5 Hidden Quotes...
Did everyone get their letter off to their Pen Friend of the first round? I was a bit rusty with my dipping pen. I have been neglecting the art of writing with a dip pen. Dear Mrs. Duffy at
Letter Matters had sent me a feather quill that she had cut, but I was too nervous using it on this project. I must practice to get the feel of a feather quill tip.
It is believed that Ms. Jane Austen used feathered quill pens for writing.
Handwriting in the Time of Jane Austen is a nice article on what Jane Austen most probably used. I'm afraid my steel nib was probably not much of an option for Jane and my paper and ink are not period.
Did anyone do the 5 Austen Quotes embedded in the letter? I actually have 6 quotes and so I suppose one is a bonus quote. I wrote out the quotes on a separate piece of paper and enclosed it in a mini envelope
After my letter was written to my satisfaction, I decided to see about adding a tad of interest to the outside of the envelope. Before the Janeite gestapo get after me, I do realize that most (all?) of my letter is not "period"correct. I am just trying to capture the spirit of genteel, thoughtful, civilized, letter writing. But, if you are interested in doing things "period", then here is a great article to show you how to fold your letter according to the time period:
How to Fold A Regency Letter .
Hmmmm. You might think that the above picture of some cute stickers is a mistake on this blog post, but I assure you it is not. I am inserting this photo because I made an astonishing discovery. When I decided to place some string and a wax seal on the outside of the letter, I knew I would have to put it in a clear envelope due to postal regulations. And here is where the discovery was made. Did you know that the cello bag that holds these stickers fits a letter folded in this manner--perfectly? So don't throw out those cello bags...reuse them!
Here is the letter protected with a clear cello bag (from the above sticker package). Jane's silhouette is looking over the address, she is there to oversee that the letter reaches its destination.
This letter is heading to the Netherlands. I had the letter weighed at the post office after I had affixed my stamps and of course I had one too many. I count that as my donation to the USPS.
Please share your results of your letter writing experience. I would be delighted to post them on this site. Please email me at : JALWSociety@gmail.com for consideration.
May all that is pleasant, be yours.
Lady Pamela
