Regency picnic at Valley Forge
May. 23rd, 2021 01:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mandie_rwZOMG, an EVENT?! And a NEW OUTFIT?! It's like the Before Times!
I'll do a nice blog post at some point when I have time - probably next weekend - but let's have documentation that there was an actual event, eh?
This pose is...fairly representative of the afternoon! Definitely not a day of Serious Historical Interpretation. (Today's oddly specific query from The Public was, "Can you tell me about these houses?" Uh, that would be a no, my friend. We got that exact question from more than one person, which was funny!)
Dress reflections: I'm solidly 95% happy with it. It's very comfortable and easy to wear, and fits pretty nicely. The back of the sleeve head is really a little too voluminous, but that's my only fit criticism (and you can only tell at certain angles, haha). The chemisette fit is not stellar - it's fine under a high-necked dress like this, but it's wudgy and dumb and would be annoying under a low-necked dress. Also it 's a bit too big in the neck, which is not actually super helpful for a chemisette. Still - it worked for the day, and is not grody and old like the chemisette it's replacing, so overall still a win.
Also I REALLY need to remember to stick those rubber non-slip thingies on the bottom of these damn shoes! I love them (they're the American Duchess Nankeens, and are super cute and very comfy) but they're a remarkably slick leather sole. Asphalt, bathroom linoleum, wheeeeeee!
Also, I fucking love my hat. From Timely Tresses, and so worth having somebody else do the hat labor for once. (Not that I dislike making hats - quite the opposite, as we know. But sometimes outsourcing to a professional is a nice treat!)
The above is a very misleading photo...the park was not REMOTELY empty, this was just a lucky shot! I got there a bit early to get some self-timer photos - after more than a decade of doing this, I've found that I'm enjoying myself too much at actual events to stop and get dress pictures, plus I hate "inconveniencing" people with a "heyyyyy can you take my picture??" With the self-timer and tripod I can derp around as much as I want, and toodle through all the backgrounds that catch my eye in a pretty park like this.
Plus I suspected I might look a lot more melty halfway through the afternoon!
We were actually very lucky with the weather, though; 90+ degrees in Philadelphia can be WICKED, but it was low humidity (for us!) at about 35%, with some cloud cover most of the day, and a breeze...so even though it was a high of about 91, we were warm but not sweltering. The only times I got very hot were after a hill trek, especially with the picnic basket full of water bottles. WHERE IS MY MANSERVANT. (I can still feel it in my upper arms/shoulders today! Oof.) We set up at Washington's Headquarters, which as you can see was a delightful setting for a picnic with plenty of trees, a few historic buildings scattered about, and even a wee stream running through it (with about a million froggies that all went plop-plop-plop back in the water as we walked by)...but which is at the bottom of a rather steep hill, with the parking lot and bathroom at the top!
Jessica and Alex and I got the party started, picking a nice shady spot under a tree and spreading out our various picnics. We also got to meet two new acquaintances - Marissa and husband Wesley, who came a little bit later with a magnificent picnic setup to put us all to shame. They do SCA so are well-set-up in the outdoors shenanigans department! It's always fun to branch out a bit and meet new people!
We did not play shuttlecock and battledore, alas. I honestly forgot I had it until the very end of the afternoon. Next time! (Also, am definitely going to make Tom practice with me next time he's up here.)
Lots of fun, and we're definitely going to have to do more Regency over the next year...between my bonnet that needs more outings, and Jessica's fabulous silk pelisse that she only wore for a couple of hours before it got too hot so needs more opportunities to be shown off...and of course the fact that it's just so good to be able to hang out and have events again!
Next time maybe I'll explore other locations within the park that don't involve such a huge hill to get to the bathroom LOL!
Now I want to continue sewing ALL THE THINGS...but Monday and lesson planning calls, grumble. I did cut and start sewing together the panels for the sprigged cotton print petticoat (that will go with a matching short gown) on Friday night, because I was 100% done sewing and packed up for the next day, but still wanted to sew and was obviously in a Regency mood, but wanted something that didn't require thinking! I may continue on with that as the next project, or I might switch over to something I actually NEED for the Virginia trip, which would be smart. I'm still collecting lace for the pink peony dressing gown so it won't be that, but I could make the white Regency gown or one of the c1900 shirtwaists. Hmmm....
I'll do a nice blog post at some point when I have time - probably next weekend - but let's have documentation that there was an actual event, eh?
This pose is...fairly representative of the afternoon! Definitely not a day of Serious Historical Interpretation. (Today's oddly specific query from The Public was, "Can you tell me about these houses?" Uh, that would be a no, my friend. We got that exact question from more than one person, which was funny!)
Dress reflections: I'm solidly 95% happy with it. It's very comfortable and easy to wear, and fits pretty nicely. The back of the sleeve head is really a little too voluminous, but that's my only fit criticism (and you can only tell at certain angles, haha). The chemisette fit is not stellar - it's fine under a high-necked dress like this, but it's wudgy and dumb and would be annoying under a low-necked dress. Also it 's a bit too big in the neck, which is not actually super helpful for a chemisette. Still - it worked for the day, and is not grody and old like the chemisette it's replacing, so overall still a win.
Also I REALLY need to remember to stick those rubber non-slip thingies on the bottom of these damn shoes! I love them (they're the American Duchess Nankeens, and are super cute and very comfy) but they're a remarkably slick leather sole. Asphalt, bathroom linoleum, wheeeeeee!
Also, I fucking love my hat. From Timely Tresses, and so worth having somebody else do the hat labor for once. (Not that I dislike making hats - quite the opposite, as we know. But sometimes outsourcing to a professional is a nice treat!)
The above is a very misleading photo...the park was not REMOTELY empty, this was just a lucky shot! I got there a bit early to get some self-timer photos - after more than a decade of doing this, I've found that I'm enjoying myself too much at actual events to stop and get dress pictures, plus I hate "inconveniencing" people with a "heyyyyy can you take my picture??" With the self-timer and tripod I can derp around as much as I want, and toodle through all the backgrounds that catch my eye in a pretty park like this.
Plus I suspected I might look a lot more melty halfway through the afternoon!
We were actually very lucky with the weather, though; 90+ degrees in Philadelphia can be WICKED, but it was low humidity (for us!) at about 35%, with some cloud cover most of the day, and a breeze...so even though it was a high of about 91, we were warm but not sweltering. The only times I got very hot were after a hill trek, especially with the picnic basket full of water bottles. WHERE IS MY MANSERVANT. (I can still feel it in my upper arms/shoulders today! Oof.) We set up at Washington's Headquarters, which as you can see was a delightful setting for a picnic with plenty of trees, a few historic buildings scattered about, and even a wee stream running through it (with about a million froggies that all went plop-plop-plop back in the water as we walked by)...but which is at the bottom of a rather steep hill, with the parking lot and bathroom at the top!
Jessica and Alex and I got the party started, picking a nice shady spot under a tree and spreading out our various picnics. We also got to meet two new acquaintances - Marissa and husband Wesley, who came a little bit later with a magnificent picnic setup to put us all to shame. They do SCA so are well-set-up in the outdoors shenanigans department! It's always fun to branch out a bit and meet new people!
We did not play shuttlecock and battledore, alas. I honestly forgot I had it until the very end of the afternoon. Next time! (Also, am definitely going to make Tom practice with me next time he's up here.)
Lots of fun, and we're definitely going to have to do more Regency over the next year...between my bonnet that needs more outings, and Jessica's fabulous silk pelisse that she only wore for a couple of hours before it got too hot so needs more opportunities to be shown off...and of course the fact that it's just so good to be able to hang out and have events again!
Next time maybe I'll explore other locations within the park that don't involve such a huge hill to get to the bathroom LOL!
Now I want to continue sewing ALL THE THINGS...but Monday and lesson planning calls, grumble. I did cut and start sewing together the panels for the sprigged cotton print petticoat (that will go with a matching short gown) on Friday night, because I was 100% done sewing and packed up for the next day, but still wanted to sew and was obviously in a Regency mood, but wanted something that didn't require thinking! I may continue on with that as the next project, or I might switch over to something I actually NEED for the Virginia trip, which would be smart. I'm still collecting lace for the pink peony dressing gown so it won't be that, but I could make the white Regency gown or one of the c1900 shirtwaists. Hmmm....
no subject
Date: 2021-05-23 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-28 02:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-24 01:18 pm (UTC)Uh ... they have walls?
You all looked great!
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Date: 2021-05-28 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-24 02:41 pm (UTC)Looks like it was fun! Your dress is so pretty, I love how it turned out. :D
no subject
Date: 2021-05-28 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-24 03:40 pm (UTC)And your gown looks smashing too.
I can't wait to get out and have events again. We were supposed to have a Suffragist showing on the 4th of July, but it was cancelled by the site. =(
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Date: 2021-05-28 02:38 pm (UTC)Awww, boo, that stinks. Hope you get to have an event soon! <3
no subject
Date: 2021-05-29 08:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-30 04:23 pm (UTC)Woo, I am quotable!
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Date: 2021-05-24 05:00 pm (UTC)I have to admit, the houses are interesting...
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Date: 2021-05-28 02:42 pm (UTC)The houses are in fact quite interesting! In the Before Times, they usually had the Headquarters open for tours on the weekends during the season, with a docent there to talk to people, but I guess the parks aren't quite back to that point yet. And it's totally fair that we looked like we might know what we were talking about. (Not at all, but...heh.)
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Date: 2021-05-24 08:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-28 02:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-26 12:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-28 02:46 pm (UTC)