spring break Regency shenanigans

So last fall, my dear friend Elizabeth told me that her family was coming to Dallas to visit relatives, and she asked if anything costume-y was going on that weekend.  I reassured her that if she came, I would plan a party around her visit, so I rounded up a few of our mutual friends from LiveJournal, then a few out-of-state/country friends decided to join us too, and the next thing I knew, we had quite a little spring break costume adventure in the works!

The main attraction for the weekend was going to be a Regency-themed dinner party at a small private room that one of our guests recommended to us, but we also needed something to keep our group of ladies occupied during the day.  There are painfully few Regency-appropriate locations in this part of the country, but we decided to stop by the Log Cabin Village in Ft. Worth as a "close enough" option.  We honestly thought we'd make a quick trip around the grounds and then leave, but it turned out to be an absolute blast.  The cabins were charming, the conversation was lively, and best of all, there was a wonderful band called Buttermilk Junction playing music in the schoolhouse.  Elizabeth is a fabulous dancer, and she managed to get us all up and dancing, which was so much fun I could hardly stand it!  Our little "killing time" outing turned out to be one of the highlights of the whole weekend for me, and I really hope we get a chance to plan another larger event at the Log Cabin Village in the future.

Most of my sewing energy for the past 2 months has gone into making a gown for the dinner party, but I did find a bit of spare time to update my green Regency dress for our afternoon outing.  I whipped up a new velvet sleeveless spencer to wear over the gown, and I paired that with my black capote and shawl that I wore with my pelisse at out last Georgian picnic.  The spencer is made with the same pattern that I used for my Fairy from Lost Hope outfit, so it was a quick and easy last minute project.  I also got to wear my transitional short stays for the first time, and they were SO comfy!  I finished off the outfit with a new beaded necklace to give the outfit a pop of color.  I was really happy to have an excuse to get to mix and match so many of my 2013 projects in a new way.

I have been incredibly lucky to find a group of friends who all share my wacky sense of humor, so there was lots of laughter and silly pictures taken that day.  You can see more photos from our visit to the Log Cabin Village on flickr, and I'll sign off with my favorite pic of all - a Regency wedgie-picking group shot! I have to confess that it's my goal in life to start a new costumer photo trend this year. Shoe shots are sooooo 2008. I think wedgie pics should be the new thing. Join us and you too can be a part of the Regency Ladies Wedgie Society!  

Hey look - I even made you all a free badge if you want to join the club!