Gunfight in Dixie XIV, done!

What a great shoot!

We had a ball. Great stages, great range, awesome hosts! The shoot was based on Quigley Down Under. Yep, Tom Selleck, Australia, perfect really!

Besides the rain making everything a little soggy, this is a great range. Permanent facades with a lot of detail and thought adorns this neat little range.

 

There are signs and different bits and pieces that make the inside of the facades look like you walked back into time. Apparently the hotel has previously held poker games etc in it during the later evenings. It has lights and fans inside and tables can be set up in there.

 

Every stage had some cover, 5 have permanent cover and all have fans in them and at the loading tables.

 

Saturday night was dinner and side match awards, sitting listening, talking with different folks and drinking some of the purest white lightning I've seen or tasted at 95 proof.

 

Thanks to Hot Lead Lefty, Tennessee Whiskers, Cherokee Sergeant, Dew R Dye and all the Memphis Gunslingers and help, for hosting a great match!

We had a great Posse, with Cumberland Drifter, C W Knight, Tombstone John, our Posse Marshall Randy Saint Eagle, Dode City Dixie, Reno Mustang, Cullen Bohannon, Little JB, Ginderella, Jailbreak Jake, Johnny Tennessee, Mud Puppy, Silas Armas Aubrey, Tomme Gunz, Tennessee Pencil Pusher, Jack and myself.

 

Their top gun shoot off went well with a 10 plate knockdown rack for rifle, Texas star and dump plate for pistol and shotgun. I haven't got any pictures or video from that though.

Koda Joe and I won best dressed cowboy and cowgirl for the weekend. Congratulations to all the category winners and placers. Jack finished 1st in Senior and I was 1st in Lady Wrangler.

 

Top cowboy at the shootout was Slick Mclade with Dew R Dye taking Top cowgirl. Good fun!

The overall winners for this years Gunfight in Dixie was Blackfish Kid (cowboy) and Slick's Sharpshooter (cowgirl), congratulations!

Cheers

Kat xo

 

Guns Of August 2016

What a great weekend, done and dusted!

The weather was hot and humid, like, really humid, dripping is more precise! The shade and trees really only kept the sun off us, nothing else!

Bug spray kept mozzies and other bugs away so that was something.

Thursday was the side match day. Mini warm up, side matches, felt pretty good! Only 1 rifle miss. Rest of the day, clean and reasonable, feeling sensational!

Friday, Day 1 of main match, clean! Six stages and going awesomely. Jack had a couple of undesirables but is shooting really well! I might add that the opening ceremonies were pretty spectacular with Lady Lopez playing the Canadian, AUSTRALIAN and US anthems!! Impressive, indeed.

 

Friday night at the clubhouse was a ribs and corn dinner and damn fine it was! Thanks to Doc Eells and others!

Got to sit and talk to RJ Gatling and Paden Emmett Cobb only to find out they knew Mary-Lou June and Mary-Lou July! RJ Gatling showed me a picture of him wih the Deere Sista's and turns out Paden was one of the judges for the Daggers and Derringers saloon contest in 2013 when the girls visited End of Trail. Haa Haa Haa!

 

Saturday, Day 2 started off okay and then a couple mistakes with shotgun made for two not so pleasant stages for me. Jack still went really good.

 

Done and dusted, we did the shoot off Friday afternoon with rain expected on the Saturday. The awards and banquet were held and all in all we finished up well. I won Lady Wrangler, a few side matches and best dressed saloon girl. Jack came 2nd in Silver Senior. We finished 32nd and 36th overall.

A huge congratulations to Sage Chick finishing not only 1st lady overall but 1st overall! For 1st man overall, a big congratulations to Duke Skywalker!

 

We had a great Posse led by Two Bit Drifter, consisting of Clementine Valentine, Darby, Darby Belle, J K Tadpole, Bad Bad Beth, Don Jorge, Taco Belle, Billy The Avenger, Deuce Stevens, Drover Dean, R J Gatling, Paden Emmett Cobb, Crazy Mingo, Shell Stuffer, Lady Viper, Jackaroo and myself.

Thanks for having us Lassiter and the Big Irons team!

Kat xo

http://www.bigirons.com

 

It’s the Cowboy Way

It is with heavy hearts but the fondest of memories, that Jack and I raise a glass of Fireball whiskey to our friend Texas Slim and to his dear wife and good friend LilMcGill and family, our most heartfelt and sincerest condolences.

Any shoot with Lil and Slim was always an absolute hoot! Adoration and sincerely proud was Lil when Slim would take a win at a shoot we were at! It always made us smile.

 

Jack and I will never forget you Texas Slim, Slim's green all the way! Lil, love and hugs to you and all the family at this time.

Kelli and Jack xoxo

 

Wicked!

They say 'blue and green should never be seen, unless a colour in between' but that fashion saying is way behind in the colour stakes these days.

Humour me here as I describe the scenario for the making of this shirt (and certainly no offence meant whatsoever!!)……'Grace can you make me a poofy shirt?'….looking a little startled and having to think quick, my come back was 'do you mean a B-Western shirt?'…..'Yeah, some sort of fancy, poofy shirt!' – this coming from a shooter with a wicked sense of humour and wants to shoot B-Western black powder or something along those lines.

I had to laugh and take the order. Sure, no worries, coming right up. So in the book he went, his turn came round and here's what we have.

 

Not too extravagant on embroidery detail, different colours which I really do quite like – blue and green, together – and blinged out.

 

Hope it works for you CTM and that you shine out from the crowd when you wear it!

Onto the next!

Kat xo

(Should have pressed it properly before taking pics!)

 

Indian Territory SASS

Headed out at sparrows today and took the almost 2hr drive up through Sapulpa and Sand Springs to Zink Ranch. Home of Red Castle Gun Club and the ITSASS club.

The Oklahoma State Championships will be held here in early September so it was a good chance to get up and shoot there again.

 

It was warm and muggy when we opened the doors to get out of the car at 8.30 in the morning. We ended up with a slight breeze, making it a little more comfortable AND nice cool watermelon helped – thanks Catoosa Red!!

Forty four shooters in total turned out for the day. With the match scored on total time it was a huge congratulations to Creek County Kid taking out overall, good friend Missouri Mae 2nd, Jack finished 3rd and I was 4th with the rest scattered throughout the pack.

 

Hope you had a great weekend.

Kat xo

 

 

The Gamblers, Heartland

This weekend The Gamblers annual shoot The Heartland gets under way in our home town Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

Pat Garrett and side matches will be over, and soon will be waking up to start main match.

To everyone attending from around Australia and from New Zealand, we hope the weather is kind, we know the stages are good and the hospitality outstanding. May you all shoot straight, have fun and be safe!

Look forward to hearing the outcome!

 

Hugs to all

Kat xo

 

Couple of Weeks

Haa Haa, I should say fortnight just to throw some off!

Actually it's probably been slightly longer than that…..wow time flies.

Back into it, machine got serviced ready for action, back to the gym *ahem, coughs* after being at End of Trail was definitely needed!

We have had a couple of practice days and a club match thrown in for good measure with some pleasing results coming out of that but there is always more to learn and more to be done.

 

Now that the machine is back in action it has been knocking out some repairs and alterations, a few tops, another bright B-Western shirt and now back to corsets, bags, garters, bandanas, tops, skirts and more!

Yes! Back in my element again and loving the eclectic mix of colours and patterns again.

 

Have a couple of new bigger projects coming up too including an 1890's gown, sack suit/s and a Tom Mix tribute.

We also threw in a quick trip to the National Cowboy Museum to check out the Hell On Wheels costume exhibit. Real it was just so I could get pictures and drool over Eva's costume from Season 5 but we did see Cullen Bohannon and Thomas Durant's costumes as well. Looks like I have another project for Jack. 😉

 

Yee Haa! Have a sensational day people.

Kat xo

 

Pawnee Station Vindicators

The Colorado State Championships were held once again at Pawnee Station in Nunn, Colorado over the July 1-3 weekend.

Jack and I arrived there after a couple of nights at the Cowboy Hotel with friends Aspen Filly and Aspen Wrangler (and brown dog). (Thanks again for having us guys and the first hand viewing of the new place!)

All checked in at Fort Collins and we are ready for more action!

Friday was Wild Bunch day. 4 stages to start the day rolling, then a couple cowboy warm up stages followed by speed events. Jack was Posse Marshal so walk through for him late afternoon while I was back at the motel finishing a corset.

 

Saturday saw the commencement of 6 main stages. Hmmm pistol decides to give up working properly on first two stages. Thankfully that didn't occur during End of Trail!! Anyway focus, persistence and calm win over and I carry on using one of Jack's for the rest of the match.

We had a great posse and although our original Posse Marshal, Wild Horse John, couldn't be with us, we had Bulldog Ric, Bulldog Red, Bulldog Taz, Lady Bulldog, Wildcat Cliff, Flinch Lock, Smokewagon Bill, Dynamite Mary, Your Nemesis, Captain George Baylor, Dusty Buckboard, Casper Kid and John Mosby, Jackaroo and Kathouse Kelli make up the Posse 1 detail.

Everyone worked and we moved through pretty swiftly, catching up to the next Posse a few times.

 

The stages were good, the facades are always good and the few new additions added to the match! An outstanding effort to all involved.

Saturday night at the range under the big tent (which I must say, even for lunch was a much pleasant addition this year, keeping shooters out of the hot sun!) was casino night. Side match awards were handed out before the pot luck dinner and rest of the evening got underway.

Ric-a-d Split was the singing, guitar playing entertainment. A Soiled Dove and Bar-Fly costume contest was part of the evening and then it was on to Black Jack, Texas Hold Em and Faro.

 

Sunday we continued with the final 6 stages. After lunch there was an all in shootout. Whoever wanted to participate. Congratulations to Mesa Belle for the Ladies and Waterloo for the Men's.

 

The VFW venue hosted the awards and banquet that evening. Captain George Baylor and myself judged costumed cowboy's and cowgirl's for the Best Dressed.

Jack finished 20th overall and 2nd in Silver Senior category. Congratulations to Bulldog Ric, your Colorado State champion in 1st place and Whiskey Rick in 3rd.

 

I finished 11th overall and 1st in Lady Wrangler category. Congratulations to Allen Street Contessa in 2nd and Turquoise Queen, your Colorado State champion in 3rd place.

 

The overall winners this year were Cobra Cat and Hey You (10th overall, 1st lady) with overall Colorado State Champions being Cobra Cat and the lovely Lefty Jo! Congratulations!

 

Cheers

Kat xo

http://www.pawneestation.com

 

Diary of Desire Part 8

After many hours of trimming, beading (1,216 to be precise) and hand stitching embroidery I finally finished 'the' gown, culminating in the most exquisite piece I have yet produced.

For one very happy client, Texas Flower is in love with her gown to which I am extremely pleased.

The McDowell Drafting Machine and its book of instructions were indeed true. It states that, if correct measure is taken then a gown should be produced and ready to ship to your client without inconveniencing the wearer with numerous fittings.

Despite my misgivings, I now believe every written word in that book! Having made the gown in Australia and finishing it here, Flower had not once tried the gown on until we met in Moriarty last Tuesday. It fit perfectly!

I had a minor conniption when I realised I had not bought any boning with me to add stays to the bodice but am happy to say it did not require it.

This makes it even more like the original really where it was noted (in an article by Peaches O'Day and Miss Tabitha, SASS Chronicle 2012) unusually, did not have any.

Finally, on Friday evening all hand stitching was done and I could hand the gown over to one very excited and happy lady.

The 'Diary of Desire' was worn to the banquet Saturday night and to all our delight Texas Flower was EOT 2016, 1st Place, Best Dressed Lady.

Under the evening lights of the Belle Union Saloon those little Czech glass beadlettes shone bright like stars and the smile on Texas Flower's face!

 

True satisfaction from a yesteryear seamstress.

Kat xo