Colombia Trip
August 12th, 2008I will be out of the country for the next week. Contact will be limited to e-mail until the 18th.
I will be out of the country for the next week. Contact will be limited to e-mail until the 18th.
Here you can see my braiding the princess’s hair:

Back of the hair Sat. morning:

Since I sport long hair and grew up with two sisters I had to learn early on how to braid and create up-dos. I find it so relaxing and rewarding. Sometimes I capture them on camera:

Braid Sunday:

I finally got the portrait Lauren drew for me at the Valhalla Renaissance faire scanned! The portrait session was a gift from another member of Royal White Eagle. It was a pleasure to sit, relax, and get my portrait drawn.

See Lauren’s website for more of her fabulous work: L’Elizabeth R Portraiture
Rene finished sewing her bodice in time to wear to the Willits Renaissance Festival. Here are some photos I took showing the dress and some details shots.

A lovely, deep & rich purple-shot-with-black silk taffeta:

I have a limited amount of this but can buy more if a project demanded a lot of yardage.
Blue & Silver with floral design damask:

I fell in love with this fabric, as it screams “make me into an 18th century gown!”, but alas, there was only 5 yards total on the bolt. We searched the store in hopes of finding another remnant hiding between the cracks. No such luck. I have to nix the robe a la française style or make it for a child. A miniature sample gown isn’t such a bad idea…
Every once in a while, I find I don’t have the correct costuming for an event in my mammoth closet (s) [hallways, garage, or extra racks around the house]. I had an evening where a bustle dress was preferred because larger Victorian hoops would not be accommodated by the dining room .Thus I borrowed a beautiful navy and white striped bustle dress from Ladykalessia. She packed up her gown along with a straw hat & bunches of silk flowers instructing me to make a hat and have it perch tipping forward on a head of big hair.
Here is the cute hat that came together from striped scraps from the gown, a piece of blue taffeta floating around my workroom and the flowers:


Hanging:

The white on cream spiral trim really stands out just enough to catch the eye. The gown has additional gem accents that can be added along the trim for a fancier look when desired. I really like the subtle spiral trim as is.
Pill box:

It looks like a yummy cake to me!
Edged with metal on the interior, this collar really stands nicely. Three flat steel bones finish up the underlying support which includes hair canvas and cotton duck.

Now this bodice has been a bodice of DOOM! It has a extreme like for oily substances and will find any oil in a room and suck it up. I’ve watched Rene very carefully and neatly work on her bodice and get oil on it over and over again.
Portion of back with completed embroidery:

Front with embroidery partially waiting whip stitching:

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