Diary of a Madwoman!

As I have been asked about the fashions of the period that I have am constantly been talking about, I thought I would write a brief blog about my favourite subject.

Commonly referred to as ‘Regency’, the period roughly covered dates from about 1795 to about 1820, even though George, Prince of Wales ruled as Regent only from 1811 to 1820.

Prior to the 1790s, eighteenth century costume had reached towering heights, with big hair, big hats, hoops, loops, frills and flounces to be seen in abundance. By the 1780s all this excess began to diminish and give way to a simpler, more pared-down elegance, which by the mid-90s was beginning to look to the Classical world for inspiration. Waistlines began to rise and the simple muslin round-gown or chemise dress began to be favoured by ladies of fashion.

So, put simply: 1800 – 1807 was the pure Classical period, with Greek, Egyptian and Etruscan ornament in imitation of the marble statues that Lord Elgin had brought back from Greece, and Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt saw a new wave of Orientalism, which made turbans fashionable.

From 1808 – 1810 Spanish ornament became more fashionable as the hostilities between France and England, in the Peninsular, created an interest in all things Spanish.

1811 – 1813 and Gothic elements begin to creep back in.  1814 – 1817 and the Gothic is becoming more popular, and by 1821 the Classical form has finally given way to Gothic as hemlines widen, waists begin to lower and ornament takes over again.

I hope this is of some help in describing the changes that took place during the early years of the nineteenth century.

As is usual on a Tuesday, I met up with Mum and we went for lunch.  I apologised to her, explaining that I wasn’t in a very good mood, though I didn’t know why.  (It could have been a combination of things, from my thyroid, ‘that time of the month’, the situation at work, and the heat, which does not agree with me.) 

Afterwards, we wandered down to the bank, then Mum bought us ice creams, and slowly my mood improved.  She suggested a wander to the Brayford, so I said about walking the shady, or university, side this time.

I like walking along here, as there are Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) aplenty, and they are real characters…

Further along, there are some concrete tables and seats, that look like bird tables…well, one did have a couple of plump wood pigeons on it!  We sat down under the shade of the trees and enjoyed the scenery. 

One of the ducks fixed us with his beady eye, and began to amble towards over with an air of nonchalance that I found highly amusing.  What he did next had us chuckling, too.  He stopped a few yards away, almost posing like a statue…and stood like this for several minutes, not moving a muscle…

Finally, a slight movement of the head, as if to say “Do you think this is my best side?”, then he turned back again…and finally, sure that I’d got what I wanted, settled himself down.  What a poser!!

It was then time for us to leave, so I said goodbye to the dear duck, and off we went for a cuppa before I had to face work, and Mum went home.

Work wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, as I am keeping my boss and the client informed of ‘Violet Elizabeth Bott’s’ behaviour, from his attitude to his finishing and leaving early, both of which he has been warned about.  As I said in a previous blog…Go ahead, Punk, make my day…!!!

By the time I got home I was feeling better.  I opened the TV mag at the day's programmes and read the write up for CSI: Miami…the spoil sports had to inform us that David Caruso had signed his conract for the whole season …but I had already thought that H’s death had been staged to flush out the big crooks that were distributing armour-piercing bullets to all the gangs…!

Well, looks like today is going to be anouther one that is Too Hot…Too Hot To Handle…!!! 

Stay cool!

One week to go!!

RAF Waddington International Airshow is next weekend, so check dis out… www.waddingtonairshow.co.uk

I was rather taken aback by the ticket prices, but then again, everyone knows I’m still living in the past…been here in Lincoln too long!!

This coming week is going to be busy with aircraft arriving from all over the world for the static and flying displays…and the Vulcan is going to be there!

The camera is on charge just in case either of us get the opportunity to get any pictures, but our view from here is somewhat obscured by the monster hedge and ash tree that have grown so much since I first moved here in 1991.

Now here’s a thing from way back in the mists of time…Saturday 7 June 1980 to be precise…RAF Waddington Open Day. Ticket price…20p. Yes, that is correct…a whopping twenty pence!!! RAF Waddington was not the big international station it is today, and in those days was a local event…for local people. Those were the days! Just look at those vast crowds everywhere!!

BOREDOM ALERT!

OK, I’m going bore you now with a Promenade Dress Update. Having made the bodice, added a drawstring, tried it on with Robert’s help, to check how much is to be gathered into the waistband, I have now moved on to the skirt.

The disappointment here was that I didn’t have as much fabric as I thought I did, so the skirt looks as though it’s going to end up being a tube gathered into the back…not what I wanted to achieve.  I thought that angling the seams a bit would give me more ‘flare’, but not enough.  (NOTE:  perspective makes this look more angled than it actually is!)

As I need to make a placket opening in the centre back, I wondered if I made an actual seam and sloped that, too, it would look better….I won’t have so much to gather into the waistband, but it will add to the ‘flare’.

Then I saw the pieces that I had cut from the sides…hmmmm, I thought…if I sew them together and add them to the centre-back seam, that will be another eight inches or so to add to the hem width.  So that is what I am doing.  I just hope it works…!!

The new season of CSI: Miami is almost upon us, and the question on every fan’s lips is “Who killed Horatio Caine?!”

Now I have been a fan of the CSI franchise for a while now, and will even watch repeats, as they are being shown all the time on Channel Five and Living, and on Five USA which we can no loger get without it constantly breaking up (if you’re gonna blame the weather for disrupting the satellite signal, then perhaps it’s the sun melting it or something…?!!!)

Anyway, CSI: Vegas is still my favourite, even though Grissom and Sara have left.  I like Laurence Fishburn as Dr Ray Langston…and I don’t usually take to new characters.

CSI: NY is next, but I have never checked out how many seasons that one has run to, nor what the episodes are called.  AJ Buckley as Adam is just so cute…and Carmine Giovinazzo as Danny Massa is so hot!!

CSI: Miami…I like it, probably because of the setting and all the beautiful properties featured, and will be glued to the TV when the series returns, just as I am when watching the others.  They really did end the last series on a cliff-hanger, didn’t they!!  Horatio Caine is gunned down, and we now have to wait over a week to find out what happens next!  I’m on the edge of my chair already!!!

Out of all the CSI actors, you have to admit that David Caruso’s style is unique.  There’s that constant neck problem that he suffers with, and the ‘dramatic pause for effect’ before slowly donning his shades, followed by another ‘dramatic pause for effect’ prior to his parting words.  Then there’s the slow, deliberate way he speaks to the suspects, with the constant over-use of their name in every sentence…

I wonder if that is the real motive for killing him…hmmmm….

If I watched Military History Channel more often, I might not have missed Tuesday’s episode of The Trench Detectives: Codename Tank  about the excavations, in northern France, of a male MKIV tank  http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/news/Remains-Lincoln-tank-northern-France/article-1091134-detail/article.html  Oh, well…

I have now finished stitching both bodice and lining, and have just realised that I made some slight alterations to the pattern when I drew it out, so there will be differences that will need to be rectified when I join them together.  Oh, well, live and learn and all that jazz…! 

This whole costume thing is a learning experience, as I have discovered hundreds of ways that don’t work before hitting on the ones that do…typical!!

Back to me stitching…!!

Where has the weekend gone? So many plans to get so much done…and the weekend has gone in the blink of an eye!! But I did finish Rachel’s bonnet…!!

The Bike Fest was held yesterday, at The Brayford Pool, and the weather was lovely for it…but I didn’t go. The Echo deemed it a  roaring success… http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/news/Motorbike-festival-roaring-success/article-1075215-detail/article.html

This morning, Robert went off to London for a bit of a re-union with some old school chums, which leaves me with no distractions, so I have been able to get on drawing up my bodice pattern pieces and cutting up my fabric. I made a mock up in some spare fabric, and Robert helped me last night, when I tried it on, by holding it (overlapped as if buttoned). It fits!!

Now I can cut out the pieces in the main fabric and get stitching. This is not going to be a period-correct bodice, as I will be wearing a short jacket, called a spencer, over the top. (I have plenty of fabric left over to make a period-correct bodice later).

There are so many things that I want to spend my money on, at the moment, that I am going to have to think about what is really necessary and what isn’t….black leather pumps in Barratts £10…Russian braid for decorating spencer and reticule, etc…book, The Landships of Lincoln £10…and a few more things, as usual!

Hmmm…I might get the shoes first (if they’ve still got any), as stock is changing all the time.