Improving an Impression, Part 2: The Homefront

[heidilea]

Some of you might find this a less interesting post than the other two. I'm going to be talking about the things I want to do at home to help improve my impression. It includes sewing, but also cooking, gardening, dancing, gear-maintenance and reading.

Comments

[justawench]

What's "the German style?"

That's a long list! I may have to digest it later. I hope you are able to do some dancing - it's so much fun!

Also, I sent you a PM (If you're like me, you tend to miss those).

[heidilea]

Yes! it was much longer than I had wanted it to be, actually. But, I look it at things I can do over time so I don't get so overwhelmed by my own thoughts.

Germans seem to have a preference for old-fashioned styles, and one or two bands appear around the bottom of their petticoats in prints. Only one extant one is at Chester County Historical Society (in "Fitting and Proper"), though she lists it as an underpetticoat. I know a few of the German groups and would like at some point in the future to portray a German woman under my own name (once I get a handle on the German language).

I got it!

[justawench]

Ah, I've seen those petticoats in paintings and wondered what exactly that represented. I thought I'd even seen some on English women, but it could have just been an English painter, painting foreign subjects on a tour or something.

[justawench]

Cooking - I've tried my hand a bit at open-fire cooking. I've successfully made apple butter and corn pudding. I'd love to have an outdoor fireplace where I could do more! It's hard to "practice" in the field.

I just noticed on Pinterest that Jas. Townsend has a lot of cooking videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dtBjqIu5W8&list=EC567A0227C741A096 and even one on making your own clay oven! (Not portable, obviously)

Gardening - My backyard currently looks like a jungle, and I definitely garden like your mother. I grow tons of things I never use, because honestly, I don't cook that much. I also grow things with no use whatsoever for those with access to modern medicine, like lovage which gets amazingly huge, btw.

[heidilea]

I'll check out the cooking videos! I think for right now, I'm interested in seeing if I can replicate the recipes at all. They seem so much less daunting as they did a couple years ago and might even make for some tasty modern dishes

[justawench]

I grew some feverfew one year and now I think I will never be rid of it. I've never seen something grow so vigorously and in so many places! It comes up in the cracks of our driveway now. Beware, unless it's less of a pest in your region.

It's fun to grow herbs, whether you use them or not! I think they all have some visual interest.

[heidilea]

Because you can't get rid of it and since it appeared on it's own, I guess it will have to go then!