Historic Rock Ford Plantation Event

Happy Independence Day! Despite taking a month to post pictures from the last event at Historic Rock Ford Plantation in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this post seems timely because the next event at Rock Ford takes place this Sunday. Sunday, July 6th, 11am - 3pm the historic house invites you to come and "experience Independence Day as it would have been celebrated at the end of the 18th Century with music, games, contests, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and other festivities." For more information on this event and others at Rock Ford Plantation, visit the Special Events section of their website.

I have sewn many dresses from the Empire era for customers, but few for myself, so it was time to make myself a new dress. The pattern for this dress is one of my favorites, draped to look like an original dress from Pennsylvania. The original was made of gold silk. The front bodice and skirt is closed with two drawstrings while the back of the bodice gathering is set to the skirt. The original had a fitted lining, although I left that out in this sheer version. A bodiced petticoat is worn beneath. This fabric is a block printed sheer fabric from India.

I made the coral jewelry set - a necklace, two bracelets, earrings, and a haircomb.

My mother's dress was based off of an original dress. The original had been altered from an earlier dress, the waistline raised to reflect the rising waistline coming into fashion in the late 1790s. Here it is worn with a sheer white petticoat.

Hope you have a lovely holiday weekend!