A Picnic at Pittock Mansion

Portland Oregon cannot lay claim to very many super-old, Regency appropriate sites. It is a sad conundrum for the ORS, living in the 'New World' ~ Especially the late-settled west-coast. However in our state there are a few jewels that seem to invite people to arrive in period costume.


The Pittock Mansion was built by Henry Pittock, a Portland Newspaper Magnate, whose family occupied this magnficent French style chateau until 1958. The Mansion sits high on the west hills of Portland, overlooking the valley, and the cascade range, Mount Hood a gleaming jewel on the horizon. Now property of the Portland Bureau of Parks & Recreation, the mansion gets many visitors all year 'round.


Its grounds are immaculately landscaped, and the perfectly manicured lawns, soft, drooping willows, and colourful tufts of roses and other perennials, makes it the perfect location for a Regency picnic. We spent Sunday afternoon occupying the shade beneath the trees at 'the point', where the garden ends in a sudden sharp hill, opening up the view to the city of Portland.


Roughly 20 ORS members, coupled with about ten ladies from the Portland Ladies Tea Guild; who dovetailed their event with ours, created a sizable spectacle for Mansion visitors to see. Many a strolling soul slowed to observe the genteel group in regency costume, taking full advantage of the spectacular day.



Pittock Mansion volunteer Sherry Uchytil came especially on this day, costumed for the occasion to give a Master Gardener's tour of the Pittock Mansion's fine grounds to members of the ORS and tourist alike.



Members also took advantage of the tours of the Mansion itself. A beautiful museum, it features so many appropriate architectural and decorate touches as to make it the perfect opporunity for photographs.


It was a lovely occasion, one we hope to repeat next summer.


Here are links to some of our members' photos of the day. Enjoy. :)

Lauren's Photos

Aaron's Photos

Steph's Photos

Kim's Photos

Eden's Photos

A look back...

A DVD was sent to me recently by Barbara of Brightjoy Productions. She'd taken this footage at the ORS's first event in August of 2007. It was a nice gift to receive as we approach our August 2008 Midsummer Night's Dream Masquerade ball at the same venue; the Ainsworth House & Gardens. I was thrilled.

I had some trouble figuring out how to convert this video from DVD to make it youtube compatible, and in part, it ended up being squished and only 7ish minutes long (the whole video is 16 minutes). I'll hopefully get a better quality version together at some point, but in the meantime, here it is. Flashback to last year.

ORS is a little over a year old now, but technically; August will mark the anniversary month of the ORS's first Regency costume event. It's exciting. In this short time, our membership exceeds 180 people; and we have a host of wonderful events for them to participate in.

I'm very proud of the Oregon Regency Society. It's such a wonderful thing. :)

The Emerald City Regency Party ~ May 24

The Eugene "Emerald City Regency Party" was a wonderful success. Thea had decked the whole venue out in a riot of flowers and art; the buffet was a colourful array of fruits and cheeses and other delicious tidbits; and there was much dancing.

The full set of photos can be viewed here.

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.

How to Make a Regency Poke Bonnet.

Hello visitors! Welcome to the Oregon Regency Society's blog page. This blog is continually updated. This bonnet page is a bit outdated, so I would like to direct you to our latest bonnet-making post which not only includes the straw-hat based bonnets that are described below, but also includes instructions and resources for making the really nice stovepipe bonnets as well. There is a pattern, there are instructional movies in addition to that one provided below, updated materials lists and links to pictures for inspiration. So please, do read the post below, but also, if you want the most up-to-date information, please click the following link. Thank you!
http://oregonregency.blogspot.com/2010/03/2010-regency-bonnet-workshop.html
Stephanie Johanesen; bonnet enthusiast. :)

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This is a little video I made to accompany the upcoming workshop. It's not exactly oscar-worthy, but it still serves a purpose. I say 'um' a lot and I also sound like I have no personality... but it still gets a point through. ::hee hee::
I hope this encourages you to go ahead and to make your own poke bonnet. :)
You can download the materials list by clicking the link provided below.

Materials List

This bonnet was made using the same techniques described in the video.

Tips that were left out of the video:
1) sew your ribbon ties on for additional strength.
2) I lined the inside to keep hair from getting caught in the straw.
3) How you cut your sun hat will determine what angle the brim will be at. So try it on and decide beforehand.

A lovely tea party

Sixteen ladies (and girls) in Regency costume converged on the Lavender Tea Room in Sherwood Oregon this past Sunday to enjoy a delicious tea of savory sandwiches, scones and delightful desserts.

You can see a full collection of photos here.

An excellent time was had by all. We enjoyed a mix of new as well as familiar faces in the ORS. A usual, it was a civilized, wonderful group of people.

Our next event; a Regency Dance workshop will occur in Eugene this coming Sunday, and then we will be hosting a Bonnet workshop on the 26th of April.

If you're in Oregon, or somewhere nearby... join us!