Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Renaissance Reminiscence

When September days cool, and the smell of autumn cannot be ignored, you know it is time for the Renaissance Festival.  Mike and I have been taking the girls since they were 9 and 12.  Even the first visit was complete with costumes; one being half Goodwill with a homemade overlay and the other store bought.  Lauren was enchanted when on our first visit a knight kissed her hand and gave her a fleur de lis pin while asking for her support during the joust!  She was equally chagrined when the man selling pickles yelled at her for showing her ankles as she tied her boots! The following years presented  more complex, elaborate, and beautiful  gowns.  My girls even visit websites to add the necessary handcrafted corsettes, hoops, and crowns. 

The Renaissance Festival in Holly has become THE event for my daughters and their friends.  Shelby especially seems to enjoy initiating different friends each year to the sights and sounds of the Medieval gala.  With enough costumes to clothe at least four young ladies, Shelby has begun to tutor the girls to be prepared for avid fans who beg a picture of the well-garbed ladies.  Perhaps some of the other attendees think that these girls (who insist on speaking with plausible accents and grammar) are more of the paid actors that work throughout the properties.



...photo with the King of Spain




The girls call this the donut hat.  It was purchased the second year we attended the festival.

Micah joined us in 2006.  His costume had to be purchased online as there was no time to create one.




2007 with the queen.



Some of my favorite costumes have been the pointed ladies cap with billowing sheer finery with matching gown for Vanessa and the adorable satyr costume I made for my nephew Cameron complete with little hooves and horns for his cropped head of hair!  Even as I plea for retirement from the elaborate gown-making, I secretly sneak a peek each late summer to the new patterns for Renaissance garb in my local Joann fabric store!

No comments:

Post a Comment