Don't worry, friends, I am still alive! And sewing! I've mostly been working on my new CW camp dress made of wonderfully garish print, but I want that to be a surprise for when it's finished. c: I've just been mending and retrimming my old stuff.
But I did take advantage of the last halcyon days of summer and youth to drag friends out to the Douglas tomb (right in our town) and have a picnic and roll around and whatnot. It was a chiefly amusing day!
As if you all didn't think that I was Douglas crazy enough.
The artifice itself is actually Douglas' tomb. It was started in '61 and finished around 1888 (due to cost difficulties.) It stood on the land where he had intended to build his grand Chicago estate, Oakenwald. Never did get around to it (thanks to typhoid and a history of alcoholism....)
It has all sorts of cool reliefs carved around it depicting scenes relevant to the early American experience!
I left a few flowers in front of his tomb.
We also had a lot of fun with the statues!
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| Our very pc picnic bench |
We set up in the lovely park around the memorial itself and ate little cookies and cucumber sandwiches and drank lots of bubbly!
The caretakers came up to us and complemented us on our outfits. Apparently they have period events around there and once or twice a year they have a Douglas reenactor! And I've been missing out on 7 whole years of going to see a punk rock' Stephen Dougas! But they promised to contact me and send me info and were generally very kind.
Anne came, as well! It was awfully nice to see her.
I never got around to showing off the finished bonnet I was making for C for APortfolio, so here it is, beautifully modeled by the owner herself.
And we got a little jumpy by the end of the day, and what better way to honor an energetic woman-loving man than by flashing our drawers all about? (and nobody told me my hair was falling out! :c )
It only goes to show: if there aren't any events around, make one yourself!!!
Seriously! That looks like loads of fun, Frieda! I wish I had some reenacting friends around here! I like your trim... Is it golden silk ruching?
ReplyDeleteYup, leftovers from the yellow silk bonnet that were pinked, gathered and basted to the bodice and sleeve seams. We're lucky to have so many historical things to do around the Chicago area, that's all I have to say, especially ones relating to my favorite historical bro!
DeleteBtw... pinking doesn't get hemmed, right? lol I know I have no clue! xD
ReplyDeleteNope, you just cut it with your pinking shears. It does fray, but not unless you rub it pretty violently (some people prefer to use fraycheck, but I'm old fashioned.)
DeleteSo fun! I love the picture of you sitting next to the picnic basket. :) And C's bonnet is gorgeous! I love the little rosette. Ruth and I are hopefully going to gather some friends and throw a picnic somewhere's around here soon too....:D Thanks for posting!
ReplyDelete~Theresa
It's so rad that you guys live close enough to each other to do something like that. And thank you! That bonnet gave me no small amount of trouble when I was making it, but I covered up the worst of it with ribbons and it looks downright presentable now (even though I rushed and had to make the brim ruffle out of iron-on interfacing instead of cotton net... What was I thinking??!?!)
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