Naperville 2010 !

The Plaid Brigade

My last Naperville was this weekend, and it was wonderful and bittersweet. Lots of lovely people were there, we had fantastic weather (especially Sunday!) and it was a nice way to end my years of doing this event.

Me as Martha "Mittie" Roosevelt

In spite of some snags in the weeks running up to the event, we ended up having good attendance both days. Mittie was out in force, in all her Southern Sassiness (I should trademark that!). It seemed we had some really good patrons too this weekend; kids who were cool and inquisitive, and adults who were really interested in what we had to say. We've all researched our history so thoroughly that it's a joy to talk to people about it, and I think a few were educated without being aware;)

Tabitha looked lovely, of course.

Tabitha reading an 1862 paper.

The battle, especially on Sunday, was very good this year. We sat near some bloodthirsty children on the Union side who would have jumped over the fence and fought with the boys in blue if they could have!

A gathering in the Halfway House yard, our home at Naper Settlement.

Teddy with K., and me gazing longingly at the fudge shop.

We had two visitors from England this year, the irrepressable Teddy and Tom. They were a hoot, and I was glad to meet them;)

Our boys in blue, on the march.

President Lincoln, of course;) Max is one of the best Lincolns I've seen, funny, knowledgible, and very personable.

Even during the Civil War, a good Southern girl has to have her iced chai;)

 . . . And funnel cake!

Yes, it was a bittersweet weekend. I kept saying to myself, "This is the last time I'll . . ." Breaking everything down Sunday evening was especially hard; I tried to take it all in and not start blubbering like an idiot. This event was my first Civil War event and it is fitting that it will be my last here. Thank you to Naper Settlement, to Great Lakes Reenactors Guild, and to all my friends who made this weekend special.

The first of the lasts.

New Vintage Fabulousness . . .

I have been coveting a Victorian parasol for many years now, but I've been unwilling to pay hundreds of dollars for something that was broken, needed to be recovered, or just wasn't right. For parasol connoisseurs (yes, there is such a thing), the mid- to late-19th century parasol is quite a commodity, and to find one in good shape is rare. I was pretty excited to win this through Leslie Hindman Auctioneers yesterday.

My friend B, who knows much more about parasols than I do, has dated this at the 1890's, given that it is telescopic rather than hinged, as with mid-century carriage parasols. It's small enough and decorated similarly enough, however, that I plan to use it at next year's Naperville event. Squee!!!

No split silk, no broken tines, and minimal stains. The catch at the top is horn, and the black wooden handle is barely scratched. Not bad for under $100!

Naperville 2009!

For yet another year, Naper Settlment's Civil War Days was a rousing success. We came, we saw, we partied like it was 1863.

We had several additions to our party this year: Karen brought her lovely new husband William, and they portrayed the Reverand Daniel Livermore and his wife Mary, who was apparently a famous female newspaper reporter during the Civil War.





Molly was another lovely addition; she portrayed Amelia Strauss, sister to the Kaufmanns, whose husband had recently enlisted and so her brothers brought her back home to Naperville to look after her.









Kathy (Flossie) returned in a lovely new dress! She and Margaret each had new threads, as did most of the ladies present;)




Tabitha brought her boyfriend, Ansel, and he portrayed James King Gracie, fiance to her Anna Bulloch.








The Dawsons and the Gallas joined us once again this year, and the boys took a little time out on Saturday to play some poker (scandalous!) I don't know who won, but they all looked pretty fabulous playing;)

Overseeing it all, of course, were the Barretts (Kaufmanns). I will always be grateful they have chosen to include me in this event every year; they are the brothers I never had.





Saturday evening included a formal dinner to celebrate the recent marriages in our midst, of the Dawsons and the Dezomas. We all got dressed up and enjoyed dinner and cake;)


As usual, there was a battle to enjoy both days. Don't worry; the North carried it on Sunday!


I finished the long, exhausting and wonderful weekend sitting outside the petting zoo, watching the goats and llama and chickens and just enjoying the sunshine.








Of course, it wouldn't be Naperville without at least one crazy picture of Brian;)

The Ballgown of Dooooooooooom! dress diary . . .

I tried to tell you it would be the dress that came from hell, but you all just chuckled and patted me on the head. It's a wonder that it even made it out to Naperville. You all know what I started with: the mushroom brocade and the organza overlay:

The skirt came together on Thursday night, and it went rather smoothly. The organza had a double border, so I slit it down the center and sewed the two flounces onto the skirt. The lower flounce has about six yards in it, and the upper flounce has five. I box-pleated the skirt into the waistband and box-pleated the upper flounce; the lower flounce was simply gathered with a basting stitch. The yellow and tan flowers with the silver and gold threads running through it complimented the colors of the brocade perfectly, and I began to entertain the smallest hope, deep down, that the bodice construction would sail through and it would practically make itself. Heh, heh.

The bodice itself seemed to go together well; following the lines I had marked in the fitting, I cut and sewed the bodice together, lightly boning it with 1/4" white steel and self-piping the upper and lower edges. This was the first four hours.

Then came the sewing of the hook and eye tape, which I had to hide with a small hand-stitched panel of brocade in the back. The sleeves came next, double puffed and with a small lace flounce. I had almost no organdy left, but I made it work. I set the sleeves in, and then made the tucker and hand-stitched that in. I finally pinned the bodice to the skirt in preparation for the last fitting. This was hours five, six, and seven.

Looks good, doesn't it? Of course, I made my sister crop my face out of the shot, because it was red and puffy. After all that work, it didn't fit, and I had little-to-no-time to fix it.

I literally have no idea how this occurred, and I was very angry at myself for it. I know how to fit ballgowns, after all, and this is nearly inexcusable. I was laced in all the way to my ribcage as well, so that wasn't going to fix it. I called Brian and cried a bit, took the damn thing off, and proceeded with my other preparations for the weekend. Then, I went back to the dress. Hour eight finally had me ripping, cutting, and frankensteining the back seam to add a little fabric at the bottom, putting in a placket to cover up the ugly.


Thankfully, the results were not all that noticeable. I wore it Saturday, and in spite of the trouble, I think it looked pretty okay.

My sister was in a lovely ballgown from Kaufmann's, of course;)

After all that, I hope I don't need to make another ballgown for another five years!

Recipe Thursday!

Chickpea Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

When the weather starts to turn warmer, I start to want to use the oven as little as possible, which makes cool and easy salads the best choice. This one is from Martha Stewart (of course!), and I usually eliminate the radishes, since I don't really care for them!

Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Serves 4
· 12 ounces green beans, ends trimmed
· 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
· 1/4 cup sour cream
· 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
· 1 small garlic clove, minced
· Coarse salt and ground pepper
· 1 (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
· 4 radishes, trimmed, halved, and thinly sliced
· 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and broken into small pieces
· 1 Boston lettuce, leaves separated

Directions

1. Boil green beans 1 minute; drain, and cut into 1-inch pieces. In a small bowl, mix buttermilk, sour cream, vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large bowl, combine beans, chickpeas, radishes, and nuts; toss with half the dressing. Serve on lettuce, drizzled with remaining dressing.

Since I won't be available tomorrow, sewing all day in preparation for Naperville this weekend (yay!), you get the Friday recipe today. Enjoy!

The Ballgown of Dooooooooooom!

Some inspiration

The Ballgown of Doom approaches. I see it, sitting in piles of fabric, lurking on my sewing chair, peeking out from an innocent-looking pattern envelope. It is coming.

Okay, enough of the drama. I have to make a ballgown this week, before Saturday, for Naperville. The lace came yesterday (yay!), and it is very pretty: white organdy with pale yellow roses and silver embroidery running through it; it looks lovely over the mushroom and gold brocade. The skirt will be mushroom brocade with two flounces of the organdy over it; the bodice is brocade with double-puff sleeves with an organdy overlay and flounce. There will be a small white point d'esprit tucker. I'm using the Kay Gnaghy Simplicity pattern for the bodice, but without the frou-frou on the front;) What do you think? Comments?

The Sleeves That Will Eat Your Head

A few of you may have been following my drama with this plaid sheer dress, which is on its 4th incarnation and is fighting me every step of the way. Well, it's almost done (yay!) But, the sleeve puffs look ridiculous (boo!)

Luckily, I have not sewn the sleeves closed, and I can still take the tulle stuffing out. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but in practice, I look like I'm about to play linebacker for the first ever Civil War Ladies Football League.

Go figure. At least the rest is done. On to the Ballgown of Doooooooom! (thunder crash for dramatic effect)

The Plaid Monster

So, after three hours of work last night, the plaid monster may have defeated me. If you'll remember, this is what I started with:

A double-darted bodice three sizes too big, with extra-broad shoulders and a very wide neck. A five-and-a-half hour seam-ripping session on Sunday left me with pieces to start fresh.

This is what I was going for:

A tucked, cross-over bodice with trim along the edge.


I altered the chemise first, putting in new darts, taking in the sides and shoulder seams, and grading the front edge so it crosses over. I had to get this the right size, as the sheer fabric would be draped on it.

Then, I spent the next two hours draping and tucking the two front pieces. I couldn't get as many tucks as the original garment had, so I managed about six per side. The sheer fabric fought me on the bias as I curved the tucks into the shoulder seam, and the front edge did not want to lay right. I slapped some lace on it, hoping this would help, but it ended up pretty awful. There just wasn't enough to work with; the finished bodice is too low in the front, too open, and the front edge is wavy and dragged down by the lace. I also think the skirt is too short, and there's not a whole lot I can do about that. I was so disappointed I wanted to cry.
Brian is coming over tonight for my sister's ball gown bodice fitting; maybe he'll have some suggestions. At this point, I think the dress needs a priest more than a seamstress.