Jolis Chevaux - Prep for a Show

(Second post of the day.)

March 18 and 19 is the 2023 Kalamazoo Living History Show.  My sister Leslie and her husband, Rick , own the show and this is its 47th year. Teacher Daughter Lisa and I will be attending for our second year as vendors.

Lisa and me at the 2022 show.

The fabrics I use most for the 18th century clothing are imported hand printed block prints. Here are some things that I've made since Christmas and will be taking up to Kalamazoo to sell. 

An 18th century bedgown (from the back.)

And from the front.

A men's shirt with bone cuff buttons.

This one is actually a custom shirt and sold but I include it because it is an unusual "medallion print." You can't see it here, but when the shirt is worn, the pattern on the fabric forms a complete circle around the arms and body. It is a little tricky to get everything matched up when sewing, but worth it in the end.

Another men's shirt. The shirts are usually worn with a belt of some sort.

You might think that this shirt has a paisley pattern, but that' s not paisley. It's called "Botha" and is a very, very old pattern.

The patterns and colors vary a lot on the block prints.

I really like this pattern - it quite different from the other cotton block prints I've got.

I finished this one yesterday - it has horn cuff buttons.

I'll also be selling women's shortgowns,

chemises (also called "shifts"),

bum rolls,

hussifs,

 

an opened hussif (for storing sewing supplies),

panniers, 

pinner aprons, and lots more.

If you are a blog reader who happens to attend the show, please come find me and say hello. I may just have a little gift you you...

Leslie and me at the 2022 show.

Horsiemama's Mercantile - Some Unusual Fabrics

I got a very interesting response last night to yesterday's blog post about my odd PAS. I don't have permission yet to post it, but I'm pretty sure she will agree to letting me share her thoughts. (She's a long time friend.) I'll check with her today and hopefully will share it here tomorrow.

In the meantime, check out some unusual fabrics I was able to get ahold of for the Mercantile!

Not only do I like the design theme of this fabric, but that shade of blue is gorgeous!

The stark white contrast of the dog against the horse really makes it pop.

Here's a close up of it so you can see it better.

This fabric is kind of a flip of colors for the horse and dog from the previous fabric.

A much more detailed dog. Orange is my favorite color so I may put some of this fabric aside and make something for me out of it.

Primitive ponies against a background of flowers and mountains.

I've been asked where I get my fabrics and the best advice I can give people is to do a Google search for local fabric stores. Go state by state with your search and you will be surprised as to what is out there. If prices are more than you want to pay but you see something you like, bookmark it and check back occasionally. Or, sign up to get notifications of sales, new fabrics etc.

And don't be afraid to look internationally, either. Many of the fabrics I use for my 18th century living history business are actually from out of the country.

Check back later this morning - this is a two blog post day!

Stay 'tooned!

 

Paging Chalky Experts!

Are there any chalky experts out there? I have a mystery horse, one that's been in my collection for years and he is a real puzzle.

I bought him at an antique shop because he looked so odd, and I go back and forth in thinking that he is chalky and then that he isn't.

Friends I've asked who know chalkys have been stumped, too, although one said she thought he might be chalky plastic. All agreed that this model is unusual.

His paint does feel thicker than it does on non-chalky models.

Putting him next to another dapple grey from the same time period shows a lot of differences. Due to his dapples and some other clues, I think he is probably an early piece.

His mold stamp is crisp and easily read

while his counterpart's stamp is blurred and worn.

He has the early drain board pattern underneath his hooves. That's not dirt - I tried to wash it off and it will not.

The other PAS (Proud Arabian Stallion) has typical Breyer hooves that are smooth and bare plastic.

And those ears! My favorite part of him!

They are what caught my eye in the antique shop; they are so pink and stand out so well.

This model was made sometime between 1972 and 1988; I'm a bit surprised that the pink hasn't faded as it has on so many vintage pieces.

The legs are very different, too. 

The one on the right in this photo (the near foreleg) has a distinct chalky appearance except it is not as bright a white as chalkys normally are.

The front legs of the non chalky PAS look very different.

 A second peek at the forelegs of both.

A view of the hind legs. Possible chalky is on the left.

A close up of the possible chalky's hind legs.

Looking under the tails will often give you insight - I have a bay QH Yearling I wondered about, and when I looked under her tail, there was a blob of thick, white paint. Yup, she was a chalky!

This is the possible chalky's tail. It is darker than the undertail of the second model.

See what I mean? I also did the light test, and light goes freely through the non chalky, and just a bit through the other. (I couldn't film that without help and Craig was gone.)

Last, I did a weight test. 11.4 oz for the mystery model,

and 11.8 for the other.

 If you have any thoughts about my oddity, I'd love to hear them. You can comment in the blog comments or email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com.

Any insight would be appreciated!

BreyerWest & BreyerFest Volunteer Model

 BreyerWest is happening this weekend out in Denver, Colorado at the National Western Complex. 

I'd planned to go "some day" - Denver Daughter Sarah and her family lived in Aurora and I thought I'd combine a visit with them and BreyerWest. 

But Sarah is now Hawkeye Daughter as the family moved back to Iowa two years ago. And while Sarah still works for the Aurora Public Schools, she works mostly from home and commutes to Denver as needed. It is doubtful I will ever make it to BreyerWest now. (Luckily, BreyerFest is only four hours from me and I can get there fairly easily.)

Breyer gave the BreyerWest volunteers their models and in doing so, announced that they were also the volunteer model for BreyerFest.

The model is called Chevaliere and is an Appaloosa pony with two colors revealed and a third that Breyer will reveal later in the year. (First two photos from Breyer.)

I've been asked to steward for the BreyerFest Driving Forward Novice Photo Show so I will be getting one of the Chevalieres. 

I've helped Breyer with some other things in the past so I have a couple of volunteer models.

I was lucky and got both versions of Ben Nevis. My favorite is the darker version, but none of them, including the 2023 Chevaliere, can top Zeitgeist, the 2022 volunteer model.

She is absolutely stunning. Appaloosas may be my favorite breed, but black is my favorite horse color.

I don't have any Crois in my collection so Chevaliere will be a first for me. I'd prefer the sooty black of the two that have been revealed, but that could change depending on what the third one is.

Guess we will all find out in July!