Christmas at the Commandant's House

The weekend before Fezziwig's Ball, we were busy doing a fun dance performance at the Charlestown Navy Yard. It was a blast to be in the Commandant's house once again, and I rather wish the event had been longer. We had a lot of audience at the beginning, but near the end it was mostly just us so we had a grand time taking pictures. SADLY, I completely failed to get pictures of the food! We made cookies for the audience (Raven repeated her fabulous sugar cookies, and Julia R made the most adorable gingerbread men ever), and I made a special treat for us - wine jellies in orange peels. I can't believe I didn't take a picture - I will have to make them again. I hollowed out oranges, filled them with gelatine dissolved in wine, and then sliced them into wedges. Oh well, settle for great pictures of pretty people instead!

Some of the nice girls who work there danced with us

Blind Man's Buff - Nick, that may be a bonnet, but it is way too short to be a girl

... and that is a wall!

ART! There was too much laughing to be in focus.

Quinn will serve you tea

Pretty mantlepiece, pretty girls

Check out those cool people. I think we were missing a couple of people, but that happens

Mmm, floral arrangements. The back of Quinn's dress is so pretty!

My new favorite regency hairstyle. It was quite experimental, but don't you think it looks nice?

Alex sure knows how to pose. Doesn't he look amazing? Great outfit. Nick looks a bit too rake-ish, but you must take into account that he only looks so disheveled because he gave up his jacket to some young ladies in need. So he can be forgiven.

It's the awesome hair club! Nice ponytail.

I actually sewed something! This is my new fur-trimmed wool spencer. It is such nice wool, and obviously I love fur. Of course, now I want a new dress that isn't too long in the back...

It will get more fur in front in the future. But obviously I wasn't that together yet.

BIG ASS MUFF. I made this more than a year ago, but have never used it. Isn't that a tragedy?

Big ass muffs get dragged along the ground, because obviously they are just for show.

Beautiful new spencer, big ass muff, AND a dumb bonnet. Now we're talking.

Lah de dah!

Jane Eyre's Amazing Bonnet

I recently got to see the new Jane Eyre movie. It was quite pretty, but when you come down to it Jane Eyre is just not the story for me. I prefer something brighter and more cheerful. Like X-men. But I do have to give Jane Eyre points for the costumes (sorry Magneto, but I just prefer silly facial hair with a poet's shirt to the dumb helmet and jumpsuit). There were some pretty nice things throughout, but only one thing that struck me so hard I wanted to cry. Jane's bonnet at the end of the movie is heart-stoppingly jaw-droppingly painfully exquisitely lovely. I WANT IT.

Two Strings to her Bow

The artist is John Pettie. It was painted in the 1880s, so it is not the best thing to use as an example for research, because I am sure it is intended to be regency. But it is pretty... I like her bonnet. I think I need to make some regency bonnets. Also, I think that every young lady deserves two well dressed and handsome gentlemen as fashion accessories. I mean, it might be a bit excessive, but it would solve our gender balance issues at balls, because ladies are generally so much more eager to dance.