Blessings all! 

This month of October is the Month of the Holy Rosary, and so I thought it was appropriate that my first faith-based post in months should be dedicated to this devotion. 

As much as I love the Rosary, it does feel quite...trite at times. Rote, even. And that is something that is not *supposed* to happen. I mean, I have heard the meditative aspects of the Rosary described in many ways (most recently, being like a photo album sitting on Mother Mary's lap, which I find quite beautiful), but have never really *gotten* it. I've tried Rosary books with meditations and it only works for a few seconds before my mind is off again into La-La-Land (and not the musical either). 

So I've started this project in which to find little bite-sized meditations to consume before each prayer. What inspired this project was a practice that my brother would sometimes do for the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery and announce the first 10 Stations of the Cross before each Hail Mary. I found that it was super helpful to keep me focused. As many of the mysteries are based on Scripture, I decided to try one line or two lines of Scripture per Hail Mary. 

In this post, I'll be giving "a verse, a prayer" meditations for the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. By far, these were the easiest set of mysteries, as the Bible verses lined up one right after the other and they were already in a nice narrative format. 

All Bible quotations are taken directly from the Douay-Rheims version of the Bible. I should also add a disclaimer that the verses were chosen and curated by me (a single laywoman with no formal theological training). This does not have any official Imprimatur but is simply intended for private devotion only.  

First Mystery: The Annunciation

Our Father. 

"And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth." (Luke 1:26). Hail Mary. 

"To a virgin espoused to a man who name was Joseph, of the house of David: and the virgin's name was Mary." (Luke 1:27). Hail Mary. 

"And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." (Luke 1:28). Hail Mary. 

"Who having heard, was troubled at his saying and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be." (Luke 1:29). Hail Mary. 

"And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God." (Luke 1:30). Hail Mary. 

"Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus." (Luke 1:31). Hail Mary. 

"And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?" (Luke 1:34). Hail Mary. 

"And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35). Hail Mary. 

"And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to the thy word." (Luke 1:38). Hail Mary. 

"And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us..." (John 1:14). Hail Mary. 

Glory Be 

Fatima Prayer

Second Mystery: The Visitation of Our Lady to her cousin Elizabeth

Our Father

"And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she has also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren." (Luke 1:36). Hail Mary. 

"And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda." (Luke 1:39). Hail Mary. 

"And she entered into the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth." (Luke 1:40). Hail Mary. 

"And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost." (Luke 1:41). Hail Mary. 

"And she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." (Luke 1:42). Hail Mary. 

"And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43). Hail Mary. 

"For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." (Luke 1:44). Hail Mary. 

"And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. (Luke 1:46-47). Hail Mary. 

"Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations will call me blessed." (Luke 1:48). Hail Mary. 

"And Mary abode with her about three months. And she returned to her own house." (Luke 1: 56). Hail Mary. 

Glory Be. 

Fatima Prayer.

Third Mystery: The Nativity of Our Lord

Our Father

"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem: because he was was of the house and family of David. To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child." (Luke 2:4-5). Hail Mary. 

"And it came to pass that when they were there, her days were accomplished that she should be delivered." (Luke 2:6). Hail Mary. 

"And she brought forth her first-born son and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7). Hail Mary. 

"And there were in the same country shepherds watching and keeping their night watches over their flock." (Luke 2:8). Hail Mary. 

"And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them and the brightness of God shone round them: and they feared with a great fear. (Luke 2:9). Hail Mary. 

"And the angel said to them: Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people. (Luke 2:10). Hail Mary. 

"For, this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David." (Luke 2:11). Hail Mary. 

"And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger." (Luke 2:12). Hail Mary. 

"And they came with haste: and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manager. (Luke 2:16). Hail Mary. 

"And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told to them. (Luke 2:20). Hail Mary. 

Glory Be

Fatima Prayer

Fourth Mystery: The Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple

Our Father

"And after eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called Jesus, which was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb." (Luke 2:21). Hail Mary. 

"And after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord." (Luke 2:22). Hail Mary. 

"As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord." (Luke 2:23). Hail Mary. 

"And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon: and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel." (Luke 2:25). Hail Mary. 

"And when his parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law, he also took him into his arms and blessed God." (Luke 2:27-28). Hail Mary. 

"Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace, because my eyes have seen thy salvation." (Luke 2:29-30). Hail Mary. 

"And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him." (Luke 2:33). Hail Mary. 

"And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be contradicted." (Luke 2:34). Hail Mary. 

"And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed." (Luke 2:35). Hail Mary. 

"And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city Nazareth." (Luke 2:39). Hail Mary. 

Glory Be. 

Fatima Prayer.

"The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple" by Giovanni Bellini

Fifth Mystery: The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

Our Father

"And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast." (Luke 2:42). Hail Mary. 

"And having fulfilled the days when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and his parents knew it not." (Luke 2:43). Hail Mary. 

"And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey and sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance." (Luke 2:44). Hail Mary. 

"And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him." (Luke 2:45). Hail Mary. 

"And it came to pass that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing the and asking them questions." (Luke 2:46). Hail Mary. 

"And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers." (Luke 2:47). Hail Mary. 

"And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold they father and I have sought thee sorrowing." (Luke 2:48). Hail Mary.  

"And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? Did you know I must be about my father's business?" (Luke 2:49). Hail Mary. 

"And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them." (Luke 2:50). Hail Mary. 

"And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them." (Luke 2:51). Hail Mary. 

Glory Be

Fatima Prayer

And that finishes the Joyful Mysteries! I hope to publish the Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries soon!  

Old-fashionably yours, 

Catherine

Greetings and salutations! 

It has been much too long since I've written anything on this blog. To be fair, things have been kinda stir-crazy over here. April and May were near-complete disasters and June has been spent picking up the pieces. But I'll leave that commiserating for my wrap-up post later this week. 

Today, I wish to be spontaneous and write down some really ambitious sewing projects that I would love to tackle within the next five years or so. Will I get any of them done? Who knows. If anything, I love to dream.

So what's on my list? 

1. Aida Opera Dress

I've already touched on this at the beginning of the year when I made my goals sheet for 2021. However, I have not even looked at it since the winter, so I don't know if it's going to fly this year or not. Maybe I'll actually get the patterns this year so it won't be a total bust. 

But anyway, for those who don't know about this hair-brained scheme, you can check out this post HERE. Though if I do ever actually update this project, it will be on The History Cat, since it's historical. And really, that poor little blog needs something of it's own. What I have done though, is made up a secret Pinterest board for collecting fashion plates and I must say...I'm drawn to this one right here... 

2. Jennie Wade inspired 1860's Dress

Some of you probably remember that Gettysburg has a special place in my heart (I mean, after how many field trips, it's hard not to). But many of you probably don't know about Jennie Wade, who was the only direct civilian causality of the battle. She is such a little-known but fascinating (and tragical) figure in Pennsylvania history. Really, someone needs to make a movie on her. 

Anyway, I digress. I've been interested in Civil War history for quite a bit, and the fashions are really nice. So I'd like to try my hand at it. But instead of going for the fancy ballgowns of the plantations, I'd like to go for a simple day dress that I can maybe wear to reenactments and stuff. Because of that, this project does have a better shot of actually being made because patterns and fabric can be sourced a lot easier. 

3. Scottish Highland Costume

This is one that has been on my list since an early teenager. I think I have mentioned before that I have a fair amount of Scottish ancestry. And so, I'd love to make myself a Scottish costume, preferably out of my family tartan. 

Originally, I had wanted to make a kilt, but years later, I discovered the traditional women's Highland dress, which is a long tartan skirt, tartan shawl with a white blouse and black vest. And it's preetttyyy. Though now I have to decide whether I shall go with the historically accurate Ancient Mackinnon or the modern Mackinnon tartans. I personally like the look of the modern better, but we shall see. 

4. Polish Costume

If I have one, I might as well have the other! Over time, I've learned to appreciate my daddy's Polish roots and I love their folk costumes. Such lovely embroidery, ack! And the floral crowns too. My issue is that I have multiple branches of Polish ancestry, so I'm not sure if I want to base my costume off of Krakow or the rural village where my grandfather's grandfather came from. 

5. My own Corset

This is probably the nuttiest one of them all...and I'll probably do this in conjunction with one of the other historical costumes that I have slated. But I wanna try. I mean, I've seen other historical costumers do it. So it can't be that hard...

6. My own Eowyn costume

Is this a surprise? Probably not. You all know my love for Eowyn. I'm not sure if I want to copy a costume from the movies, or maybe make a whole new one inspired by her. She has pretty simplistic costumes. It's going to be the shield that's going to get me, I think. 

7. A Sidesaddle Habit

Horseback riding is one of those hobbies that I don't get to participate in very often. But I love riding habits, especially those of the eighteenth century (ahem, Felicity's is gorgeous, not gonna lie). So definitely want to make one of those (and use it too, if I get a chance!). 

And that is seven! In addition to these, I have some honorable mentions, which include a Regency gown, a Tudor gown with French Hood, and some Edwardian outfits. The only reason I made it seven and not ten is that, well, with the rest there are some *modesty issues* I gotta work through. Stupid low necklines...

So, does anybody think I can pull these off? Which ones would you be interested in seeing? Any you think are absolutely crazy? Tell me in the comments below! 

Old-fashionably yours, 

Catherine

Hey y'all! 

So, this wasn't exactly planned (well, it was, sorta). I hadn't really intended on sharing about this brainchild of mine until I had actually started the project. 

But now that I've kinda spilled the beans about this project in my monthly wrap-ups, I suppose I outta backtrack and explain about what the dickens this is all about. And if it comes to nothing later, oh well. Blogging is a journal, and there is always a chance that future me will stumble across this and actually do something about it. 

Speaking of which, I better get started before I ramble on much further. 

I am a history nerd. Actually, to be honest, my entire family are history nerds in some degree or another. At least when it comes to us kids. 

There are some of us who tend to take it a little further...case in point would be me, who actually became a historical reenactor for a couple of years. 

My brother Tyler is of the same ilk. I shouldn't have been surprised. The kid acts like me, thinks like me (mostly), has many similar hobbies to me (including sewing?!) and even LOOKs like me. Like we could be twins, almost. 

So when he suggested a couple of years ago that he and I should create a formal suit and opera dress and go to the opera in them, I was completely on board with the whole idea. If it had been any other sibling, I would have had cause for concern. Not for the dressing up aspect, mind you. It's just that Tyler is the only one besides me who has any appreciation for the opera. 

Granted, neither of us were absolutely serious about doing it right then. For one thing, we're broke millennials. And another, historical costuming is an area to which I have little experience and he none. However, both of us started following various costumers on YouTube and kept hinting to each other that "yeah, we should do this thing eventually". 

I'm not sure what it was about this year, but I decided that I was going to work towards making this dress. Or at least design this thing, if nothing else. And so, the first thing to do was figure out what opera I wanted to take inspiration from.  

Now, I'm weird when it comes to operas. I'm sure Belle Anne would be absolutely scandalized to hear this, but I don't choose operas because of the music (the vibratto really gets to me after a while) or the art form (even a romantic person like me has her limits). 

I choose them for the story. Because, yes, operas have plots. And most of them are pretty bad. Murders, adultery, suicide...just to name a few of the atrocities. 

However...I eventually got caught. By a Catholic movie of all things. You see, in Going My Way, one of the characters is an opera singer and one of the scenes in the movie is the famous aria from Bizet's Carmen. So of course, I had to look up the opera after that, which resulted in finding a copy on YouTube, which then resulted in me watching it.... 

Well, I was hooked. Except that the obsession with opera was rather cut short because of the content issues. To many, this may not seem a big deal. But I have no interest in imbibing media that could be soul damaging in any way. 

But before that obsession ended, I did find one opera that I ended up loving to pieces and still do. And that is Guiseppe Verdi's Aida. 

Aida features a story of love, jealousy, and betrayal set in Ancient Egypt. The storyline is very easy to follow along and the music is great to listen to. And besides the implied paganism, there really isn't that much immoral conduct! Plus...the name Aida is really pretty, I feel. 

The colors and aesthetics of Aida really lend themselves as well. Rather than having the harsh reds and blacks of Carmen, Aida has muted blues, teals, reds, golds, greens, and white. This is much more suited for my complexion which (if you follow color analysis) tends to fall under the Summer/Spring categories. 

Hence, Aida became the opera of choice for our operatic adventure. At present, we don't have a venue or a time to shoot for. That will come later. The important thing is that Aida is the inspiration going forward. 

Now, the next thing to determine was the time period in which to date the dress. Because as we all know, historical garments are products of their time and each has its own quirks which denote it. When taking inspiration from a specific thing, it is typically wise to take a significant date, either from the work itself or otherwise. 

In the case of Aida, I chose the opening date in the United States, which is 1873. This is an early bustle period, so the fullness is being transferred to the back but the skirts are still quite wide and pretty. 

And now, the design process can begin! 

Old-fashionably yours, 

Catherine