all my dolls are gay 🌈🫶🏳️‍🌈

It's June of 1816, and Helena is a guest at an older cousin's wedding. The wedding is taking place on the grounds of Henley Manor, and absolutely everyone is invited. Thankfully, the incessant rain has stopped, although it's still terribly gloomy.

Helena Marchmont is twelve years old during the Year Without a Summer, when volcanic eruptions the year before caused global cooling. Crops around the world failed as weather patterns changed drastically.

Despite the sorrows the year has brought, Helena feels sunshine in her heart today. She is dressed in her new summer gown and a matching silk flower-trimmed lace bonnet. The tidy rows of pink roses remind her of last summer, when gardens bloomed with color. This year, flowers are few and far between, and the rose gardens of Henley Manor continue to sleep as if it were the dead of winter. Helena shivers a bit, but she's glad she didn't bring a big, heavy cloak like Aunt Augusta suggested.

Maybe she will go looking for some wildflowers to add to the bride's bouquet.

I made Helena's dress using the Elinor pattern from Pemberly Threads. I did make a few changes to it. The fabric came from an upcycled thrift store shirt.

I made her bonnet with a pattern from Ann Van Doren Designs. The bonnet brim was cut from a thrift store straw hat.

🏳️‍🌈Dressed for pride 🏳️‍⚧️

To my dear queer siblings,

me: oh thats great!! happy to see some new historical stuff. is there anything new for claudie??

american girl: we're also re-releasing some old outfits for samantha, kirsten, and addy!! with the nostalgia tax of course, so they'll be significantly more expensive than the other new outfits ;)

me: oh. uh. cool. anything for claudie??