What a busy month!

I suddenly seem to be all over the place; online, in a blog, & in a museum.
The last couple weeks have been spent finishing my two costumes for the Riverside Dickens Festival fashion show on Feb 2 & 3. As I was finishing them, I realized my wardrobe was black and white; a wedding gown and a mourning gown. I'll have a separate blog entry on making them but will wait until I have some photos of me actually wearing them.
This is my wedding gown for Miss Haversham from Great Expectations, and my 1886 mourning bustle for the "One Hundred Years of Mourning Fashion" I put together. I'll have 10 other models with me wearing the decades of 1810-1910. I think that's going to be really awesome! The neckline on my wedding dress is actually bare but I have a layer of lace covering the "yellow body" of my dressform.

This postman style bonnet was specially made for me by a friend to go with my outfit.  

But in less than two weeks I will be doing my Bloomer presentation at the San Diego History Museum in Balboa Park. I'm getting into the stress mode now for that and know I need to do a couple alteration/corrections on my gown that I copied off the original in the museum. You don't want your "fudging" to be scruntinized by the Costume Institute, although I will be offering a disclaimer that I'm not perfect. This is the link to the museum announcement but I've printed it below. San Diego History Center
FASHION TALK & TEA: AMELIA’S SHOCKING BLOOMERS WITH VALARIE LABORE, SAN DIEGO COSTUME GUILD

RSVP to 619-232-6203, ext. 129 or email gselak@sandiegohistory.org

January 28, 2013 - 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Location: 

 San Diego History Center, Casa de Balboa, Balboa Park

Cost: 

 $10 SDHC, Costume Council, and SD Costume Guild members, $15 non-members

Valarie LaBore, Past President of San Diego Costume Guild, shares the incredible story of Amelia Bloomer who’s adoption and promotion of pantaloons underneath a dress as a style of dress for women, that eventually became known as ‘Bloomers’,  would revolutionize the dress reform movement of the 1850s;  as well as the process she took to recreate an 1851 Bloomer ensemble, believed to be only one of two remaining in museum collections in the entire country, held in the Costume & Textile Collection at San Diego History Center.  Talk is accompanied by a light afternoon tea.

I love it that they included a light afternoon tea. They know how much I like tea. The Program Director is talking to me about possibly being on a morning talk show prior to this so of course that adds to more stress. It seems like I'm getting pushed more and more into the public eye this year. 

And just today Part 2 was finished on The Goose Mother Blog where she's been interviewing me. This time it was focused more on my afternoon tea party catering. It's fun including my friends in the story and pulling out old photos from some of the teas I catered, and tearooms we visited together. 
Goose Mother Blog Part II