Little recap of the Jane Austen Festival in Bath and some new projects

This September was my first time attending the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, UK. Needless to say, I had a blast, and I'm already planning to go back next year and stay longer. The festival is a week-long affair, though this time I only went for Fri-Sat-Sun of the first festival weekend. I met lovely people, saw many lovely gowns and costumes and the Grand Regency Promenade was definitely one of the highlights of my year so far.  I was also very pleased with my clothes and the pineapple reticule I had knitted was definitely the most popular handbag in town!

Soldiers (a whole campful of soldiers!) doing a shooting drill demonstration  at the Royal Crescent on Saturday morning before the Grand Promenade.

 Promenaders at the park after the Grand Regency promenade.

Me providing a bus-load of Japanese tourists a perfect Regencyesque Bath photo moment :)

At Jane Austen's house on Great Pulteney Street.

Being creepy and old through a creepy and old mirror at Holborne Museum in Bath.

The most popular handbag in town.

I combined the festival trip to a visit in London; I had several days to spend in London and I had fun snooping around museums (costumes!) and seeing the sights and just taking in all the excitement that's London.

I now have to make this for next year's festival.

I'm already planning dresses for the next year's JA Festival, but I also have projects lined up for the 18th century side of the business. I really like the great print/chintz craze that's consuming the costumers near and far and I'd like to make some plainer, everyday 18th c. clothes. So, this black flowery print fabric is waiting for a transformation into a little jacket, most likely I'm going to use the Baumgarten's Costume Close-up pattern for the swallow-tail jacket and the great tutorial written by Rebecca in A Fashionable Frolic blog. I will make a red or green cotton petticoat to go with it and I need an apron too, and a new cap.

 Also, I think I need to make a new pair of stays. The yellow stays just don't fit right and anyway, third time's the charm... Today I bought lovely fabric for the top layer so I guess they'll be my chinoiserie stays :)