Day 28: Museum

Museums have always been a big part of my life. Museums are vacation destinations for my family, and they're somewhere that I can enjoy learning new things, usually in a way that lets me connect with the subject completely differently from what I would get through a textbook. Growing up, I wanted to teach, but I couldn't find a classroom situation that didn't involve students being there against their will. Working in a museum, I get to share the history that I love with families who are interested in it. I can ask our visitors what they're interested in, and then I can relate it to the 18th century, or I can make things from the 18th century interesting to our visitors in a whole new way.

There's a lot that can be said regarding museums and public history - I've read books and taken classes to study those subjects, I've written numerous papers and had over a hundred discussions on the best way for museums and public history sites to run themselves. I won't go into any of that here, I'm just going to say how special I think museums are, and how much I love getting to go to work at one every day.

This is the day I was hired, March 15th, 2016. I'm holding my welcome letter, and ran back to campus and showed it to all of my friends immediately after this picture was taken

This photo if from a little over a year later, on my first day as a full-time, year-round employee. I'm still just as thrilled to have my dream job!

Museums are a place where I like to celebrate my birthdays - especially here at the Wythe House, where I can be in the same house and touch the same things that the Founding Fathers and other historic individuals did.

Living history museums always seem to have a great community of people who truly love history and want to experience it and learn about it in lots of different ways - 18th century cricket and dancing are two of my favorites, although pretty much any games from the time period are fun!

In a more romantic sense, there's a certain magical, princess-esque feeling you get when you wear 18th century clothes!

There are also lots of animals, and that means baby animals too!

Museums are great places to have hands (or feet) on experiences (here I'm treading clay to help make bricks)...

...and even to taste new things, from the past! (At the Coffeehouse, you can sample 18th century sipping chocolate)

It's one of the most beautiful places on earth, and I've learned so much about nature since starting here!

I also get to sew at work, which means I can share my love of historical clothing in so many different ways with all of our visitors!

I can't imagine a better place to work, or a more special place to visit!

Day 25: Fave Friday - Favorite Resource

I have a lot of resources that I go to on a regular basis. I don't know if I can pick a favorite, but I'll list some of my favorites here - feel free to comment on what you like best, or if I missed something here that you think should be included!

Pinterest:
     This one is sometimes problematic, because there aren't always links or sources included with the pictures, but there are so many other historical costumers/fashion nerds who are great about citing their posts, and also organizing things based on era and type of clothing. Pinterest is a great jumping off point for a lot of projects, and it can be helpful when trying to find a primary source to back up a new idea. Plus, if there's no citation on the post, you can always just search for the image on Google!

Books:
     I've already talked about a few of my favorites on here, but I'll run through my main list again. Janet Arnold, Fitting and Proper, The Cut of Women's Clothes, and Costume Close-Up are my most used books, but my historical costuming bookshelf also includes Fashion in Costume 1200-2000, Corsets and Codpieces, Survey of Historic Costume, What Clothes Reveal, Pictorial Encyclopedia of Historic Costume, The Fashion Book, Fashion Museum Treasures (from the Fashion Museum in Bath), and Undressed (from the exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum).
     The first four I listed all include patterns and measurements from extant garments, and the rest are really good resources for inspiration, fact checking, and just enjoying learning more about clothes! If everything above still isn't enough for you, here are the few books that remain on my wishlist: How to Read a Dress, The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking (this one comes out in November, and I am so excited for it!), Corsets and Crinolines, and Costume in Detail.

Museums:
     Pretty much any museum that has clothing is a resource that I love. My most recent museum visits in this category include the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Museum of London, the Fashion Museum in Bath, and of course, Colonial Williamsburg! However, I also appreciate any other primary source I can find, so paintings and fashion plates on display catch my attention too!

The Internet:
     This might be a bit of an easy answer, but in today's world this is the fastest way to find things. When I was pretty sure a cotton print I found was accurate to the 18th century, but I wasn't certain, I ran a quick Google search (pink spotted neckerchief 18th century), and was soon presented with a painting showing a woman wearing a neckerchief almost identical to the fabric I was holding. Even if the internet isn't where my research stops, it's a great jumping off point!

Blogs:
     I'll end this post with a quick story: When I was just starting to research and sew historical clothing, I didn't have the library or easy access to all of the costuming resources that I have today. So, I was mostly looking things up on the internet and trying to figure out how garments went together and what the major trends were. One of the most helpful things I came across were different blogs. The Dreamstress really helped me in the beginning, and I gained so much confidence by following her pannier-along! Before the Automobile was also one I flipped through on a regular basis, and Stay-ing Alive was another favorite. There are so many more that I've read, and this month I've discovered so many more! The facebook page for CoBloWriMo has a whole list of them, and now that I've come farther in my own sewing I'm really enjoying being part of such a welcoming and enthusiastic community. And, if you want something with more photos (unlike this post, sorry about that!), just scroll through costuming tags on Instagram!

Fabric:
     I'm just going to list these quickly:
-Burnley and Trowbridge
-Fabrics Store.com
-Silk Baron
-Dharma Trading Company

Happy sewing, and happy researching!

Day 22: Event

Sometimes, the projects that you plan for the longest get sewn in the last possible minute, and the shortest amount of time. That was certainly the case for my graduation dress, at the very least! I'd been planning what I wanted - something 1950's style, mostly green with gold accents - for most of my senior year, and I purchased the fabric and pattern (Simplicity 1459) around Christmas time. I searched diligently for gold accents, like a belt or shoes, but struggled to find anything that I liked. I also put off sewing the dress in order to work on other commissions and to focus on my studies.

Finally, with just a few days left until graduation, I cut out the pattern and got to work. The dress came together very quickly, and the pattern couldn't have been easier to follow, but unfortunately I was very tired the night I worked on it. I needed less than three hours to sew the dress, but because I was so tired by the end I made one small mistake. I didn't discover the mishap until I put the dress on the morning of graduation however, and tried to put my ID in the pocket I had added - I'd sewn the pocket in the wrong seam! Instead of the pocket being on my right hand side, I had put it in the middle front of the skirt! Thankfully, the skirt was full enough that it wasn't noticeable, and I was wearing my graduation gown for most of the morning anyway.

However, this serves as a good reminder - don't sew your clothing the night before an event, and if you absolutely must, please make sure that you're not loopy from lack of sleep!

Day 18: Fave Friday - Favorite Tool

            I don’t use a lot of tools in my daily sewing. Mostly, I work with a needle, thread, and a pair of scissors. Sometimes I use a cloth measuring tape, and every now and then I use marking chalk or a pencil. However, I do have one extra tool that I absolutely love – beeswax.

            When I was younger and just starting to sew, my Grandma gave me a sewing box for my birthday, and passed down some of her sewing kit to me. (You can see the pink-polka-dotted box if you look at my desk on Day 15!) One of the items in the kit was a cake of beeswax. I had no clue what it was, let alone what to do with it, and when I inquired I was informed it was so I could tell people to mind their own beeswax! I didn’t quite get the joke, but I carried it with me in my sewing box anyway.

            Once I started sewing all of my 18^th century clothing by hand, and doing a lot more research, I discovered that it was helpful to run thread through a cake of beeswax before sewing with it, and once I tried it I couldn’t go back. The thread goes through so much easier, and it tangles a lot less. I also really like using beeswax, because it’s like incorporating a bit of my Grandma’s sewing into my own projects when I wax my thread with the cake that she gave me.

            You can get beeswax in all different forms; Jo-Ann Fabric sells it in tins, and I’ve bought some in Colonial Williamsburg in different animal shapes. I highly recommend adding beeswax to your sewing kit, even if you only hand sew every now and then – it really makes a difference!

Day 17: Written Source

In college, I was in a reenacting club, called the College Company. We were the best sorts of nerdy, which means that there was an abundance of inside jokes involving hilarious primary sources. One the best ones was over a "pantsless flaming shots party". While men's military fashion is not usually what I discuss, this source was too good to not post about!

And here's the article information from JSTOR, in case anyone wants to read the rest of it!

Day 15: Workspace

            When I went apartment hunting, I had a few requirements. The place had to have a washer and dryer, the sink needed a garbage disposal, and there had to be an airy floor plan with lots of natural light. I also needed to be able to picture myself sewing there. The week before graduation I found a desk at a thrift store that I’m pretty sure was originally used in a hospital, and was also ridiculously heavy. With the help of two of my friends we moved it to the storage unit I had rented for the month, and after graduation we moved it into my new apartment, which met all of my requirements.

            The second I saw the desk I knew it would be great for sewing, with a sturdy work surface and a nice cutting space, as well as ample storage. I don’t have my own sewing room yet, but it occupies the sewing section of my bedroom, and is lit by the sunshine lamp my parents gave me for Christmas.

            I completed my sewing space by framing some postcards I had purchased in Bath, England, at the Fashion Museum there, as well as some fitting reproductions of World War II propaganda from the Imperial War Museum in London and a print picked up from a Colonial Williamsburg sale. I also hung a bulletin board so that I could pin up inspiration, primary sources, to-do lists, and fabric swatches, and my sewing books are lined up neatly between homemade seashell bookends.

Gowns from the Fashion Museum in Bath

My sewing books, sandwiched between seashells from Myrtle Beach collected post-graduation

My favorite print from the CW sale

            My fabric stash is in a tote in my closet, and my mannequin sits opposite my desk, easy to drape projects around.

            It might not be the giant sewing space with a full wall of windows I think of when I picture my ideal home, but for my first apartment I’m incredibly pleased!

Day 13: Pro Tip

I'd like to start off by saying that I've been sewing for 14 years, and my first thought when I saw this prompt was "But I don't have any pro tips!" So, while I have one very specific piece of wisdom to share, I'm also going to say this: Don't undervalue your work! If you've sewn something, that's awesome! If you messed up while sewing, you learned something, and that's awesome too! And if you did all three of those things, then you have more skills than you did before you started that project! After sewing my calash, I brainstormed a list of at least five things I would change if (when) I sew another one, and so my next calash will be even better! The one I just finished is good, but the next one will be great.

Okay, I'll get to my main piece of advice now:

            Invest in the nice fabrics. I spent so many years not being confident in my abilities, and telling myself, “If I save money on fabric now, I can buy the nice stuff in a few years when I’m better.” That’s bad advice. What actually happened was I ended up with a bunch of well-constructed and researched garments that I can’t wear because they’re made of polyester and fake silk. Sure, if you’re making a mock-up you can use the poly-taffeta from the $2 sale at JoAnn’s, but for your final project it’s worth it to spring for the nice silk. Fifteen dollars a yard may seem like a lot, but it’ll end up in a project that can be worn for the rest of your time reenacting, altered to fix small mistakes as you learn better, and, if worse comes to worst, you can refashion it into something else entirely, just like they did in the 18^th (or 17^th, or 19^th, etc.) century!

It's beautiful! It's researched! It's well-fitted! It's... polyester??

            For me, I realized that I had to go big or go home on my 21^st birthday. I had spent months working on a zone-front gown that I put so much research and time into, but I made it out of modern materials. The gown was beautiful, and I was so proud of it, but I wore it on my birthday and I will probably never wear it again. Even though I loved wearing it on my birthday, that day was also tinged with a bit of embarrassment at having a gown that was noticeably out of place among the rest of the linen and silk in Colonial Williamsburg. So, I started investing in nicer fabrics, and now I can wear my creations forever.

            And yeah, don't break the bank if you're uncertain about something. Cotton muslin is cheap, it's even cheaper when you have a coupon, and it's great for making multiple mock-ups. But linen doesn't have to be expensive - I get most of mine from Dharma Trading Company or Fabrics-Store.com (wait for their sales, that's even better!). Silk can be found at Silk Baron, and I wait for sales in Colonial Williamsburg to buy their printed cottons. Finally, my favorite place to shop for all natural fabrics (and anything else I could want!) is Burnley and Trowbridge. I trust their products, they go to lots of events so you can buy in person if you don't want to wait for shipping/like to touch things before you buy them, and they are some of the nicest people with the cutest dachshunds you'll ever meet! 

            Have faith in your abilities! It’s better to learn with linen and silk than it is to learn on polyester anyway!

Day 5: Origin Story

            As I mentioned a few days ago, I’ve been sewing since I was eight years old. My mom and both of my grandmothers sewed, and my mom really wanted me to learn too. However, as much as we love each other, we definitely have a tendency to butt heads, and so it was decided that someone outside of the family should probably teach me how to sew.

            Luckily, our local 4-H group offered a sewing class, and so my third grade teacher, as head of the class, provided me with an introduction to sewing. I still fought with my mom a bit when I worked on my earlier projects at home, but I quickly grew to enjoy sewing with my mom present, as well as discussing project ideas with her or working out solutions to whatever problems arose.

Mommy and me, accidentally matching on her latest trip to visit me - the skills she helped me to develop have definitely paid off!

            As part of my 4-H sewing education, I was required to complete one project every year; the first year it was a simple drawstring skirt, the second year it was pants with an elastic waist, and the third year I could get a little more creative. I sewed a pleated skirt and a sundress, but when I was twelve I decided I wanted an 18^th century gown to wear to Williamsburg. I’d been completely enamored with Colonial Williamsburg since age seven – we visited for the first time when I was five, and when we returned two years later I declared that I wanted to go to William and Mary and then work for CW. So, my mom helped me find a pattern, and using some fabric that we had been given she whipped up a gown for me to make sure that it wouldn’t be too difficult. I then made a second gown using the same pattern for a friend who we were taking to Williamsburg with us.

            After that, I loved sewing. I was sewing things I liked, and I couldn’t get enough of it. If you want to see the longer story, you can check out this post, but the short version is that both my family and I started to recognize sewing as one of my marketable skills. I spent two summers working in a sewing factory in town, where I learned how to sew quickly and without pins, as well as exploring how the most basic shapes could come together to make things used every day (backpacks have never seemed so easy to sew!). The summer between my sophomore and junior year of college, I became uncertain about my future in a museum. (For those of you still in school, that’s something that happens to almost everyone. I knew that I would love the work if I could get it, but I was so worried that there just wouldn’t be any jobs for me once I graduated. It’s alright to have a bit of doubt, just find a back-up plan that you also like, and then keep heading towards what you want!) I started applying to theater companies and film productions, looking for work as a costumer.

            I ended up spending the summer of 2015 working as a First Hand in the costume shop for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, which was an incredible experience. I learned just how good my work actually was, and I had a super supportive boss to help me improve even more. I got to attend fittings, work with designers, and even step away from the sewing side of things to gain experience with aging/dying/adding wear to costumes, and to work with the dramaturge. I also got to know a great group of girls, all of whom held the degrees in costuming that I lacked, and who were happy to fill me in on everything I missed out on by not attending design school.

A sewing apron from costume scraps was a must for a few of us in the costume shop!

There's something a little bit magical about costume closets, I'll never tire of looking through them!

In addition to sewing, I got to paint accessories!

Career advice: Find a job that lets you have fun. Optional: Find a job that lets you feel like a princess.

My time with the ager/dyers was well spent - these jeans were brand new when I started!

Ability to construct a fat suit... that goes on the resume, right?

There were soooo many shoes! This isn't even a quarter of the boots used for Fiddler on the Roof!

Merry Wives of Windsor was an outdoor show with a super awesome set!

            As much as I loved my time in Arkansas, I knew after that that I was meant to be at Colonial Williamsburg. I worked there the summer before my senior year, sewing all the while, and in March of my senior year I was hired to work as a full-time historic interpreter. I have the best job in the world, I get to live in my favorite town, and I get to sew every day! I couldn’t imagine anything better! 

I love my job, even cleaning is fun!

A Busy Spring!

This spring has been incredible! I have had so many wonderful opportunities, and I am really enjoying being a part of the historical reenactment community. There have been a ton of events that I've had the privilege to attend, and many of them inspired the outfits I've been posting about recently. So, because I want to encourage everyone to go to more awesome events and support historic sites, and also because I want to share more pretty pictures, here's an update on my spring!

Things really got started for me in March, with Military Through the Ages (MTA). This is an event that is hosted by Jamestown every year, and is a ton of fun. It's a timeline event, which means that it's open to all sorts of period portrayals, and it's neat to see so many different impressions all in one place.

I attended the event with the College Company, part of the 7th Virginia Regiment. They're a great group to hang out with, and it was a lot of fun to be in our camp. However, there were also sutlers at the event, and so I got to shop as well! I've been working to expand my kit in a practical way, so I bought a horn spoon, some scissors from Burnley and Trowbridge, and a little knife. So far, the scissors have been my most-used accessory, as having historical scissors allows me to sew more at events!

By far one of the best purchases I have ever made!

The weekend after MTA was Scotchtown! This is an event put on by Patrick Henry's Scotchtown, and allows visitors to the house to see a little bit of everything reenacting has to offer! Outside, some of the guys were doing military drills and firing demonstrations. Inside the house, two of my friends and I worked on our sewing in the parlor. We then decided it would be fun to be characters from history, so I became Patrick Henry's oldest daughter, Fiona was my sister, and our other friend played a family friend. There was a man portraying Patrick Henry talking to guests in another room, so after giving him a small heads-up that we were now his children, we spent a good deal of the afternoon acting out various scenes from 1776, much to the delight of Scotchtown's visitors! This was, without a doubt, one of my favorite moments in interpretation so far!

A cute family photo

We spent part of the afternoon cooking, and even though our colonial cookery needs some work, it was an incredible experience to work in an 18th century kitchen, and prepare food on the same table that was used to cook the Henry family dinners!


After Scotchtown we took a little break, and then jumped back into things with the Fort Frederick Market Fair! For someone who loves both shopping and history, this was an awesome event. There were so many sutlers in attendance, and I loved looking at all of their wares! Because I didn't want to be too impulsive, I made a list before going of the things I needed, and gave myself a budget for each item. I stayed under budget, and I got everything I needed!

I bought the twill tape for my new petticoat first thing in the morning from a blanket sale, and that was my only impulse buy of the day. I then shopped around, eventually buying a new straw hat, a great little basket to hold my sewing and other supplies, an awl, two thread winders, and a pair of earrings. The straw hat came from Burnley and Trowbridge, the awl came from Royal Blue Traders (I have just discovered them, and I am completely enamored), and the earrings came from one of my favorite sutlers, K. Walters at the Sign of the Gray Horse.

It was important for me to buy things like the basket, thread winders, and earrings, because I need things to have and use at my new job - with Colonial Williamsburg! That's right, my dreams are all coming true, because on March 15th I was hired to work as an Orientation Interpreter with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation! I start on May 23rd, and I couldn't be more excited!

There was a historical grocer at Fort Fred, and even though I didn't buy any of his wares, I really enjoyed learning more about the things he had on display. Dobyns and Martin has an awesome interpretation, and Mr. Dobyns was so nice!

The weekend after Fort Fred, I got to put all of my new materials to good use! That Friday was the last day of classes for everyone, so after bidding goodbye to all of our professors we jumped in the car and headed up to Mount Vernon for the National Event they were hosting! I was very excited for the event, but I was not excited to be sleeping outside for two nights. I've camped out a few times before - my first time was when I was very little, and my Uncle Doug set up a tent in the backyard for us when I came to visit. Then I camped out in my best friend's backyard a few times in the same manner. The only true camping I had done was when I went to the beach with the same friend and we stayed in a tent, but there were showers on-site. There were no showers at Mount Vernon. However, I did get a tent to myself, because I was the only girl who stayed the night!

As much as I hated sleeping outside (it was cold and it rained the second night), the event was incredible. I got to see my friends from the 7th VA again, as well as getting to socialize with the German Regiment. The skirmish in the morning was well done, and in the midst of the fighting, I saw a familiar face! In the generals standing behind the Continental line, there was a man who could only be the Marquis de Lafayette! After the skirmish, my friends and I introduced ourselves, and took a couple of pictures. We went to hear him speak later on, and he was a fantastic Lafayette.

Isn't he a great Lafayette?

The day ended for the public with a battle, and even though the Continental line won in the morning, the Red Coats won in the afternoon. I got a lot of sewing done during the day, including sewing black silk ribbons from Burnley and Trowbridge onto my new hat! In the evening, we all ate dinner, and then enjoyed the food and drink Mount Vernon set out for us as we sang songs and had fun. I was sad to leave the reenactment the next morning, but I was very happy to go home and take a warm shower!

I love this photo!

Sewing the ribbons onto my hat while the soldiers prepare for battle

A few of us hanging out beside the 7th VA's dining fly - they had the sweetest strawberries I've ever tasted!

Finally, one last event before heading home for a week - a cricket match! I've been attending the practices of the Capital Cricket Club in CW for a few weeks now, and I'm really enjoying playing a sport (incredible, I know)! So, I was very excited for the opportunity to spend a Saturday playing cricket with so many wonderful friends in 18th Century clothing at Bacon's Castle. The morning started with a ferry ride across the James River, which was fun, and once we arrived we split into teams. I was playing for Governor Berkeley's team, and I am proud to announce that we beat Bacon's Rebels! While I enjoy every event, it was nice to do something in kit that didn't revolve around the military, and this event really gave me the chance to socialize with everyone. There was even a brief moment of dancing in the middle of the day, which is one of my favorite colonial past times, and was a definite highlight of the weekend.

A moment of play, while my team was fielding - I'm on the far right

Keeping score while my team was striking; we ended up scoring over 100 points!

I am so blessed to have had such a fantastic spring, and I am looking forward to a great summer!

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I intended to publish the above post much earlier, but I was waiting to get all of the photos before I could publish it! However, in the meantime, I've had a few more exciting events, so I thought that I would share those as well in this post.

At the end of finals, Colonial Williamsburg had a sale on a few fabrics, so I ran down the street to Mary Dickson's store and purchased a few yards of lovely cottons to make some new jackets out of!

"Serpentine Vines" and "Wythe House Midnight"

After taking all of my finals, moving out of my on-campus apartment and into a house in Williamsburg, I drove back home to PA in my new car! I got to visit with my parents and some friends for a few days, as well as making a trip up to Massachusetts to visit some of my extended family. But, nine days after leaving Virginia, I was back in Williamsburg, and ready to start working!

I absolutely love my job. My coworkers are the best people on the planet, I get to work in buildings that many of my heroes spent time in, and I get to talk to wonderful people about my favorite subjects.

I also get to wear pretty clothes and sew at work! The stays on my lap are almost complete, so expect a post about them soon!

Finally, since I'm essentially a Virginia resident for the rest of my life now (one of my friends has even been trying to get me to get a VA driver's license already), I have really been enjoying getting to know the people in my community, and not just the people on campus. I'm ecstatic to be playing cricket with the Capitol Cricket Club, and I love going to English Country Dance meetings every week.

This Monday's costumed cricket match at Basset Hall - my team won by three points, and it was a great game! In this photo I have just sent the ball flying, and the fielders are running to catch it while I'm ready to run for the other wicket.

I couldn't be happier to be in Williamsburg, surrounded by history, and getting to spend my life with incredible people doing my favorite things.

I love this picture from Mount Vernon, and wanted to slip it in this post too! My friend Jack is trying to get more reenactors to go barefoot whenever possible, and I just love the way we look in our civilian clothes approaching the soldiers and walking towards Washington's home.