Victorian Tea Event at New Concord Library

In May, I was invited to the New Concord Library to do a Victorian Tea Event. I did a brief talk about Victorian history and major highlights of it, a dress demo in my early bustle dress so that everyone could see the layers, and we made fans and calling cards afterward while enjoying tea and nibbles.

Victorian Tea Event at Muncie Public Library

Please excuse the sparse postings, I've been dealing with some health issues over the last month. This is sort of a continuation of what happened to my sheer stripe dress.

The reason I was putting the dress together to begin with is back in February, my friend Kerrie had asked if I would come out to the Muncie Public Library where she worked to do a Victorian workshop. No biggie, I love doing workshops and lectures. Muncie is in Indiana and I live in NE Ohio so...roadtrip!

We had several attendees and had areas set up for making tea hats, fans, and calling cards.

Making tea hats - Image from Muncie Public Library

Costumes of Downton Abbey

In my fervor to get my first Historical Sew Fortnightly project finished, I didn't get around to posting this right away.

In conjunction with the Hudson Library and Historical Society, Sarah Hume, the curator of the Kent State University Museum (I interned here), did a presentation on the changing fashions of Downton Abbey last week.

According to the Downton Abbey timeline, about ten years has passed since the show began. Along with the characters, the clothing they were has undergone an evolution. Hume went over the major historical events and changing attitudes that affected these changes, using examples pulled from the museum's own vast collection of materials.

Blue Wool Suit 1920s

She did an excellent job of pulling materials to compare between the two decades and against the costumes used in the series itself and I got to catch up with Sarah of Sarah's Clothepress.

For those who live in and around the Kent, OH, area, mark your calendars because the museum is going to open a new exhibit July 24 titled The Great War: Women and Fashion in the World Transformed and highlights changes in fashion between 1914-1920.

Evening with the American Heritage Girls

On Thursday, I was the special guest for the American Heritage Girls troop that my cousin Samantha belongs to (same Samantha who was at the tea party). The girls are working on their Our Heritage badge and asked me to come in and talk about early clothing during the 1860s.

I wore my blue bud dress and took along the green and black-striped dress, and the KCI sheer stripe dress that both fit over the elliptical hoop. The girls had a lot of fun looking at the clothes (open drawers are always a great conversation starter), and going through all the accessories I had brought along as well.

Demonstrating how to use a button hook

Like others talks I've done in the past, it's always good to pass along the knowledge I've gained and to work with the kids as well. Looking forward to when I get to do another.