An...Eventful Weekend...

Well, well, well, odd little things can have...interesting...consequences.

My younger son, AKA the Actor, although The Drummer would be a more accurate moniker these days, gave me a clamp-on LED desk lamp for my sewing space for Christmas.

Alas, when I clamped it on and plugged it in, I discovered that the switch would not turn the light off.  It dimmed it a bit...but it didn't turn off.

So, I got him to send me the invoce/ confirmation email and planned to make a jaunt over to the west side of the state to the retailer from which he ordered it and just do an exchange...easier than trying to finagle such a thing via email. 

And, it just so happened that My Sweet Babboo was wanting to attend a black powder rifle event at the State Park lodge that was over in that same direction.

So, we cashed in some Holiday Inn Club Points on a room in Florence (Alabama, lol) and made a little event of it, planning to hit the rifle show Friday afternoon, have a nice dinner someplace in Florence Friday night, swing by Ken's Sewing Center to exchange my lamp the next day and then head home.

I took a book; told him I'd do one loop through the vendors at the rifle show with him and then read whilst he went back through to get anything that caught his eye.  He was basically looking for a ball mold to put in his frontiersman's kit...not that he would actually use it, but it would get him points in outfit judging.

Going up and down the aisles, I spotted a table that had a couple of ladies dresses...period costumes...laid over a table with the unbelievable price tag of $50 on each of them.  They were gowns with petticoats...impossible to even buy the fabric to make them for that price.  When we got around to the table, the gentlemen there said that he was reducing his participation in the black powder rendezvous events, and his wife declared she was done.  He was just trying to get rid of the stuff. "I have a whole trunk if you'd like to see it...I'll make a deal for you for all of it".  There were a number of ladies' blouses and skirts, along with a cloak and a pair of buckle shoes, plus a bag of stockings and a few men's knee breeches.

The price for the trunk and the clothes was just too good to pass up; I told him he was taking my excuse for not accompanying my hubby to his annual Appalachian Trail outreach...that I didn't have any suitable clothes.

My Sweet Babbo picked up a couple of books and other small items, although he didn't find the ball mold, and we loaded the trunk into the van and headed off for the rest of our weekend.

Had dinner in an interesting restaurant...sorta like a fondue place only the meat is cooked on a superheated rock instead of a pot of oil.  Ken's was out of stock on the lamp so they will send a replacement.  And I dumped a Grande Americano coffee all over myself and the car when the lid popped off after my 'We're getting in the car and headed home' sip.

Here are the two dresses that caught my eye; wouldn't you do a double take if you saw a $50 price tag on these?

They were machine made, albeit reportedly by a seamstress who sews for a specific historical re-enactment event (he told us which one but I've forgotten.  It wasn't one I was familiar with).  They really are at least two sizes too small for me; the guy's wife must be a tiny lady.  But the print dress has been altered to be smaller; I think I can reverse it.  Those two dresses are really fancier than is needed for the AT Blessing event, though...so I'm not even sure I will keep them.  I may put them in the costume closet at church, should we need something for an 18th century lady or two.  They are clearly not period correct but are costumes; the petticoat of the pink dress actually is brocade only on the front.  The back is plain white cotton.  There are skirts and blouses in the trunk that would be better suited for wearing with my frontiersman hubby, for all I would still need a top layer and definitely some stays to support the skirts. And I will need to make a set of pockets, lol.

I didn't photograph most of what was in the trunk; white gathered edge blouses, and skirts that were two lengths of fabric seamed together with a drawstring at the top.  I was hoping for a set of pockets, but there were none.  But there was this fantastic cloak...lined wool...

and a pair of buckle shoes which, amazingly, actually fit my feet.  

There was also a pair of moccasins, but they are going to need quite a bit of conditioning before I can tell if they'll work...they were too stiff to get my feet into them.

Plus, as I said, some pieces that I think will work for My Sweet Babboo's outfit.

There was also a  (non-period) shooter's bag, which the cat LOVED for some reason.

And all that happened because I got a lamp that needed replacing.  Had I not needed to take the lamp back, he would have just done a day trip to the state park and back; he might have gotten himself a pair or two of the breeches.  But he certainly would not have considered the dresses or the trunk.  So you never know what tiny thing will trigger a whole thing you didn't expect...