Petticoats, pasta, and packing~

A pretty India block print cotton kerchief...I get mine at Anokhi~

Yesterday I finished the new blue linen petticoat---(really, an almost understated periwinkle, from  Wm. Booth Draper)---for this weekend, except for hand hemming. (Thank you, our friend, and fellow reenactor, 'Pvt. Sam' I tried your 'string trick', and it worked just great. I hope we see you fighting the battles this weekend, Sam girl.)
This morning I am sitting in a patch of sun coming in the window. The classical music station of playing, and I am hemming away.
I am so pleased with the color, and with how it turned out. After hemming, I plan to just get started on the beautiful print petticoat that will match the new pet en l'air jacket.

The material for the petticoat and matching pet en l'air... I found this wonderful (my birthday) fabric at Bonne-Provence
I absolutely love it, and they were so nice to deal with.  I was amazed to receive my parcel from overseas in just a few days~ I can't wait to show you the finished petticoat next week, and the jacket soon.

 We have so much to do before leaving for the 'Redcoats and Rebels' event on Friday, that I plan to finish that petticoat after we get home.

I had given my old 18thc. style bedgown a bit of a facelift, and it's perfect for wearing in encampments at reenactments. Best of all, when just too hot, you can take off your stays, and just wear this garment over your shift and petticoat. I love the India print scarf---I bought that, and the petticoat fabric weeks apart, and without actually seeing the colors, and I was so pleased at the way they complimented each other. The kerchief is a must at summer reenactments to keep from getting burned.  A white cap, and the large straw hat I just completed, with the black silk ribbons, will complete this outfit. Of course, I plan to wear it with my new 18thc. red leather Burnley and Trowbridge shoes when they arrive.

Adam gets home from teaching summer school at about 1:30, and wants to start making lists, and loading the car for the reenactment this weekend at Old Sturbridge Village. At a local job lot store, we found an inexpensive, approximately 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 foot 'oriental rug' for our tent---(Brits 'do it' with style!).  Today we can pack the tent, and tie the poles on top later. The rug is rolled up, and already in the car. We can pack the inflatable bed, canvas cloth for underneath it, and our washing pan, wooden and pewter plates and mugs, cutlery, and the linen napkins I made years ago from 200 year old fabric. The antique, painted wood box that holds all toiletries and sundries will also be brought down from the attic.
We have a great pine trestle table just for reenactment events, that comes apart, and goes together with only a couple hand carved wooden pins. That is already in the car. A chair and camp stool must be tucked in where they will fit.

Our period clothing, sheets, blankets, towels, food, cooler, lantern and candles, the all important musket and black powder, and more, will all be packed later in the week.
We have an afternoon trip planned to Walmart tomorrow, and will buy one or two of their very large, flat-bottom, rectangular willow baskets with the muslin liners. We will get them one by one, until we have at least 4, and these will be our 'packing containers' for our clothing, bedding, and culinary accoutrements; they look so nice in the tents, instead of plastic bags, and make it much more convenient when rummaging for something.
Needless to say, packing up for any reenactment event is a pretty big deal, and when finished, our car looks as if we were leaving for 2 weeks.

Kim, our regiment's commander's wife,  has planned the food for the weekend---all period-correct, as the public watch us eat our meals. Yummy egg frittatas for breakfasts, and roast beef and crusty bread sandwiches for lunches. Saturday night's dinner is to be a savory chicken stew. There will of course be other things.
I have made jars of Blueberry Curd, and will make blueberry scones before we leave. This is a contribution to breakfast on Saturday, for our unit. We are also bringing varied fresh fruits and cheeses for everyone. All the members will bring something to augment the already-planned menu.

Many of you who follow my blog will remember last Valentine's Day.
We refer to our taproom as "Spencer's Ordinary", and serendipitously, there was a little-known battle during the Revolutionary war, in Virginia, called the 'Battle of Spencer's Ordinary'.  As a Valentine's day gift, Adam made me a picture on parchment paper---a map and description of the battle, to hang on our own taproom wall. This weekend, he cut one of the 250 year old boards we recently salvaged, crafting a primitive, 'tombstone' shaped placque. He affixed the parchment to it, and gave it several coats of an invisible, matte-finish sealer. It looks much more charming than a picture frame, and is now adorning our taproom walls for all to read~

Last night we had a delicious and easy summer dinner. Last weekend, we went over to the local farm stand for some just-picked red and yellow tomatoes. I cut them in large chunks and marinated them in some olive oil and lots of fresh garlic cloves. I roasted a whole head of garlic in foil.  For dinner, I drained them, discarding the liquid. I cooked some Bella Terra cappellini pasta and tossed the hot past with the tomatoes, the roasted garlic cloves, some capers, a little olive oil, and chopped fresh basil---just picked from the garden. Some sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and just a dusting of fresh grated parmesan cheese, and that's it! I toasted some whole wheat rolls with olive oil and rubbed a fresh garlic clove over them. It was absolutely wonderful. We ate at the table overlooking the window in the cool taproom.