This time last year, when I realised that I couldn’t afford to go to Costume College 2018, I sobbed** about it to some friends, and the amazing Miss Priscilla said “Awww, we’ll throw a New Zealand CoCo for you”. Which is a pretty amazing offer considering that Priscilla isn’t a historical costumer! In wonderful synchronicity, Nina  of Smash the Stash had had me bring back a bunch of Regency sewing patterns from CoCo 17 so she could make a Regency wardrobe, and she started holding monthly historical sewing get-togethers. So once a month for all of 2018 Nina, Priscilla***, Eloise of Linen and Lining, and Hvitr of Historical Living  (and sometimes Madame O) have been getting together and working on historical sewing projects, and planning a reason to wear what we were working on.  And our reason, while not quite NZ CoCo, was wonderful and lovely (and maybe even better). We settled on a Labour Day Weekend sewing and dress up retreat, and found an adorable cottage on a beautiful estate just an hours drive …