1860s Ball Style

Psalm 100:3

³Know ye that the LORD, He is God; it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves.
We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Galatians 3:3

³Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

I’ve chosen two verses for today, and both speak about humility and tie into the verses in my previous post.  The verse in Psalms talks about how we came into this world.  There was nothing we could do about it; God chose to create us and give us our family.  Galatians 3 tells us that there was nothing we could do to earn Heaven; we can’t even do good works in our own strength.  God has given us our abilities and brings people into our lives.  Everything we are, have, or have done is by the grace (gift) of God.

*Drumroll, please!!* Today’s tutorial is for my humdinger, show-stopper, super-authentic, how-did-she-do-that 1860s ball style. This is for all my readers who re-enact the Victorian era, specifically the 1860s, and even more precisely the American Civil War. I’ve had this one in progress for forever, even before I started my blog (and pre-tripod and pre-paint). I use almost every technique I’ve shown you on this blog, but it’s actually pretty easy. I’ve included lots of links to the basic techniques. The pictures aren’t the greatest, but I hope the instructions make up for them. Enjoy!

Emma: Archery Style

Emma: The most incomprehensible thing in the world to a man is a woman who rejects his offer of marriage!
Mr. Knightly: I do not comprehend it because it is madness!

Today is the last tutorial for Emma Week. I would say that when most people think of “Emma,” this is the scene that comes to mind. With such a beautiful setting and witty dialog, the archery scene is the definition of a tempest in a teacup.

Emma’s iconic style is pretty easy. You only need to know how to do a basic bun and a shell bun.

Ribbons, Part 5

This tutorial is for advanced wide ribbon tying and accent twists that would work with any satin ribbon. Today’s ribbon is 2-inch wide, 2-and-a-half yards long single-faced satin.

Ribbons, Part 4

I love wide ribbons. With just the time it takes to tie them, they add such panache to a hair do. Even if you don’t do anything else with your hair, a bold ribbon still looks stylish.

The example on right is Marianne Dashwood from the 2008 Sense and Sensibility. Known for her high spirits, Marianne is frequently shown with a wide ribbon as an accent to her lovely curls. To replicate her style, first pull some of your hair from the sides to the back and coil into a small bun. Tie a 2-inch wide ribbon headband style with a big floppy bow and the tails hanging over one shoulder.

Here is my version, except I just wore my hair down.

Ribbons, Part 3

Yesterday, I received a question from Genevieve.

I have a question. Is there a way to make the ribbon stay put?
Mine just slides right off the back of my head!

Thanks! Genevieve

Here are some possible solutions.

1. Have the ribbon sit more forward on your head.
2. Use grosgrain or single-faced satin instead of double-faced satin.
3. Try tying the knot tighter, but not so tight that the ribbon shifts to a smaller part of your head.
4. My mom’s suggestion: spray the back of the ribbon with hair spray to make it sticky.

If all else fails, use velvet ribbon face down for extra grip.

If you’re super desperate, use a bobby pin or two behind your ears to hold the ribbon in place.

Do you ladies have any other ideas for helping a ribbon stay up?

Ribbons, Part 2

This post is a continuation of this week’s series on ribbons. Today’s ribbons are 3/8″ wide, both satin and grosgrain. I like to use narrow ribbons as a subtle headband with an intricate bun like the one on the left or tied around a bun like the one on the right. A long (around 7 feet long) thin ribbon can also be used to create classical-inspired styles such as were popular in the 1800s. You can see a lovely fashion plate example of this style here.

Ribbons, Part 1

Do you ever have one of those days when you don’t want to do anything with your hair? You would just leave it down, but then it would be in your way and get into everything and get dirty. Ribbons are a nice, quick way to get your hair off your face and easily dress up a style. If you wear glasses like I do, it’s much easier to wear a ribbon than a hard headband with the glasses ear pieces. This week’s posts will be discussing hair ribbons of all different types and a variety of styles you can do with them.

About color, don’t be afraid of not matching exactly. With an outfit that is primarily made up of neutrals, I like to wear either a blue ribbon to match my eyes or a green one to contrast with my hair. I also have a collection of basic colors from white to cream, brown, and black that go with anything for a subtle look.