Over Labour weekend the Taranaki Pioneer Village held their annual Family Fun Day and Liane and I thought that the opportunity to attend was too good to pass up. After considering a day trip and deciding that that would have meant a super early start and too many hours spent travelling all in one day… Continue reading Time Travelling in the Taranaki, Part I
Category: Victorian
A Rainy Birthday
Originally my birthday plans for this year included a picnic at Caccia Birch and a photoshoot in the gardens to show off my completed 1890s Antique Rose outfit but all of the weather services were so kindly predicting rain, rain, and more rain. I hoped against hope that they were all wrong and that the… Continue reading A Rainy Birthday
Ticket To Ride
One of the things that I love about fashion plates is that they have different settings and, while I haven't found heaps, I have come across quite a few that are clearly set at the railway station. The ladies are pictured either waiting at a station for a train to come and whisk them away… Continue reading Ticket To Ride
Oamaru 2016 Part 2
Carrying on from Part 1 of my adventures in Oamaru at the Hertiage Celebrations last year... Saturday As exhausted as I was from my late night I still woke up reasonably early which was slightly annoying. Fortunately, with nothing scheduled until the Grand Parade I had no real reason to rush getting ready. After taking… Continue reading Oamaru 2016 Part 2
Oamaru 2016 Part 1
Wednesday My flight landed a few minutes late and, as always, it took some time to depart the plane and collect my suitcase. I kept an eye out for Liane, in case she had already collected hers from her flight and had wandered down, but my suitcase arrived first. Knowing the airport almost as well… Continue reading Oamaru 2016 Part 1
The Tale of Two Tartans
After Liane made me the Rose Wine dress I started thinking about commissioning a second so that I could alternate my outfits while down in Oamaru (if you only have one dress for four days that's fine, by the way). I didn't really know what I wanted and so spent an afternoon after work, scoping… Continue reading The Tale of Two Tartans
The Scott Hip Pad
Sewing for the 1890s when you're used to the 1880s bustle silhouette is quite a change. There's no 'scaffolding' to change the shape... right? Well, sorry Shakira, but thanks to the awesome extant garment known as the Scott Hip Pad, and the loveliness of yet another stranger, my 1890s hips are definitely lying. I was… Continue reading The Scott Hip Pad
Muff Love
I have to say, I have been more than a little obsessed with muffs lately. I've wanted an excuse to make one for ages and I recently found one. I absolutely love it and hope that I have more reasons to use it while it is still winter (or a cool Spring day...) I've found… Continue reading Muff Love
The Shippensburg Bodice
A couple of years ago, thanks to Pinterest, I stumbled across a blog post about a dress held by the Shippensburg University Fashion Archives and Museum. I think it was pretty much love at first sight - there was definitely something about the bodice that made me just want to sit and look at it.… Continue reading The Shippensburg Bodice
The Coach House
In April this year, The Coach House Museum put on a Skills and Trades of Yesteryear Open Day. This sounded like a fun day out as I hadn't visited the museum and they were inviting people to dress in period dress (bribing them by holding a best-dressed competition). I already had a couple of dresses… Continue reading The Coach House
Miss Temby 