Step Back in Time - One Step at a Time

A week has gone by and there is still much uploading to do. After the Jondaryan Festival I found myself down with a nasty bout Chronic Fatigue once again.  A condition that has been given many names in my case...over many, many years.... I take my pick on any given day...a Thyroid condition, Coeliac disease, post viral fatigue, post cancer fatigue, Iga deficiency (type of immune cells), low levels of B12, old age...and lately high blood pressure.  What ever the name....it is very annoying when I have so many interesting projects to indulge.   As much as I tried to hide it and push through during the Festival.....it eventually caught up with me and I was confined to bed for a day and a slower than usual crawl during the rest of the week.  A friend was there to lend a hand when I began to wilt. I doubt if she knew how little 'Puff" I had left and how much her presence was appreciated.   Thank you so much Vishnja.

Vishnja delighted everyone with her wonderful vintage costumes. ....always the Lady...sometimes with a maid in tow ...or accompanied by her gentleman husband, equally resplendent in his attire.  She tells me she frequents Op Shops most to the year collecting items for the the costumes she wears at the Festival ....many quite authentic like the lovely kid gloves we struggled to button up on the last day.  She makes her own dresses and hats with great attention to detail, using vintage patterns from Harpers.

Volunteers came in all ages from toddlers to Grannies.....all in period costume.  Here are some of  other volunteers who brightened up the Festival each year.

For those like me, wanting to make something similar, I have tracked down some patterns and books so we can give it ago..  This is a Simplicity Sewing Pattern 3725 Girl's Pioneer / Pilgrim / Colonial Dress & Bonnet, Sizes 3-6 for the youngest volunteers.

I think this may be the book containing the Harper patterns that Vishnja mentioned.
Reconstruction Era Fashions: 350 Sewing, Needlework, & Millinery Patterns 1867-1868 The customer reviews are good so I thought I would include it in my research together with the main review.
"Reconstruction Era Fashions contains a comprehensive selection of patterns from rare issues of the first 14 months of the Victorian fashion magazine Harper's Bazar. It provides sewing patterns with instructions for most garments in an 1860s woman's wardrobe, from corsets to wedding dresses to riding habits. Instructions for enlarging, fitting, and using the patterns are included. Needlework patterns for trimmings and accessories use a wide variety of techniques, including embroidery, crocheting, knitting, tatting, and ribbon work. Patterns are also given for every type of millinery. The patterns are illustrated by exquisite engraved plates. They are supplemented by fashion columns with practical advice on wardrobe planning, and by articles that focus on specific techniques, including dressmaking and corset making."

So! back to sorting through the many photos, activities and ideas that have accumulated.  I find myself bouncing back and forth between art projects, vintage dresses and a longing to be out at the Gum Tree Garden Studio looking for Koalas, collecting natural materials for outdoor sculptures.

But wait there is a yet another direction that is pressing......a scavenge hunt for the garden studio.....such as air conditioner for a wind turbines, solar pumps, lining for a farm pond, fencing materials,  tyres for erosion control, rain water tank, timber for a bush shower, pallets, landscaping materials, post hole auger, post rammer, netting, wire, gravel, bark chips, weed mat.......on and on.  Since there is so much to explore in the Garden Studio's development I'll post my progress on my other blog .

So peaceful in the shade of the big Gums