CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 31 Passion for pageantry Russell's love for sewing was nurtured by watching her grandmother, who was an avid sewer and quilter. "I spent a lot of summers with her. She taught me how to sew at a very young age. Honestly, I can probably say about 4 or 5. I started with little plastic cards and yarn. By 7, I was hand-sewing doll clothes, and by 9, clothes for myself," Russell says. Her love for historical and vintage clothing can be traced to when she saw the miniseries "North and South" in the summer before she entered seventh grade. "I designed and sewed my first Civil War dress, which admittedly was horrific and not historically accurate. I think it was white cotton, red lace and made from a Gunne Sax pattern, but I did it all by myself. As soon as I finished it, I knew it was wrong, so I spent weeks in the library researching and came up with some new designs." She is constantly learning sewing techniques because it is a continuous process, she says. "I'm completely self-taught, but no one is ever really an expert. ere are always things you can and should learn." the Lafayette Society. It seems completely silly in hindsight that I was unaware of this amazing group right in my own front yard," says Russell. e 49-year-old mother of four says it was a serendipitous moment to hear of the celebration plans, which seemed to line up well with the Grand Birthday Ball and Soiree that she is hosting in September. "I had discovered Lafayette's birthday was around the same time as my oldest son, Renton's, birthday. He would also be turning 19 this year, which was the age Lafayette was when he joined George Washington in the U.S. fight for independence. A little bit of research led me to the fact that Lafayette came back to the U.S. during the 1820s and so, voila! A birthday ball in the late Regency era made total sense," Russell says. Hank Parfitt of the Lafayette Society thinks it will be a perfect preview to his group's celebration, which will take place in 2025 along with other nationwide observances of the bicentennial of Lafayette's return visit to the United States shortly aer the American Revolution ended. "Fayetteville was the first city named for the Marquis de Lafayette, in 1783, and the only namesake that he visited during his 15-month tour in 1824 and 1825," says Parfitt. Traditionally, the Lafayette Society has hosted a weekend of birthday tributes. Russell will add the Grand Birthday Ball, which she feels will add a touch of grand Regency style. She hosted a Lafayette Ball and Costume Workshop in June that was funded in partnership with the Arts Council. "I originally envisioned a three- part workshop series: Foundations (undergarments), day wear and evening wear. e first one we had was a lot of fun. We conducted it in person at the Arts Council building and also had a live-stream for folks to tune in from all over. at part was a learning experience. It was the first time I'd used Facebook Live to stream anything," Russell says. She had six participants in person with another seven or eight following online. She hoped to improve the format based on that first experience. "At this point, I'm still working out the details of the other two workshops. I have not received additional grant funding, so I'm looking for alternate locations," says Russell. Rebecca Russell's love for historical and vintage clothing can be traced to when she saw the miniseries "North and South" in the summer before she entered seventh grade.

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