The War of 1812

Saturday took us to the state capitol of Raleigh to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812! It was a hot day, but was pleasant with such great company!
The day started with the reading of the war declaration of the Capitol Building in downtown Raleigh. The militia was there along with a cannon.

After the reading of the war declaration we journeyed over to Mordecai House for the rest of the day. The men practiced drill. The ladies mostly stayed on the porch enjoying the shade, breeze and good conversation. Timely Tresses was there with their delightful assortment of hats, bonnets, ribbons & feathers! We all enjoyed the day. It was nice to get together with a group of friends and have fun, even if it was a bit warm.

That evening was the Bicentennial Ball hosted at the Raleigh City Museum.  I spent much of the time before preparing hair for the dance! It was great fun, I even impressed myself with my curling iron skills!  Turbans and feathers seemed to be all the rage with the ladies in 1812!

The dance started just a little late (parking was horrible!). All who attended the dance seemed to enjoy themselves. We dance all night, well I dance once, but others danced all night!  It was  great fun. There were tea sandwiches, cookies and lemonade available. It was quite a small, nice affair to be a part of. Such a nice experience, and it is a little different than the usual "dance" at reenactments.

Taylor & I before the dance started (he was playing with the band). 

Regency, Indeed!

Saturday was spent in a different time period than I am used to, this time it was 1816!! We spend the day entertaing the public, and ourselves at the Raleigh City Museum. We played Whist (period card game) and teaching period dance. The day was very enjoyable, and it was nice to spend time with my dear friends!

Walking down Fayetteville St.

A New Era

So thanks to my dear friend over at http://www.whynotthen.com/, I have begun a new era, yes the Regency Period has caught my eye, or at least my needle for a while. Preparing for the event Fires, Fads & Fun at the Raleigh City Museum has had me busy the past week. Making an entire wardrobe for 2 people is tough, especially in a limited amount of time, but I seem to work well under pressure. For me, the underpinnings are done, except the stay, which I am kind of dreading. The dress is still lacking inspiration, so it may look very plain, but accessories do make a difference! I am finding that I may like the lack of clothing, hehe. As you may know I mostly enjoy Mid-19th century clothing, which required multiple layers to get the shape and look, however, with early 1800s there are few garments, shift, stays, petti, dress....which does bring me to wonder- Where is the rest of it?!? The 180ss saw the rise and fall of the size of skirt width, but here its almost an entire lack of clothing. I am excited however to find myself in a different era. The shoes, oh the shoes!! I have ordered a pair of pointed-toe black flats that will be adored with a silk bow! Now, enough of talking about it I must get sewing.