An event post!

Today I had a chance to go to an actual event, and not 40km from where I live! I had a lovely day at the 18th century fair in Isokyrö, thanks to lovely musicians of the old music band Muskotti, fabulous costumers and re-enactors from Tampere and a campful of assorted soldiers. The pictures aren't that fantastic, but there was music, dancing and just perfect weather and beautiful scenery. There was a big battle between Sweden (Finland belonged to Sweden at the time) and Russia during the Great Northern war (1700-1721) and that's why they have the fair in Isokyrö.

Thus endeth the history lecture. Some pictures below.

Old music band Muskotti

This little girl went around the fair ground on stilts hour after hour

Assorted soldiers doing  demo with cannons

There was a big BANG and then smoke

Kyrö River

In the stocks

Fair grounds and the old Medieval church of Isokyrö, from ca. 1513

Picnicing

Tarot reading

Me at the church door

The clothes were very comfortable, even the new chinoiserie stays held up very nicely. The jacket is my version of the Swallow tail jacket and I made the cap yesterday

There were many 19th century graves in the church garden

The soldiers' funny hats

Muskotti playing dance tunes for us

The stays after I took them off tonight :)

The Chinoiserie stays

I finally finished them! Couple of days ago I was in a strange state of mind because I voluntarily dug up the unfinished stays, took the back pieces apart, made them smaller, sewed everything back together again and trimmed and lined and generally finised the stays! Hooray!

Staymaking, not my favourite. But this time the result is slightly better than with the previous ones I've made. The pattern came from Norah Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines, and as said, I had to adjust the fitting a bit.

I call them the chinoiserie stays, because of the funny fabric (linen, btw), and it is very period appropriate because China and the far East were a source of facination to the 18th century fine society. The stays have altogether four layers: the top fabric, two layers of rather heavy cotton fabric and the batiste lining. I used cable ties and some scraps of rigilene for bones.

I also started embroidering the blue gown, not much progress yet but I like the look:

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 :)