A fair & exhibit for all!

In January of 2016, the ORS is hosting a celebration of costume, from historical to fantasy.  The fair and exhibit will include costumes of all kinds; from reenactment wear, to cosplay and steampunk. It's over two days, there will be costume vendors and a costume exhibit and contest. All are welcome! So join us as a visitor or a participant. Application forms for vendors and exhibit submission forms will be posted soon on the ORS website. Visit www.orregency.org for details and keep checking in for updates. And don't forget to join the ORS Facebook group to join our lively discussions.

The 2012 retreat afterglow

A closeup of a man's frock coat, photo by Sara Palmer.

The 2012 ORS Regency Retreat was a resounding success. A completely different dynamic took hold this year as the retreat was held in the depth of summery August, and included lots of outdoor activities.  Organizer Stephanie Robertson was again extremely successful in blending together a succession of informative workshops, entertainments, activities and dining events.  From learning the art of making death-head buttons to writing regency letters with a quill, participants enjoyed a variety of period pursuits along with the welcoming society of their fellow participants. Presenters included the Lady of Portland House, who explained in detail the construction of period men's garments, to Author Mary Robinette Kowal, who taught writing letters with quill and ink, and Miss Kristen Behlings taught the workshop on creating a Regency hairstyle.

Miss Brehlings first sets the example.

The evening before, preparations are made for hair styling the next day.

Here is a delightful movie made up of some of the images captured from the four days at Newberg.  Below that, I have provided additional links to albums containing even more pictures.

 

More photos can be found here:

Megan Funk's Album (Google+)

Sara Palmer's Album (Picasa)

Mari Roll's Album (Facebook)

Philippa Colt's Album (Facebook)

2012 ORS Regency Retreat (and some photos of Topsails and Tea)

Apologies to all for the lag in updates. The ORS has had a bit of a spike in fertility and we've had some unexpected pregnancies among the leadership that sort of threw a couple of sabots into our proverbial looms. We're now one baby boy (Master Logan) stronger in our Regency family here with the ORS, and hopefully we'll know tomorrow if it will be a little white dress or a skeleton suit for the second arrival coming in November.

Anyhow, I'm happy to post the details on the ORS retreat in August. There are a few spots still open, so please feel free to query us if you're interested in coming.  Full payment should be submitted before July 25, if possible. Contact us at orregency@msn.com if you have questions, or if it's after July 25 and you want to know if there are still spots available.

Click HERE to download the registration packet.

Read the details online on the ORS 2012 Regency Retreat page.

Click HERE.

Additionally, I'm adding some highlight photos of our lovely May 19, 2012 'Topsails and Tea' event in Newport Oregon.  We enjoyed a sail on the tall ship, the Lady Washington. She sails out of Grey's Harbour in Washington State and with her sister ship, the Hawaiian Chieftain, they visit a number of ports along the Pacific Northwest throughout the year.

It was a lovely event and we all had a great time. It began with a delicious tea, we enjoyed a lovely day, heard great music, saw baby sea-lions, and some of us capped off the night with some wine and seafood and good company.  I cannot wait to do it again next year! We're going to try to buy out a whole ship this time. :)

Here come LOTS of photos. These were taken by myself, Stephanie Johanesen, Stephanie Robertson and by Megan Funk.

A golden-locked serenade.

Spiders on a web.

Paul always cuts a striking figure.

One of the highlights of the sail. Beautiful
bagpipes.

Blue steel.

It wasn't just the men making striking poses.

Our sister ship offered lots of 'beauty passes'

The crew.

Some of the AMAZING crew of the
Lady Washington.

This is George. I was going to sea-lion-nap him.
I was advised I could not. Mostly by
George's massive family members loafing nearby.

As you can see, it was a lovely event. We hope to have more and more as the baby-making surge levels out. :D  Happy weekend all!

The Oregon Regency Society's First Regency Retreat

Yes, you heard it, we're having our retreat! It's SO exciting to watch it come together and to start finalizing workshops and the registration packet. I put a preliminary notice on Facebook the day before yesterday and we already have a bit of interest. Stephanie Robertson has been the primary driving force behind this event, and has helped us acquire a venue to hold it for a price that makes it affordable for everyone. For less than $200, participants get nine meals, three nights lodging, a compendium of workshops and they get to play dress-up all the while! How can you beat that?

We are happy to welcome not only Oregonians and local folks, but also people from out of state as well. We are willing to help with airport transportation and assisting in making sure you have the stuff you need for a comfortable stay. All you have to do is contact us.

For a preview of what's in store for the retreat, click here. We will be adding more details as we finish wrapping up the odds and ends. Some things may be subject to change; to minor menu changes to some workshop modifications. In spite of that, we foresee a wonderful event with lots of great workshops to hone your skills in sewing, dancing, millinery, even baking!

Click through and check it out. There are *ONLY* 30 available spots, so if you want to participate, you should contact the ORS for a registration packet.

http://orregency.org/events.htm#retreat

A Regency Retreat

Yes it may finally happen! We have found a location that will let us rent their space for a very fine price. The event will be held over a weekend in December. That gives us all plenty of time to plan and save money. Three nights with two full days of workshops and sewing time! Sounds fantastic! The price will include lodging, six meals prepared by the retreat center, two high teas by our chef, and some workshop fees. Certain workshops may cost an additional fee or materials.

There are three sets of dates available and we would like to take a poll of what you think would work best for you.

December 1st-4th
December 8th-11th
December 15th- 18th

Are there any workshops you would really love to see at the retreat? We are very excited and would love some feedback from you!

The 2010 Regency Bonnet Workshop

The ORS bonnet workshops are a popular and fun event. It's a casual, busy-hands event where many of us sit around for six hours just stitching, prattling away, laughing and drinking tea. Most people (those who work while talking, as opposed to talk while occasionally stitching) leave the workshop with a near-completed bonnet.

I offer instructions using my bonnet pattern for the stovepipe bonnet (you can get your own copy here), and also I provide instruction and assistance with the simple Regency soft-poke bonnet. This year, I've secured a lovely classroom upstairs at the Sandy Historical Museum. It's a nice space with a little kitchenette and a museum downstairs so there is a nice distraction when you're up and about stretching your legs.

For those of you who cannot attend the ORS bonnet workshops, here is the next best thing (and they're not so great, my apologies for quality... ::teehee::).

I have movie-tutorials on how to make a soft-poke bonnet, and how to assemble my pattern. I also noticed that my materials-list URL is outdated, so I have provided links to the updated materials lists below. I hope this helps you with your Bonnet project. Maybe someday you can join us at our yearly workshop.

The Tutorial for a Soft-Poke Bonnet:

The Tutorials (Parts 1 and 2) for assembling my pattern for the Stovepipe Bonnet:

Materials list for the Stovepipe Bonnet.
Materials list for the Soft Poke Bonnet.


Some inspiration:

Made for myself, and then given to a dear friend who adored it.
It is the high-angle short bonnet from my pattern.

An Etsy Commission.

This is my friend and coworker Sherry; I made this bonnet for her to wear
while she offers free tours of Pittock Mansion.

This bonnet was made by the ORS member Katie (she's modeling it).
This was during last year's February Bonnet Workshop.

ORS Member Laura also made this during the same workshop.
Both she and Katie chose the low-angled long stovepipe bonnet from my pattern.

(Click here for a link to the whole set of photos I've collected of commissioned or personal bonnets)

Caps and Coifs

Regency caps were often worn underneath bonnets.

Here is a link to a variety of Regency Cap patterns as well as elaborate coifs.
http://www.neheleniapatterns.com/english/caps.html

Lots to catch up on!

New Events!

• July 31 ~ August 16, 2009 - "Pride and Prejudice" on Stage
  Mago Hunt Center (at University of Portland), Portland, Oregon
  A Production by Quintessence Language and Imagination Theatre
  

• August 29, 2009 - A Tour and A Tea
  Bishop's Close, Lavender Bleu Tea Room - West Linn, Oregon
  

• September 4, 2009 - An Evening of Music and Dance
  Ainsworth House & Gardens ~ Oregon City, Oregon.
  

• October 3, 2009 - ORSCVC Harvest Ball
  Details and Location TBA
  

• October 10, 2009 - "What Not To Wear" Regency Workshop
  Home of Lauren Marks, SE Portland.
  

• December 5, 2009 - ORS Winter Ball
  The Sunnyside Grange, Happy Valley, Oregon
  

• January 9, 2010 - Feast of the Twelfth Night
  McLean House ~ West Linn, Oregon

Details and ticket information is available at the Oregon Regency Society Events page.

Pittock Mansion picnic
Pictures Here

Second bonnet workshop
Pictures Here

A host of new ORS Events!

Hurrah! At last we have some events for you! It's been rough-going for a month or two, but we're starting to get some of our ducks in a row and have some lovely things for you to do for the following months:

March 28, 2009
A Free ECD Workshop
Sunnyside Grange, Happy Valley, Oregon

Brush up on your English Country Dance skills, or learn the basics in this free workshop in the Portland area.
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March 29, 2009
A Jane Austen Afternoon
Albany, Oregon; Sponsored by Elysian Designs

Join the ladies of Elysian Designs in a special cinema viewing of Sense and Sensibility followed by tea.

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April 4, 2009
A Spring Debut Ball
Veterans Memorial Ballroom, Eugene, Oregon

ORS Eugene kicks off the season with the year's first dance. Join us for an evening of dinner, dancing and diversions in the Emerald City.

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May 9, 2009
Un peu de thé et des Beaux-arts.

Heathman Hotel and the Portland Museum, Portland Oregon

Join us for a gourmet tea at the luxurious Heathman Hotel at noon, followed by an exploration of the Portland Museum's Madame de Pompadour Exhibit.

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There is definitely more to come; including a June Dance event, and a picnic at Pittock Mansion again. And we are already working on the details of this year's Winter Ball. :)

Go to http://www.orregency.org/ for details and ticket information for any of the above events. Click 'Events'.

Holy Bonnets Batman!

Yes, it's bonnet time again. This year, the workshop is going to focus on creating a buckram frame for a stovepipe bonnet using Stephanie Johanesen's (ORS founder/President) stovepipe bonnet pattern.

It's going to be held in lovely Welches, Oregon again on February 7.

Details here: http://www.oregonregencysociety.com/events.htm#bonnet

Bonnet Workshop Fun

It was a spectacular day to be in Welches. The sun was shining and the air was clean. We had ten people show up from all over the place, Lisa drove all the way from Eugene! I had set up a nice little spread of cookies and mini-scones, and other snacks, which were supplemented by Pamela Miller of the Ladies’ Tea Guild, who brought tea and other refreshments.

I set up my supplies; none of which I used because most of them were bought off me! :)

There were many busy hands, gluing and cutting, stitching, sewing and unraveling.

There was also some necessary silliness as well.

All in all it was a wonderful day, and several very nice bonnets came out of it. Some still required the finishing touches, but the owners promised me to send final pictures when they’re done.