New Silk

I think I have found a new silk for my ball gown.

It's a taffeta and more expensive than what I had picked out originally. But for only 4 yards I can swing it. I'm really torn though, not sure the ball will make. Do I get it now and just spend the money or do I wait with the possibility it will take forever to get here and either I will have to rush the construction or the fabric won't come in time? This is something to think about after Christmas...

Newspapers

For the Henkel Square event I began formatting Vicki Betts' Texas newspaper transcriptions into newspaper type sheets. It was requested that I continue the job for the rest of the war years. I have on my webpage March - December 1860; 1861 will be up soon. The sheets can be found at http://www.geocities.com/txcwcivilian/Henkel_herald.html

I have the different years broken out to their own pages. On the individual year pages are listings of the different papers represented with links to any Handbook of Texas articles on the paper. Under each month is a list of some of the headlines in that edition. (Yes, I do have a life, but I really enjoy doing this.)

Vicki's transcriptions of all the papers she has worked with can be found at http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/

Silk disaster

My silk arrived and I'm disappointed. It is not light blue, but electric blue, less of a taffeta and more of a slubless dupioni, more of a lining weight, and there are several flaws throughout the fabric. Very disappointing. So on the look out for another fabric. I'll hang on to this for lining or maybe a bonnet...I should have known it was too good of a deal.

Oh well. I'm still looking at the same style, maybe I'll find a really good red like the fashion plate.

Change in plan

There were only four yards of the fabric I wanted for my ballgown, so I have changed designs to this one, the red. My dress will be a very pretty light blue with the ribbons on the under skirt and berthe also blue. The underskirt and berthe will be white silk gauze with the skirt lined in white muslin and the sleeves white silk organza. This one is a little more labor intensive but I think it will turn out beautiful.