Sarah Rubenach Tasmania The 1995 BBC adaption of Pride and Prejudice opened my eyes to Jane Austen. For well over a decade I had intended to create my own Regency dresses but never prioritised the time and space to dedicate to achieving this dream. Two years ago I first experienced Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and during my very slow recovery, I have found the time and space to re-prioritise and focus on my fulfilling my dream. All my previous activities and interests such as hiking, camping, pole dancing, and yoga continue to remain on hold. I am finding sewing rewarding and stimulating but also cognitively tiring and taxing. I can only sew for very short amounts of time before needing to rest as my concentration remains very poor. I am conscious I need to self-pace all tasks and not place too much pressure or demands on myself otherwise I am likely to become unwell. Hence, I am looking forward to the challenge as a part-time participant and feel my goals are achievable by allowing two months to complete each item. a short description of your proposed outfit: Although I have an extensive list of items to sew, my focus will be on creating: * corset * chemise * spencer jacket * day dress * bonnet * ball dress * ridicule Of course, if my dear "Mr Darcy" miraculously decides he wishes to emerse himself in the Jane Austen world, then my focus will be creating the gentleman's attire. So far I have sewn each of the layers and am now up to the stage of basting it all together. Next moth will be all the hand sewing. I purchased all my materials (coutil fabric, corset satin, artificial whale bone, etc) from Vena Cava Design in the UK. |
Jane Austen Festival Australia > Costumes >