, ( pop on under the cut for lots of photos! )

Since coming home from Bath, I've been rather poorly, first with strained intercostal muscles from all the coughing, then with a dreadful head cold. I'm now over the cold, and most of the cough, but the strained muscles are as bad as ever, and now my back, which has been compensating for my chest muscles, is bad too, so I've been pretty slow this last week or so. I have finally managed to unpack from Bath and put everything away, including all the things from our reenacting escapades, and I've been indulging myself with a spot of modern sewing - some everyday tops and a skirt. I do need to get back to 'proper' sewing though! I need a ball gown for a Victorian Ballmoral ball next month, and then there's a Regency Christmas ball I want to make us new dresses for, and our winter dance demo this year is a Scottish Victorian theme, so I have a kilt I need to alter for Mummy, and I need something warm and tartany to wear too. Also, we've been invited to a 12th Night party by some new friends, so I kind of want a new Elizabethan dress ;) I really need to pull my finger out if I'm going to get all that done, and make a start on my WIlliamsburg wardrobe!!

The ball was fantastic, as usual! But today didn't turn out as expected!
On Saturday after lunch Mummy and I went to help set up for the ball, and got home at 4 to find our visitors ( 3 officers and a lady. People we met in Bath in March and have become VERY good friends, and one of their fellow officers from the re-enactment group) all camped out on the doorstep waiting for us :) We had tea and chats and then all got ready. The ball was very good fun, 10 couples, and we actually had the right mix of sexes! One of the girls was dressed as a boy, but the others were all real men! There was much giggling before the dancing started, and lots of eating during the evening! Home again, we all lounged around in our jammies for a while winding down to go to sleep.

Then, this morning, (after a pancake breakfast, with a pancake initial letter for everyone, made by me!) was spent learning the steps for the Russian Mazurka, (a Russian lady living in Scotland came to the ball and agreed to teach us the next day before she went home again) and we didn't finish until early in the afternoon, so no chance to go anywhere in kit. We came back home though, and drank more tea, chatted some more about costuming and playing dress-up and had soup and bacon butties before the others had to go home.

Now Mummy and I are sitting on the sofa in the empty house! But while I've been typing this, my photos have been uploading, so I can post them!
They're ( behind this here cutty thing... )

Now that my 2 weeks of half term holiday is over, with it's balls and visits and fun, I feel very very tired! I do NOT want to go to work tomorrow :( Oh well, I suppose that's life isn't it!

The next few weeks are going to be CRAZY! At school I'm preparing for 'A Christmas Carol' with the Yr10s, most of them have 2 or 3 roles, and all need costumes, and our wardrobe is just not eqiped, so lots of sewing at school!

At home, we have the Russian Winter Palace ball coming up, the weekend after the play opens, for which I am adding 'swansdown' trim to my big pink ballgown, and I need to make Mummy a new corset, and, if I can, a new ball gown. It will be dark red/black shot silk, with hopefully brown trim on the bertha and oversleeves, either the leftover silk velvet from my pelise or some fur. I think I may use the velvet, then it can be permantent, fur IS only really suitable on a ballgown for a Russian theme!!

Also, it's Christmas demo season soon, and our theme is Scotish Victorian, so I thought I might make myself a new dress :D My red challis is lovely, but, it IS a year old! So I bought some apricot coloured silk/wool mix plaid from fashion fabrics, and my lovely lovely friends are bringing it to me tomorrow when they come to visit!! I have lots of the golden brown velvet ribbon from my gold stripe ballgown, so I may trim it with that somehow, if it goes. I will wear it with my beige paletot and my new muff and tippet (worn as a scarf) and be toasty toasty warm!

Well, with the stays at least :) Today was a bit frustrating though, I had loads of tidying to do after Christmas and New Year, and I've had a rotten cold since Christmas so it all piled up till there was so much to do today :( BUT I got it done, and I baked as a reward. Chocolate brownies and cupcakes, but the frosting for the cupcakes turned out a bit strange tasting? Oh well, they're not BAD just odd :)
So now I can get started on the mock-up for my gown! Since Mummy has decided she likes being a boy I'm going to use the dark red ribbed silk I got to make her a dress for mine! I'm planning to make an en forreau back, and not too frilly, because I also have plans for a sacque back which will be very frilly, and I want them to be as different in style as possible. So a box pleated frill on the petticoat and box pleated serpentine with the silver braid twining the other way on the skirts. I'm not sure how I want it to fasten, centre front or with a stomacher, or maybe a compere front, I love those :)
But first I have work tomorrow, and friends in the afternoon then my best friend is spending the night, so not much sewing for a while I think! Pooh, I wish it was the holiday still :(

Today started out ok, I made a yummy apple and sultana steamed pudding for lunch, but after lunch I started to feel icky, really tired, tummy ache and cold, even though I was hot! I had a long nap, felt a bit better, drank some tea, felt worse, ate a cracker, felt better! I managed my supper fine, but about 2 hours ago I started to get my gallstone pains :( I've finally put a hot water bottle down the back of my top, and it's easing, I look like a moron though :D
Needless to say I've not done anything done! I better not let this nothing doing last too long though!
Ok, here's the list!
By 31st October, Fancy Dress Ball:
Fancy dress costume fro me, hopefully just add bits to an existing ball gown
Ditto fro Mummy

By 28th November, Playford Ball:
Hopefully nothing!

By end of November, Xmas market display:
Tomato red wool dress for me
Wool hood for Mummy
Wool coat for Mummy

By 13th February, Valentine's Ball (regency)
Nothing for Mummy
Maybe a new dress for me, probably not because of:

By March something, Georgian Ball, Bath
Stays for Mummy
Hoops for me
Fix my old hoops for Mummy
Red ribbed silk Anglaise and petticoat for Mummy
Yellow Francaise and petti for me
Wig for Mummy

And I have to try and fit making us both new corsets for 1860s in there somewhere, our figures are so much better with all this dancing that our corsets no longer fit! And if Clare can make any balls she might want something new as well, I really should get on, don't you think?!

got new lj!
first project is an outfit for a victorian festival in wales in august. i'm going with my mum and sister, and i'm making all of our dresses! i'm making a full set of undies for the 1860s, and a day and a ball dress, and if i have time some kind of jacket and a bonnet. the ball dress is from the kyoto institute's 'fashion', it's pink silk with striped silk gauze over it, i'll post a pick when i find it!
going to london tomorrow for teddy bear fair, will buy the white stuff for my undies there, and see what i can find for the dresses.
emailed spring factory in troon ind est re steel wire for crinoline.