More and more...

And here I thought that I was done with the hard core costuming for quite some time. I am all set for History Alive in June, but am now focusing on what I will be wearing in July. In particular there are two events that I will be attending: Abbey Medieval Festival and Heritage Ball.

The first, the Abbey Medieval, I will be dancing at on the Sunday. I had every intention of wearing my dress from last year, but when I tried it on last night it was 4 inches too big around the middle. (No idea how that has happened!). I could take it in, but then I realised that even if I did, it would still be overly cumbersome to dance in because the skirts are so full, and even with them tied to my wrist, it still drags on the ground and would trip me up. Not to mention that because it is all linen, it weighs quite a bit. So now, I am looking at medieval gowns that I can make. I have settled on an image I found of a 14th Century dress that has a kirtle and cotehardie (over-robe), and have even decided on my colours (based on a John William Waterhouse painting). Now I just need to make a trip to the fabric store for supplies.

The second is the Heritage Ball. And I will be making a bustle gown again this year. The first one to make is for my mum. She has come down to a decision between two fashion plates (early bustle - 1870s) and which one will depend on what fabric we find. As for myself, I fell in love with a fashion plate from the natural form bustle era and am determined to make it. At least for myself, if I can't get it done in time, I can always wear the dress that I made for last year, but I would really like a new one. And this time, it will be in a much brighter colour. I will keep you posted.

On a side note, I spent part of the long weekend cleaning up my cupboard and stacking away my costumes. I have come to the decision that I would like to sell a couple of them, as they either no longer fit properly or I just don't wear any more, and I would much rather sell them than have them collecting dust in my wardrobe. I am not sure where to try selling them, but I am thinking that etsy would probably be a good start.