And...She's In!

Congratulations, Lindsey, for being accepted to Carnegie Mellon University's inaugural class for its Costume Production Master's of Fine Arts program! Lindsey interviewed and was offered admission on the spot back in February, and she's sending in her formal acceptance this week. Classes begin this fall, and if all goes well, we'll both graduate (I'm studying at CMU also for a PhD in operations management) together in 2013.

Besides the awesome set of costumes Lindsey from the early 1800s through the 1930s, I'm guessing Lindsey's costume designs at Penn State testified to her skill. During her junior year, she worked with a talented grad student director Matt Toronto on a production of _Cabaret_. He mentioned how he had very modest ambitions for the costumes in this production, which was basically a grad student workshop. However, he was blown away by working with Lindsey and all her ideas from researching Weimar Republic Germany and its disturbing cabaret underworld. Lindsey and Matt developed an artistic vision for the costumes (that really helped make the show), and Lindsey executed it with a ~$250 budget. Here's a clip from that production:

Anyway, this is a very exciting opportunity for Lindsey, who will now have three years to learn from very talented costume designers and construction experts at one of the elite theater programs on the East Coast. (I'm definitely looking forward to seeing all the shows.) Stay tuned this fall for Lindsey to begin sharing a whole different set of experiences, with hopefully many tie-ins to historical costumes...

Photo Antiquities Museum, Pittsburgh

Another great museum Lindsey and I had an opportunity to visit this weekend is the Photo Antiquities Museum in Pittsburgh. It's only two floors of a row home, but what a collection they have! The diversity of photographic types and equipment from all eras, particularly from daguerreotypes to cabinet cards is impressive. We even got a chance to see a collection from the archives focusing on Civil War Era photography in Lancaster, which is the emphasis of Lindsey and my fledgling collection (I used to buy her CDVs frequently when we were dating...and had some disposable income).

We hope to have an opportunity to contribute to interpretive efforts there in the future, as there are rich resources at the museum with much potential. If you're in Pittsburgh, this is another hour or two well-spent.

(Above Photo: CDV from authors' collection.)

Woodville Plantation

Today, Lindsey and I stopped by Woodville Plantation just south of Pittsburgh, a country/wilderness/frontier mansion owned by John Neville--a man socially comparable to Edward Hand (of Rockford Plantation, Lancaster). That museum also interprets the the late 1700s to early 1800s and boasts a small cadre of costumed docents. (Sorry, no pictures, we forgot our camera.)

Lindsey seemed to be very impressed by the authenticity of the costumes, and it was evident the docents put much time into research for a first-person impression and research on Neville and his house. It's a small-scale operation, but if you're in the area, we recommend you attend one of their events this year.

Yellow Silk Ballgown on Ebay

I just wanted to let you know that I'm selling this Yellow Silk Taffeta Ballgown on Ebay right now. I did not make this beautiful dress. It was purchased on Ebay in 2003 and only worn once. See my Ebay listing for more information if you're interested in owning it!

Simplicity 7216 Hoopskirt

Here is the completed Simplicity 7216 Hoopskirt. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

This is made from a JoAnns Bottomweight Cotton - a nice weight for this project with a tight weave.

I made the larger of the two hoopskirts. I shortened the length by two rows of hooping, so the largest hoop is a little less than 108".

To add a little interest I scalloped the bottom edge of the hoopskirt like I had seen on an original. I cut the scalloped edge by hand and finished the edges using a satin stitch on my sewing machine.