Good Thursday to you all! I hope that your last full week before the week before Christmas is going swimmingly! I thought I would write my 2016 round-up now while I have the time...also, I am needing something to do while I'm still laid up with the stupid back thingy.
This past year was a year of costuming weirdness, as far as my personal makings were concerned. Last year, I made from scratch or re-purposed then decorated 11 hats or bonnets. This year, only 2 were made! Well, four if you want to count the wedding headpiece and the tea gown cap. But still, I find it most odd especially considering the fact that hats and bonnets are my utmost favorite objects to make! Then there was the fact that I made so many things of underwear. Last year 6 objects of underwear were made, this year 14 things were made. Seems like the hats and underwear objects did a swap! Then I made some shoes, Edwardian swimming boots to be exact! That is thrilling and totally satisfying knowing that I can look at them and say, "I made those! How cool!"
Several different things, costuming wise also happened this past year. The first several months of 2016 were taken up with costuming the musical "Guys and Dolls" for NNU, and that meant that my own personal sewing was totally put away. While I truly enjoyed working on the musical and working with the wonderful cast and director, it was a happiness when the musical was completed and I could start on things that my imagination had been running away with! I also started, along with my sweet Mama, a new business endeavor, The House of Whyte. The House of Whyte does historical fashion education programs. Mom and I had been doing Victorian Underwear Shows for 5 years and finally decided that we needed to expand it and make a business! I am so happy that we have, as it has opened doors to bless other people with the fun and beauty of Victorian clothing!
Things also happened that had nothing to do with costuming, and had everything to do with family. My sweet oldest son, Cody, graduated from high school. I am so proud of this young man...most of his school career, we homeschooled, then his senior year he took dual enrollment college classes at CWI!! Watching him during his graduation was such a surreal event as I am only about 10 years old (ok, in my mind). I had such a wonderful time sitting in the audience, feeling pride, joy, and wonder as I watched this young man, whom I have known his entire life, take this next step into adulthood. My youngest son started a new Homeschool Co-op (a classical education schooling format). This new type of education was so foreign to both Colton and I that I started going to school with him on his "at a school building" day on Wednesday and had to make myself more available to him during his at home days. That was a really different way of schooling from the past and was something we both sort of struggled with adjusting to. Now things are wonderful and Colton loves his new Co-op!
All in all, 2016 was a tremendous year! A couple of sadnesses I personally experienced were the loss of my Aunt LaVonne and Greg's Grandma Fay. LaVonne was my mom's older sister and a fun aunt to have. She will be greatly missed! Fay was 98 and had lead a most wonderful life! I'll miss her chipper personality and charm.
We did do some fun things...Mom and I went to Utah, stayed with Jennifer Rosbrugh of Historical Sewing and went to tea with Jennifer and Lisa Hiller at the Grand America. It was a really delightful weekend! Greg's mom, Pam came for Cody's graduation and we had a total and complete blast! Mom, Colton and I went for a long weekend visit to my brother and his family's. I love hanging out with them and seeing their new house was very awesome! Dad, Mom, Colton and I went hunting in the mountains of Idaho. I find it quite satisfying to be able to provide nutritious, healthy meat for my family and I also like hanging out with my parents without the distractions of "town". I am sure that I did some other fun things (I did take Colton on quite a few photoshoots) but right now as I am writing this, I can't seem to bring them to mind! I can't wait to see what this next year brings!
2016 Creations
This year, I really wanted to work on building several new Historical Fashion Education Programs. These new programs were:
Dressing the Victorian Bride
Dressing The Victorian in Mourning
Women in Sports
and
The Stages of a Woman's Life
The Bridal and Mourning program wardrobes are completed as is a good bit of the Women in Sports wardrobe. There are still more sporting outfits that I have on my "to do" list and a few more pieces for "The Stages of a Woman's Life" program. We shall see if 2017 is the year to see these completed!!
1898 Wedding Trousseau
I want to start off the list with my most favorite, and the most intensive and time consuming project I have ever undertaken, Dressing the Victorian Bride. I have to say that this project filled me with great happiness, giddiness, fluffy girliness, a little bit of frustration and rapturous joy when it was finally completed!!
For the most part I used natural fiber fabrics for the bridal trousseau. Silk dupioni, silk chiffon, silk ribbon, antique ribbon, antique lace, cotton batiste, wire, crape paper, bees wax and poly bridal satin (for the skirt lining)
The Dress
Inspiration dress : Antique Gown
The Underwear
The Wedding Flowers
Mother of the Bride
(Mom made the skirt and did a fabulous job!)
Natural Form Era Maternity Dress/Tea Gown
When it was a Maternity Gown
When it was a Tea Gown
The MET Moire Mourning Gown
Inspiration Source: The MET
1850s and 1860s Underwear
Corsets
One Hat, One Bonnet
Sports!!!
1897 Fencing Outfit (And Cody's Graduation Pictures!!)
Well, that's it! I still have to do a photo shoot wearing the Riding Habit (Can't wait to do this Michaela My Soul Is Fed With Needle and Thread!!) and the 1850s Mourning outfit. Those could happen after the new year, we shall see!
I hope you all have a most wonderful week and I'll chat with you later!!
Blessings!
g
