Author Archives: Bronwyn

August meeting – costume making

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Our August meeting will be a making session. Bring along your current costume project to work on – there are some tables for cutting out fabric or patterns and some power points if you want to bring your sewing machine. If you let me know what you’re working on or need help with, I may be able to bring some resources/books from my collection. For those going to the Outlander Gathering in Glen Innes in October, I’ll bring along some pattern ideas (and maybe an outfit-in-progress!)

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.

Date and time: Sunday 26th August, 1.30pm to 4.30pm

Venue: The Activities Room in Kent House, 141 Faulkner Street Armidale. If you come in from the front, go down the side veranda to the second last door. You can also park behind the building and come in via the veranda.

Cost: a contribution towards the room hire will be appreciated as the rates have quadrupled this financial year. We’re looking for a longer-term solution.

An eighteenth century painting of a group of women sewing around a table

July meeting – preview of Museum costumes

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Our July meeting will be at the Armidale Folk Museum. Bronwyn has been volunteering there, working with some other volunteers on documenting the museum’s costume collection. For this session, she’ll show a number of garments and discuss their time, their construction, and who might have worn them and where.

An 1890s bodice in cream silk printed with a delicate green floral design.

A printed silk bodice, with cream lace, dating from the 1890s. The bodice has a matching skirt and Swiss waist.

Most of these costumes have not been on display for many years, if ever, so this is your chance for a special preview of some hidden treasures. We’ll also look at some construction and details you can’t see when an outfit is on a mannequin, and discuss underpinnings and accessories.

Bodice of a silk satin wedding dress, circa 1910-1912

Bodice of a silk satin wedding dress, circa 1910-1912

Meeting details: Sunday, 29th July, 1.30-3.30pm, at Armidale Folk Museum, corner of Rusden and Faulkner streets.

Note: Please dress warmly – the heating in the museum isn’t great – and wear comfy shoes, as we’ll be standing around a table for the session. Please also note that the museum doesn’t have a toilet, and the nearest one open on Sundays is in Central Park.

Afterwards we’ll likely adjourn to somewhere else for a warming cuppa!

 

June meeting – High Tea

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For our June meeting, we’re having a High Tea. Do come along in costume – any era welcome! Delicious food, good company, a very brief meeting to officially form the costuming group, more food, and maybe some dancing. Plus gorgeous historic costumes.(Don’t have a costume yet? Dress to feel fabulous!)

Cost $5, includes afternoon tea. Beginner and experienced costumers very welcome. Please RSVP here or on the Facebook Event page so that we make sure we have enough food! There will be some gluten-free options.

We will be having a brief meeting during the afternoon to officially form the association – the advantage of becoming an association is that we can affiliate with the Australian Living History Federation and access their insurance scheme so that we can run events, workshops, displays etc. We’ll need office bearers – President, Vice-president, Secretary. Treasurer – and committee members, so please do consider if you’d like to nominate and be involved. Ultimately, I think it will be wise to incorporate the association, which limits the personal liability of members if something goes wrong and the group gets sued. It’s not particularly difficult to become incorporated, but there are some processes to follow.

March meeting

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Our first meeting for 2018 will be a costume-making/planning session and afternoon tea on Sunday, 18th March, at Kent House, 141 Faulkner Street Armidale, from 1pm to 5pm.

New members and visitors are very welcome for this informal get-together. Bring along what you’re working on, ideas for what you’d like to make, and/or completed things to show, and do wear a costume of you wish! If it’s a fine day we may be able to take some photos in Central Park, just across the road.

We’ll have afternoon tea around about 3pm. Tea and coffee will be provided; if you can bring a (small) pate of something tasty to contribute to afternoon tea, that would be appreciated.

The cost is $5 to cover room hire and tea/coffee.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask here, or on the Facebook event page.

A pretty pink and white tea set with a knitted doily and a muffin on a plate