So we've been going to the RenFaire every other week this year, and I've been drooling over everyone's coats. Frock coats, that is, and the pirates are dressed to the nines in lovely, lovely coats.(I asked one pirate fellow if I could have his coat, and he said I'd have to wrestle him for it. I asked Bob to wrestle him for me, but Bob declined, so I didn't get his coat. *grin*)
Well, today was the last Burlington. I went without thinking all that much of anything I needed or really wanted, and I ended up with costumes.
And a coat.
It's made out of some sort of shiny cotton, I believe--and it's old enough that the sewing machine that made it didn't have a reverse.
Most of the costumes this dealer had were from the Oddfellows, and from the early 1900s. I got three--a gold velvet robe with embroidered pink and blue flowers, a sleeveless shift-like dress that would work very well at the RenFaire, and my nice coat, which is light and unlined and quite fabulous.
All three items were quite filthy, too. And while I'm not worried all that much about the sleeveless dress/overdress, since it's cotton and lined with cotton, I am worried about the velvet robe and I was worried about my coat.
But since I got all three for $30, I figured it was worth a try to wash it. So I bought some expensive Woolite and went to work.
The red leaked horribly, just as I expected, but the coat itself lived through the washing just fine. I even put it in the dryer so it wouldn't be all wrinkled. And it came out perfectly! (And it fits! Which is even better!)
This was costume day at Burlington, evidently; I haven't bought so many costume-related things (or seen them, in truth) for years.
I also bought a grey/blue nurse's cape--a lovely long one lined in red. It's red wool, too, and the blue/grey outside is also wool. It's in wonderful shape! That was $25, a very good buy. I'm going to color-test the red, but I actually think it might be okay. (It's not that old. And it's probably from OSU Hospital. Now, of course, with only one day at the RenFaire left, I end up with three different costume possibilities. *sigh*
I could have used the cape in the morning, because it was cold. I wore my thickest cashmere sweater and gloves, and I was still shivering!
I also picked up a bunch of knitting needles for $1, a pretty wool plaid throw for $3, and some squash and two pumpkins at the farmer's market.
One of the food vendors at Burlington had homemade (from scratch) chicken and dumplings (soup) that did wonders to warm me up--and they were yummy.
When I got home, I discovered that Bekah had cleaned the living room and swept the hallway and stairs, and bought me two cookbooks for my birthday. I looked through one of them--and it's filled with cool recipes--and got through half the other one, which is also great. So there will be more soup in my future.
In fact, I'm looking forward to trying chicken and dumplings soup of my own. :)
Comments