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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Wedding Bells

The new magazine came out last month and my rep come by with my copy. The new ads look great. If you get a copy, please send me some feedback. It's hard to know if the ads work, otherwise!! They have an online directory too, organised locally.

I've decided to cut back on Yellow Pages ads. I don't think people are using the books as much as the internet these days.


Monday, August 22, 2011

A wedding in France



Time to post some pictures! The thing with the weddings I create gowns for, is that I can't post pictures till after the wedding!! It's such a joy to find lovely images like these in my inbox!

Melanie was married in France this June. The gown was one she had made in the Far East when she was there, but she wasn't entirely happy with it. So, I added an inner bodice for support and removed all the silk roses it was festooned with. The skirt was re-draped and new roses added. The pictures don't show the details, but the impression is wonderful. Isn't she lovely?

I love the last picture of the happy couple.


Thursday, August 18, 2011

Williamsburg, VA

Our trip to Virgina was a costume lover's delight! here's a few pictures to inspire you. I have many more to share!!
Mark Hutter giving his introduction to the milliners shop. Mark really knows his stuff. he gave Rick and I a tour behind the scenes, where they create 18th century clothing using 18th century methods. Impressive!


Calf skin breeches for a boy.


The wares. Not for sale, sadly. Most are created from original patterns or garments as study pieces.

Beautiful hand sewn linen lining.

A boy's banyan underway. Florals were for everybody in 1770!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Colonial Williamsburg at last

Here I am at last, in Colonial Williamsburg. I've been wanting to visit here for a long time. I knew it to be one of the premier costumed historic sites. It has certainly lived up to that reputation. They do interpret history so well here.

For those who don't know, Williamsburg was the capital of the fledgling colony of Virgina and the Revolution ended near here at Yorktown, when Cornwallis surrendered, ending British rule of the colonies. It was the beginning of America. But you can read all about that elsewhere and I'm sure you remember your Grade 8 history!

The site is huge and the interpretation fantastic. We saw tableaus played out in first person: George Washington talking about the next move toward Independence, slaves talking about their life and hardships. I liked the way these juxtapositions were brought forward. It wasn't liberty for slaves, that's for sure.

Best of all for me, my friend Tina from the Museum of Civilisation in Ottawa connected me to Mark Hutter, who gave us a back stage tour of the Millinery shop. In this workshop, period techniques are used to create clothing, stays and hats. That means stitched by hand, folks! These garments are used as part of research and museum displays. They have an intern and apprenticeship programme to train people in these historic arts. As someone who worries about the future of my industry, this was comforting.

Today, I get to meet with the costume production facility staff, who make the clothing worn by the interpreters on the streets. I expect the approach to be similar to methods I use in costuming.

Pictures to follow. I can't add them while on the road. It's been a great trip!

Friday, August 5, 2011


18th century shoes from the Agnes Etherington Collection, Kingston, Ontario

 I'm turning to the 18th century this week, as tonight I am off to Williamsburg , Virginia! I'm very excited to see the costume workshops. I understand they have open workshops, demonstrating millinery and   mantua making. I hope to spend some time chatting with the specialists there and comparing notes.

So I thought you'd like to see these 18th century shoes, which I saw at Queen's University in Kingston this May. I was part of a group that had a back stage tour. Very interesting. I have more pictures to share with you from that visit.

But now, I must away! See you soon.