Thursday, July 26, 2012

Jane Fest 2012

Last Weekend was the Jane Austen festival at Locust Grove plantation in Louisville Kentucky.
I'm only now posting because It took me this long to recover from it!
As luck would have it I came down with a cold this weekend and woke up with a fever Friday morning. But having worked for months on my Jane Fest preperation I was not going to let a little fever keep me form going, so I chugged a some dayquill and got on the road. Naturally traffic was terrible and the 6 hour drive from Pittsburgh to Louisville turned into a 8 1/2 hour drive. I arrived tired and miserable.
The next morning My roomates and I got up at 5 :30 am to get ready and head out to Locust Grove to set up our booth. I share a booth at Jane fest with a freind of mine who sells mostly jane austen merchandise and some crafts.

My set up
Elegant disarray that's the look I'm going for! Also I have to much stuff for this table...

Customers!
The organizers had moved the vendors from the area  infront of the house where it was the past 4 years to the side of the house.Which was awesome because there's lots of shade. Last year had been horrificly hot and we where right in the sun. This year the weather was nicer with temperatures in the 80's a breeze going . In the shade a I barely even broke a sweat.


Business was good, so good I barely got around to taking any pictures the first day.

The open robe, I loved how it turned out, I think it's my new favorite outfit.
  I got lot's of compliments on my open robe. it was a dream to wear  all cool and flowy.


Catching the breeze.
Showing off the back.

After the festival closed we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the ball.
taking off my stays is the best part of the day!
Business is booming so I took some time to bathe in money.

I sold my miss piggy ballgown to one of my roomates, she looks so much better in it than I ever did!

Meghan looked lovely wearing the miss piggy!

The ball seemed less crowded this year than last. I only danced once because I was rather exhausted had a cold, a sinus headache and my feet hurt. Also no one asked me to dance so  I just sat there an looking pretty. I don't have many pictures I'm afraid, since I brought my cheap camera that does not take good pictures, I now regeret this. but I want to think I looked  pretty nice
My ball get up.

 As did my friends


All my pretty roommates in their finery




After the ball we sat around our room and ate cold pizza. then fell into bed exhausted.
The next day we did not have to get up quite as early since we already had our stuff set up. There where less people at the fesival on Sunday which means we actually got to visit with friends a bit.

Taking a stroll.

Doing some posing





And take some pretty pretty pictures!
Regency sorority!

 I still did not manage to go to any of the entertainments or even set foot in the historic house. Oh well. but business was good so i'm not complaining. My friends however made it to the bare knuckle boxing exibit


The doctor got in on the boxing.

Afterwards they stalkted one of the handsome boxers

As did Deedee
And Reva was just overwhelmed by so much maleness!

Teh whole boxing thing inspired some friends to do Jane Austen fight club make up.
Caroline Bingly tried to steal her hat...

It turns out this year was the year of the sleeveless/short sleeved spencer, several of my friends had made them, and why not they lend themselves wonderfully to hot and humid weather.
Julie in her "Germanic" outfit

Stephanie will cut you if you ask if short sleeved spencers are period!


I paired my spencer with a huge feathered hat.


Jenni looked like a painting in her yummy green block print spencer




And Liz was all glowy from having spent way too much money on a fabulous hat to go with her purple spencer.



 Towards the end of the day the stream of visitors died down quite a bit giving me the opportunity to do some shopping myself,  I got this yummy cream and wedgewood blue cotton from a new vendor.

My charming new fabric, it's got a butter soft hand and drapes nicely!

 I'm so happy Jane fest now has a fabric store! I'm already planning to use the fabric for one of my day dresses for next year!
With some time on my hands I also got to take some more pictures...

Mr. Darcy came to visit out humble booth!

Looking like I own the place!

SO glad My BFF made it out on Sunday.


I had to add a picture of my hair, because some old lady accused it of being a bouffant!
With Charming Mr Rockold.

After packing up Reva and I headed to the liquor store for celebratory champagne, still dressed in regency clothes!

Oh yeah I go to Liquor Barn in period clothes....

so I can go cool off in the Beer cave!

The rest of the day was spent drinking going to dinner and just being silly hanging out with friends at the hotel.
 I headed back to Pittsburgh the next morning.
Ever since coming back I have been happily spending my money,
I got 6 adorable hat boxes for transporting my hats to the next event.

A new home for my hats.

And I got myself a darling German straw bonnet from historyhats.com
How could I resist the "German" straw hat!


 I deserve a reward for all the hard work after all!
  



Thursday, July 19, 2012

Jane Fest Progress Part II

Jane Fest is upon me! I leave for Kentucky tomorrow. All my dresses have been sewn, all bonnets trimmed all shoes decorated and all jewelry created. I have a couple of loose ends to tie up crafting wise and then it's time to pack.
Here's a sampling of the things I have made in the past 2 weeks.


Sari fabric Ballgown

Crossover ballgown made from a vintage silver and purple silk sari


Regency Riding habit shirt

Cotton Batiste habit shirt, made for a customer.I also made a neck ruff to go with this.


Stovepipe bonnet

 Blue silk covered bonnet with brown striped ribbon and brown ostrich feathers


Regency style shoes

Just added some decorative bows to these lovely shoes

Monday, July 2, 2012

Jane Fest Progress

Well I've been living eating and breathing Jane Fest. With less that 3 weeks to go, panic is setting in. Sooo much to do! I still have to make at least 2 dresses for sale off the rack, then finish my ballgown

1810 Dress made from a cashmere shawl, inspiration for my sari ballgown

 and make  my open robe and the petticoat to go under it for Jane Fest day wear.

1790's open robe, i plan something along these lines..

Then 2 more hats for sale and one bonnet for me.

I want to make a copy of this Bonnet from Napoleon and the Empire of Fashion, to wear with my sleeveless spencer!

 I need to make 3 chemises for sale since many of my for sale dresses are semi sheer cotton.
 Like that's not enough I have shoes to decorate, jewelry to make,

Cameo Parure from 1840, I wanting to make something like this to match my ballgown.

 mittens to sew, whip up 10 or so reticules, make a habit shirt to go with a customers riding habit and probably 100 more things I can't remember right now....
But with this as with all things it helps to look back and see what one has already accomplished to get a sense of well accomplishment....
In the past 10 days I have made.

2 off the rack dresses

One of the off the rack dresses that I will be selling at Jane Fest


4 hats

Simple straw hat with ribbon ties.

 Green silk bonnet with hand dyed silk trim and ties,

Red Silk Capote with moss green velvet ribbon trim and pheasant feathers.

Straw hat with hand dyed salmon colored silk ties and  ostrich feathers.


1 sleeveles spencer

Silk spencer made from leftover sari silk.

2 beaded  coral necklaces

Coral bead necklaces

And finished the bodice of my sari silk ballgown...

Silver and purple sari silk crossover ballgown bodice


In addition to this I finished up a riding habit skirt for a customer and made a fitting toile for the riding habit jacket. But I don't have any pictures of these..

So for 10 days it's not to shabby really.
 But now back to work!