Townsend Order

Well we ordered a few things off Townsend before the start of the new season. As I mentioned before, this year we were just looking to round out the stuff we already have with more pieces that fit the time period. I figure that we can just add a little bit more each year and eventually we will have everything we need!! Here is what we ordered from Townsend this time around:

Buttons
As I mentioned in the Regimental jacket post, we ordered some brass buttons for Kris' jacket. In addition to those, we also ordered some pewter buttons that we can use for his gaiters and anything else we might need them for. I ordered a total of 20 of these.

Stays
Okay so you may be wondering why I ordered stays. My previous post about stays talked about how I had made my own stays. I also mentioned at the end of that post that I had no desire to redo the stays since I felt they were too small, and even if I felt they were fine, I had no desire to finish them off! So rather than have all that pressure of getting those finished, I decided to buy a pair of stays from Townsend. I think I will still try and finish the ones I made by hand, but I really wanted to have something to wear for this season, so this was the best way. They cost a bit more than I really wanted to spend, but I am happy that I got them.

Ladies Cape
Since we started doing events a little bit later in the year last year, I really had no need for cold weather clothing at the time. But now that we will be doing parades earlier in the year, I really needed something to keep me warm. We did have one cold parade last year, and I just improvised by making Kolby and I wool blankets that we wore over our shoulders. It was sufficient, but I really wanted to get a cape for myself. So I did! Well technically Kris bought it for me as a birthday present, which is even better. I decided to go with a blue one since a lot of my clothes are blue, and I figure it really can match any color.

English Bodice
I have mentioned before that my research on the bodice shows that most likely it was only worn under something else. I also mentioned that I really wanted to make a dress for myself. Well I decided to go ahead and buy another bodice anyway. They are cool for the summer and most of the girls wear them. I still want to make something more for myself, but it's just not in the budget right now. I wanted to have 2 bodices since we are usually at the events for two days and I would like to have 2 complete outfits. I went with a red bodice since I have a red skirt. Once the events start, I will probably keep an eye out at the Sutlers for a nice short gown. Or maybe I can see if someone can help me make one.

Waistcoat
The last thing we got at Townsend on this go round was a waistcoat for Kris. Since we were able to get him his regimentals this year, we figured it was best if he had a waistcoat as well. From doing a little research on men's clothing, it seems that the popular idea is that a man never would have been seen without a waistcoat on. Now of course this was war time, so society rules probably fell by the wayside a bit, but really it's best that he have one to wear. In that time, it seems, that not wearing a waistcoat would be like walking around in public with no shirt on today. Some people might do it, but it's not commonly accepted. We went for a linen waistcoat since it should breath the best and it doesn't cost any more then the cotton or wool. Really cotton would have had very limited use in this time period because cotton had to be sent to England to be processed and just wasn't as readily available as homespun linen was. Don't get me wrong, I still use a lot of cotton for our stuff because it is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than linen today, but if given the choice I will try and choose linen over cotton. Kris decided to go with a gray color, really just because he liked it.

Believe me yours faithfully,
Rachel