Having a Ball...

on the USS Yorktown.

This was the first Ft. Sumpter Soiree ball which was held on the lower deck of the USS Yorktown.

The music was provided by "Unreconstructed."

There was a great deal of dancing...

time with friends...

and a little bit of conversation.

Hubby and I had a lovely time.

But as the evening drew to a close we all bid adieu and headed home with sore feet and warm hearts.

The Conspirator Opens Tonight!

The Conspirator opened tonight and hubby and went to see it.

We were extras in the movie and I was cast as Mrs. Stanton, the wife of Mr. Stanton played by Kevin Kline.

The movie was excellent and we highly recommend it.

The dress I wore in the movie was made by my friend Christine who taught me to sew:).

My First Dress!

For years now my dear friend Christine has made my dresses.

A couple weeks ago she taught me how to make my own.

All of the supplies came from thrift shops and consignment shops.

I started with the petticoat which is made from a bedskirt.

I added the tarten trim to match the dress.

The bodice and skirt are trimmed with black grosgain ribbon.

Vintage black buttons and lace collar complete the bodice.

Back view.

The bodice is lined with an old sheet and the belt was made from a vintage belt and silver buckle.

Bedskirt-$4

11 yards of red tarten fabric-$6

Black belt-$1

Vintage silver buckle-$15

Sheet for lining-free

Being able to say I made the dress-priceless:)!

150th Firing on Ft. Sumpter

At 6:45 this morning Ft. Sumpter was fired upon by reenactors just as it was 150 years ago today.

The feeling at Moultrie House, General Beauregard's headquarters, was somber early this morning with soldiers quietly discussing the impending battle.

Campfires glowed in the encampment...

while men stood on the wall awaiting word...

and others stood watch on the beach.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed breakfast as the impending battle brewed.

Being good southern ladies, breakfast was accompanied by mimosas.

Then the first shots rang out startling all who were close by...

except for one brave pelican.

The chaos of battle thundered from Ft. Moultrie, Patriot's Point, and Ft. Johnson.

Flags billowed in the strong morning breezes as men stood ready for battle...

while others sat at the water's edge awaiting commands.

And still we watched.

As the sun made its ascent soldiers continued their preparations.

The fate of Ft. Sumpter hung in the balance.

We headed back to the porch of Moultrie House to chat about the battle and work on needlework.

As we enjoyed the cool spring breezes the battle raged aroound us with the sound of cannons echoing throughout the day.

150th Anniversary of the Civil War

Although the official anniversary of the firing on Ft. Sumpter, which triggered the four year bloody battle between the states ,is not until this Tuesday April 12th, Ft. Moultrie was swarming with reenactors today as  preparations for the upcoming battle were portrayed.

This is Moutlrie House which is across the street from Ft. Moultrie.

It is currently the headquarters for General Beauregard and our gathering place for the day.

As you can see orders are already arriving. 

 Soldiers gather across the street at the fort.

 The General's desk filled with documents about the impending battle.

 We crossed the street to attend the ceremony to present the flag that several of us sewed (see previous post).

 The president of the PSRS (in blue dress) was to present the flag to the Colonel.

 Roseanne stands behind Louise as the flag is given. Roseanne was the project coordinator.

 The flag is then presented to the troops.

 Those of us that worked on the flag gathered for a picture.

 The men raise the flag...

 as the trumpet sounds...

 and she flies proudly in the Lowcountry breezes.

 Back at headquarters Louise serves lemonade on the porch.

We sit for another photo.

 And then spend time relaxing in the coolness of the shade.

Later Louise served tea.

Along with the tea where a variety of sweet delicacies which all enjoyed.

Thanks for spending the day with us at Ft. Moultrie headquarters.

For more on this special event visit

http://thevictorianparlor2.blogspot.com/

Sewing History

Next week marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the civil war, or should I say 'war between the states' because there wasn't nothin' civil about it!

I am a member of the PSRS which was tasked with recreating the orginal flag that flew over Ft. Moultrie when Ft. Sumpter was fired upon.

I was blessed to be able to sew on this new historic flag which will fly over Ft. Moultrie for the next couple of weeks during the reenactments of the battle which began the civil war.

I worked on this for nearly a week.

Next week I hope to post pictures of this very flag as it waves in the winds of future history over Ft. Moultrie.