I made most of the trousers early this spring. But uniform making duties forced me to postpone finishing them. They hung in the closet for months. I finally pulled them out and finished them a few weeks ago. I made the waistcoat last week, after the green corderoy disaster. This time I made sure to cut an ample seam allowance and the finished vest fits David quite nicely. It has 3 welt pockets, a notch collar and buttons up the front with seven covered buttons. David wore the set for the first time to church yesterday for our beginning of Advent service. He requested a red necktie to go with his outfit and looked, I thought, very festive. 
I was able to get my dress finished up on Saturday. I do like it very much although I am not completely happy with how the sleeves came out. I wish I had gathered the pouf to a point lower on the arm to get less of a mushroom effect. However, as Mr. Darcy said in his letter to Elizabeth, "It is done, however, and it was done for the best." Also to keep in the mood of Austen, here is a picture of the dress in front of a "prettyish kind of a little wilderness", where we plan on tilling up ground for our garden when spring comes. 
I don't usually wear a cap. I only wear one when the mood strikes. Here is a capless photo, though a tad risque - dear me, you can see my bare leg! - complete with this beautiful set of ultra-modern Fuzzy Snowflake Socks with White PomPoms. Don't they look wonderful with my repro mid-19th century boots? I didn't mean for this photo to be so alarming, I promise. It was the fault of the stiff breeze. Now you can see all my farby sinfulness!
Here is a back view. I was appalled when I saw this photo - "David, is my rear end really that big?!" Thankfully big bums were "in" for most of the 19th century. In those times, looking like a woman with natural womanly features was desired and encouraged. Alas. How times have changed. But David was kind enough to tell me that it was my fluffy skirts and petticoats that gave the illusion of a bigger behind. 
I need to add a few more hooks along the wrist placket since the placket kept folding open yesterday, but other than that I think this will be a very serviceable house dress. 
Oh and yes - David has decided to grow side whiskers! I have become reconciled to the thought of a beardless husband. His look has grown upon me and I do like this new style very much. He looks rather like I imagine Col. Brandon when I think of him in my mind. David is becoming ever more interested in pre-CW times and, I think, it shall not be long ere he joins me in the 1820's and 1830's. He is currently afflicted with great passion for the 1840's and his next set of civilian attire is to hail from then. 
Love,Sarah
I got quite sick late Wednesday. I've been working on a sewing job for a customer but since I was so sick I decided to put her things up for a little while so I wouldn't spread germs to her gowns. Instead I started a new day dress for myself. After all, it is getting colder and colder and so far I have only made one new dress for winter time. 
This one I wanted more of an early 1830's style. I used the same basic bodice pattern as for my pink gown but am making the sleeves a tad bigger. Instead of gathering the fashion fabric at the waist, I darted the lining as usual but tucked the fashion fabric and tacked the pleats down by hand. The sleeves have a slender undersleeve with a full puff sleeve mounted on top of that. 
I'm hoping to finish it up today. All it really needs is the skirt attached and the hooks sewn on. Then hopefully I'll feel well enough to get back to my work sewing once more.
It was, he said, my fault. I cut his hair for him last Saturday and he asked me to trim his beard. Once I was done he said that his beard appeared to be shorter on one side than the other. I looked. It was indeed a little shorter. About 1/16" shorter. So, he surmised, the only possible thing for him to do was to shave it all off and start over with it. 
I begged. I pleaded. I got on my knees. I really did. It was of no use. The bathroom door was firmly shut and a few moments later I heard the sounds of scissors; the sound of David's beard being butchered. A half hour later he reappeared and the bathroom floor was littered with hair. 
I wouldn't kiss him for a long time. I had to get used to it. I felt that I had a different man in place of my husband. I am now finally starting to get used to it but his beard is already starting to come back in a stubbly, prickly shadow. 
Little David now checks his chin every day to see if he is getting a beard, himself.
I love these. Out of the corsets/stays I have, I think these are my favorite by far. They are insanely comfortable. The back is quite heavily boned and the front boned only at the center front which seemed a bit backwards to me at first, but I really love the great back support and the gathered cups give enough support to the front without additional boning. 
These are meant to be a little short waisted, but they really do end at just about my waist level. They do not reduce my waist at all which really adds to the comfort level. Nothing is tight, actually. . .just supported.
I really didn't think gathered cups would offer much support. And, compared to more heavily boned and structured corsets, they do seem flimsy. But I was pleasantly suprised with how well they have worked. I have been wearing them today for the past 8 hours or so and they still seem to be fine.
I hated binding the tabs at the bottom but it was worth it, I think!
P.S. I do not smoke a cob pipe, but since David had one lit, I couldn't resist using it as a prop. After all, my extreme interest is in the clothing of the Early Settlers and according to Christian Reeser, patriarch of David's family, who settled in this same area in the mid 1800's, tobacco was one of the things that kept him healthy and young (he lived to a very great age, I believe 102 but do not have the family history book on hand to check for sure). 
The last picture is of my handsome hubby with his Redbone Coonhound, Jeb Stuart. 
I was not getting that look. I took the 3 bones out of the center of my stays and corded the sides of the "busk pocket" in the center front, although at the time I had no intention of ever using a busk. It supported me but did not give me a seperate look at all. I posted about my problem on the Sense and Sensibility message board and received several suggestions and encouragement to try a busk - so I did! The effect was immediate and happy. I got The Look. I also felt much more supported since the busk is very stiff and holds up the gusset "cup" in which each bust lies.
This one was also a paint stick which he picked up at a hardware store yesterday. (He got several actually; they were free). The ones he got were much thicker than the one I used as a trial run. They were printed on one side with lettering and there was a curved in handle shape at the bottom. He carved it down so the width of the paint stick measured the width of the curved-in handle so the finished busk is all one width. He sanded the edges smooth and sanded off the lettering. He did a very nice job with it. It is just a tad too long but he has promised to cut it down to the proper length for me this evening. I love him so. :) A wife certainly knows she is loved when her husband is willing to make a busk for her!
In other sewing news, I've been lazy. But I did finish my pink 1820's dress by sewing on the hook and eyes this afternoon. 
I also made a cloak earlier this week, 18th century style. It is a trial run made of poly blend plaid but it is warm and I have been using it a lot in the rain and damp we have been having. 
I also drafted a pattern for a set of 1790's stays for use under my regency drawstring gowns. The short stays I made a few years ago no longer fit the way I want them to. I've always admired the 
And finally, did I mention we have rain?! I glimpsed out the window today and realize we have a lake. Wild geese have been pausing here for rest and water all day long; as one flock goes out another comes in. 
They are now swimming the bean field that was harvested last week. It is very comfortable and cozy to hear their cries and bellows. What a busy little watering place we have right now!
Back view. Compared to my 1860's gored corset, this one is very lightly boned. Yet it still provides the support I need and is extremely comfortable, just like it is giving me a gentle hug. There are three bones down the center front of the corset to take the place of the more period-correct busk (which I did not use), a bone radiating down from the outside of each bust gusset and one bone radiating up from the inside of the hip gusset. Then there are bones on either side of the back eyelets. The spring in the back is not even so I will have to work on that. Either I need to tighten the top or loosen the bottom to get a more uniform space.
A closer view of the shape from the side. The one thing this corset doesn't do is provide the "divide" factor so desirable in regency corsets. I think a period correct straight busk would have helped but honestly, there is no space between to have anything straight to divide! :( I content myself with thinking that these stays are for later than regency dresses anyway. I still like the overall shape and think it will work perfectly for what I need.
Now that this is done, I need some chemises. For these pictures I used a mid-19th century style since my one drawstring regency chemise currently needs new drawstrings.
Love,
Malachi eats a candy stick. Once we arrived we first browsed through the sutler area. There were some very nice ones, and at one we got the boys candy sticks in hopes of them settling down if they had something sweet to suck on. Malachi had a lemon flavored one and thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, he was completely sticky before he was finished but a damp cloth cleaned him up just fine. 
We brought a cold lunch of smoked sausage, bread, cheese and grapes. Here Malachi pauses mid-chew to allow me to take his picture. In passing, I made this striped coat for him when he was four months old and prayed it would last him through the season. And. . .it did! Just barely, but he squeezed into it one final time. He seems to have had a growth spurt since our last event. He had to wear Judah's wool dress from last year and Judah's strapped petti that Judah wore this summer. I'm glad I had the bigger things to put him in, or else I don't know if we could have gone! But geez, why do kids grow so fast?? This is the last time the older boys will wear their clothes too. The bodices and hems on their shirts and trousers are a bit too short, already. And I just made these things five or six weeks ago!
After our picnic lunch the boys wanted to explore. Just beyond the camp was an open area, fringing off into woods and a deep ravine. The boys were fascinated by the ravine and tried several times to slither down into it. I did not blame them for their curiousity. When I was growing up, wooded ravines were some of my favorite places to play!
Here Malachi sits in the high grass and looks for tasty leaves to chew on. A fuzzy caterpillar offered a most tempting sample of snack but I rescued it just before it fell victim to a most untimely and unfortunate death.
David. The last time we were at this event we were newlyweds and he posed in almost the same exact spot for a picture. Then, he had a sutler made uniform. This time, it is one I got to make.
I wore my black wool dress since I didn't get to wear it much this year, just once in February to the Abraham Lincoln Birthday ball. Plus it helped against the chill. Hoorah for wool! It is the best, most versatile fiber ever.
Before the battle we decided to walk a bit and visit. I carried Malachi and the older boys walked with David. 
They even held hands. They just started doing that lately and I think it is so adorable!
David and I. I wanted a picture with my birthday boy but he wouldn't look at the camera! Oh well!
David and Judah on their way down the hill to the sutler area. My favorite sutler was called Mother of Purl and she had a wonderful assortment of wool yarns. I got some lovely blue-green heathered wool yarn to make the boys some mittens. It's a good thing we did not have a lot of extra money to spend or I would have spent it all there!
I used my wool shawl as a makeshift sling. It helped so much. Malachi does get very heavy, especially when he naps. David tied the shawl behind me and just behind my shoulder and we were able to adjust the tightness to support Malachi's little bum and his back. This is almost certainly the last event where Malachi will be small enough to carry around and to be considered a baby.:( Next year he will be walking and definitely a toddler. 
One great impression was the priest who went about on the field administering last rites. Oh wow, that was an awesome impression. Here he is after the battle talking to a confederate soldier. 
We got to meet some other people as well. These guys did a fabulous job with their impression as refugees. It was thrilling to see! Fabulous, fabulous job.
Here is David and Judah. Poor Judah. He did get quite cold. I tied my shawl around his head and he kept it on. Something he would not normally do. Note the man bending over by the tree on the left hand side. He had a beautiful repro guitar with gut strings and it had such a beautiful sound to it. I would love to get one someday!
One thing I definitely learned this weekend is that I need to get the Past Patterns overalls pattern for David. I saw two gentleman wearing overalls from the pattern and they looked fabulous. Heck, I saw so many gorgeous civilian clothing items I'd love to make for David. One man had a beautiful yellow and black plaid frock coat that I especially liked. For, you see, since I have decided to go old-fashioned in my wardrobe David has joined me in my endeavors and has decided he wants to dress that way as well. So waistcoats, trousers, shirts, frocks, sack coats and overalls are in my future! Whew. I'm thrilled though, truly! David looks so much more natural in his period clothing than in modern stuff and he says he finds it much more comfortable. He is such a hard size to fit (a 2X Tall with a very long torso) so making our own clothes at home will be much better and more economical in the long run. And it is always more fun to dress old fashioned when you have someone to do it with you. :)