Too Long

I last posted over two months ago. What a load of fail.
Anyway, I have finally ordered my linen. Yes, I have decided to make my first gown and petticoat of linen. Linen is an affordable, period-accurate fabric and was admittedly far cheaper than the cottons I wanted. Luckily, linen comes in tons of lovely shades and if the preferred shade is unavailable, it takes dye very well, being a natural fabric and all. I chose a very pretty pale greenish-bluish color. We shall see soon enough if the color is as it appears on my computer screen!

In addition to the linen for my gown, I have also purchased linen for my long-neglected shift, kerchief, and cap. All of these are in white, of course.

There has also been a change in undergarments. Preferring the later years of the eighteenth century, I have decided to forgo the panniers/pocket hoops and wear pockets and a bum roll instead. I happened to have a pattern on hand for pockets (though they would have been extremely easy to draft from scratch) and cut them out of a white muslin I had on hand. However, since I can make NOTHING simple, I have also sketched out a lovely embroidery pattern…so my one-night project has become a much longer one, since I have neither hoop nor thread. I’m waiting on a shipment of supplies from the Joann website. Come on, people, if I had ordered from Amazon it would be here already!!! However, Joann had what I wanted; 100% cotton DMC floss (though silk or wool would have been more accurate) and cheap wooden hoops. Also, they were on sale. Can you see my excited face? :D
I just wish I had remembered to order white as well, so I could do a simple whitework vine around the hem of my kerchief. Perhaps next time?
I also have an idea for the dates of the Under the Redcoat event down in Colonial Williamsburg, where I had intended to debut my eighteenth century garb. End of June, anyone? Perhaps I will have the resources to make a second gown to wear by then. After all, it IS a three-day event and ‘twould be tacky to wear the same clothes every day. How could I ever catch the eye of a British officer that way? ;)

PS: Here is my sketch for the embroidery of my pockets!