Twenty-two? Seriously?

   So the Clue Hunt on the Bayou got to a late start this year.  Between illness, injuries, termites and a mass amount of cleaning the property, things got hectic.  However!  Son and I were determined to bring the hunt to a reality again (after a 5 year hiatus).  We pushed through the setbacks, cut back on a few of the major props and dug deeper into ingenuity but we did it!  The hunt is in mid-run now and will continue for another week.  Even with our problems, each group attending gave rave reviews and voiced their desire to come back next year.  Success!  At least, success in my point of view.

  Each hunt is an immersive event where even the decorations fit the theme.  This year, our whole place was set in a Victorian town so everything had to have the appearance of being of that era.  One shop was a tailor shop.  Hmmm...well, intentions were good to actually sew a bunch of Victorian style clothing pieces for display.  That did not happen.  I was on the verge of despair when I recalled a trunk full of old clothing from...get this...the turn of the century...yep...that turn of the century!  I had clothes from around the correct time period just stashed in a trunk.  Mom had kept them...and whoever before her....kept them...I kept them.  Now, those dresses were to finally be stars of the show again! 

  As I carefully unpacked dress after dress, something dawned on me.  My goodness!  The waist measurments were absurdly tiny!  I mean TINY!  Keep in mind these dresses were worn by ladies not children.  Out of curiousity, I measured.  Yep...tiny!  Most were around 20 to 22 inches but some were 18 to 19 inches.  Were these gowns worn with corsets or were the ladies just slender?  Either way...I would never be able to wear one of these elaborate gowns unless the outfit did include a corset that was laced "unbreathably" tight!  (Unbreathably is not actually a word but it describes my feeling about tight-laced corsets.)  Still, the dresses were truly amazing as they were all handmade with most being hand-stitched.  

  Now, I wish I had the talent to sew beautiful gowns even though I do not wear them except for the clue hunts.  I may give it a try by following some of these gowns.  Perhaps a paper pattern could be fashioned?  Who knows...but...I do know that not many will have such tiny waistlines!  Mine will need at least an 8 inch increase before I would be able to breathe.