In Creatures of Castlefest rubric we want to put the wondrous creatures, that are part of the world of Castlefest, in the spotlight. From visitor to entertainer, from exhibitor to volunteer. What moves them and which role does Castlefest play in their lives? This time: Jenny (the lady wearing the silver/black dress), who visits Castlefest since 2008 in her handmade creations.
I’ve been visiting Castlefest since 2008 and usually I do this together with my daughter. However, today she had other plans. One of my students is with me today. After participating in my course we became friends. We'd like to attend the various festivals together as well and usually make our costumes together.
The first time I visited Castlefest, I didn’t know anyone.. Through the years you get to know more and more people and our group keeps growing. Precisely that, combined with the atmosphere at Castlefest keeps me coming back every year. I won’t go on vacation, that is what Castlefest means for us
We often wear things we’ve already made or which are easy to alter. The dress I’m wearing I did make with the intention to wear it here. My friend and I decided to make the same dress, inspired by Game of Thrones. It’s a base dress I can easily wear with other looks. Easy and warm with the cold weather, perfect!
Inspiration mostly comes from within and I also use Pinterest. But my environment is an important factor as well: We set a theme within the group and build our costumes around it. For this dress I had a lot more ideas. I wanted to add some chains to it, but I’ll do that next time. This way we keep upgrading out outfits.
During the process of making the dress I get more inspiration. When making the pattern there is always something we'd like to do a little differently. I alter that and this way our dresses are adopted to our own wishes more and more
I don't really remember how I ended up at Castlefest the first time. I think I heard about it somewhere and I told my daughter it could be something to check out. We liked it so much, we didn’t stop coming back!
The atmosphere is what keeps us coming back. Even though Castlefest is more than just a costume party, we do like to go all out.
"Kids love our outfits: they want to take a picture with the queen. That makes me so happy!"
To me it’s about wearing what we made, a great opportunity to dress up. Having our picture taking is also very fun, however it's not out main goal. Castlefest enables us to wear our costumes in a place where they fit into the scenery. The castle and estate grounds setting is amazing. The autumn colours give a completely different vibe from the summer edition as well.
At Castlefest we love to stroll around, checking out the market and meeting people. Since people know I teach sewing courses, they’re always curious about what I’ve created this time. Kids love it too, they want to take a picture with the queen: I love that! Castlefest means fun and cosiness to me, as well as wearing beautiful dresses.
Article and photo by: Dewi van Zeggelaar
Want to see more of Jenny's beautiful costumes? Check her website for some amazing examples.
