An olive green silk taffeta gown for Abigail

I'm excited that I have a plan for this one!

I've been trying to decide what style of silk gown to make for 

Abigail Adams - Historical Interpreter, circa 1776.  John and Abigail were not wealthy at this point in their life together (in fact it would be closer to the truth to say that they struggled with money for their entire marriage).  So although she would in all likelihood have owned at least one or possibly two silk gowns "for best," I can't really see her having an extravagantly fancy silk gown.  

The other factor that is affecting this decision is that I almost always interpret alongside Martha Washington, and the woman who portrays her at most of the events I attend usually wears a center-front closing peacock blue gown, with gathered self trim around the neckline and cuffs, plus lace engageants (sleeve ruffles).  So I want there to be a clear contrast shown with our gowns demonstrating the difference in wealth and "showiness" between a Virginia plantation owner's wife and a Boston lawyer/farmer/Congressional delegate's wife. I bought 7 yards of a drab olive green taffeta when I was in NYC for Mother's Day:

It was $22/yd and I love it!  It has really nice luster.  But it's just been sitting there waiting for me to figure out what to do with it. Well, I think I've *finally* found my inspiration. It's this Brown/greensilk brocade gown in the collection of the Chicago History Museum.

There are some oddities about it, like the very high front neckline and gathered/ruched (???) collar. 

The lack of pleating on the side fronts of the skirt also caught my eye.  In most gowns from the second half of the 18th century, the pleats carry from the back all the way around to the front.

It looked to me like it had the hallmarks of an earlier gown that had been restyled.  I shared all of these thoughts with a group of 18th century enthusiasts and experts on Facebook, and they confirmed that this dress was remade from a fancier 1760s gown.  If you zoom in really close to the front bodice, you can just barely make out straight up-and-down pleats that have been unstitched, indicating that it used to be an open-front gown with robings which would hide the pins fastening the gown over the stomacher.  I believe the sleeves originally had cuffs, as well.  

It's really encouraging that my olive silk is close to the color of this one - well, mine is a little more green than brown, but it's definitely in the same family.  And the inspiration is a brocade and not a plain silk, but it still feels good to be in the right ballpark. I like that the gown is made to be worn with panniers, but isn't ostentatious. In fact it's almost under-adorned, so I would probably add some floof here and there, but again, not a huge amount.

I'll be using the Larkin and Smith English Gown pattern to make this dress.  This is my first time using this pattern for a gown, but obviously not my first time making this style (I loved working with the Nehelenia pattern, but I think I'm ready to try ).  Larkin & Smith is essentially a workshop in an envelope, providing years of expertise and knowledge with the pattern, including fully historical sewing instructions and lots of ideas for embellishment for the different classes. I have all of the necessary undergarments except a set of panniers, and I'm working on those right now.  

Details on the panniers will go in a separate post!  

Another event under my belt, and speaking of accessories...

It's been almost three weeks since Ziva and I got back from Washington State, and while I've been getting a lot of housework done, I've kind of been taking it easy, too.  My last day at the preschool was August 3rd, the day before we left on our trip, and my new job - Librarian for an independent prek-8th school - starts next Monday the 27th (yay!!!).  This timing was not entirely by design; I kind of tempted fate by buying tickets for a nice long visit to WA before I knew one way or the other about the new job, but it all worked out, and I wanted to make the most of the time I had in between to do some serious organizing and cleaning.  My "home office," such as it is, needs to be in much better shape in order for me to feel like I can bring work stuff home and be able to find it again.  And my sewing area was in GREAT need of weeding, clearing out, and tidying so that I don't have anything I don't need, and can locate the stuff I do need.

Now, I know what you're thinking.  "Sarah, how could you possibly get rid of anything sewing-related?  How could there possibly be no use for something that's in your stash?  Isn't the whole point of fabric shopping to be prepared for whatever projects you might think of in the future??"  Technically, yes.  But I've learned a lot since I started doing period costuming, and refined my sense of what is historically accurate and what isn't, and I have more fabric than I could ever hope to make into gowns or outfits, at least not at my current rate (which is a snail's pace).  So a Great Purge needs to occur before I can even begin to start organizing everything, and I will need a few more key pieces of furniture to store it all and have a place for everything, but still make it all accessible.

With my work starting before Ziva starts school, I asked my mom if she could come for a visit to fill in the interval, and she said yes!  Thanks Mom!!!  And while she's been here, she has been extremely helpful with decluttering and clearing out of excess stuff.  

The reason for wanting to get my sewing area squared away is twofold.  For one thing, it's an eyesore.  I almost can't believe I'm sharing this picture, but in some ways I think it will help keep me honest:

It's such a mess!!  I basically need to find a way to store things against the walls to keep the floors and tables clear.  I don't want to line that back wall entirely with storage, but I need some way to contain everything.  The shelf that is in the back corner is an IKEA Billy bookcase with the half-glass doors (this one).  So depending on how much there is to put away once I've gone through everything and decided what to get rid of, I think I'm going to get another Billy just like that to flank the door on the left, and then a double Billy with all-glass doors (this one) to go on the back wall.  I think being able to see all the way into those shelves will help keep the space from being overwhelmed.  I'll also put a floor lamp under the soffitting, near the costume rack, because that corner needs a lot more light. 

The second reason for this organizing frenzy is that I have set myself a very ambitious goal for attending events in 2018-2019.  The best part about starting a school job is that I will have summers O-F-F.  Sure, after my first year as the school librarian there will be a lot of follow-up and catch-up to do, but I will not have to hoard and carefully count vacation days and hours like I have had to in the past. 

Here are all the events I am planning to attend:

Revolutionary War Reenactment Festival, Mount Harmon MD, Oct 27-28

The Revolution, Huntington Beach CA, February 9-10 (our wedding anniversary...of course!!)

Colonial Heritage Festival, Orem UT, July 4-7 (I'm assuming those are the dates, not yet confirmed)

Jane Austen Festival, Louisville KY, July 12-14

Costume College, Woodland Hills CA, July 25-29

Northwest Colonial Festival, Port Angeles WA, August 8-11

Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) Annual General Meeting, Williamsburg VA, October 4-6

Whew!  That's a lot.  It's good to write it all down though, it makes it feel like I'm signing a contract with myself.

As you can see, I've started putting out feelers and trying to build a network here in the DC/Maryland/Virginia region.  I'm really hoping to attend events and make appearances locally, some on my own and some as a team with Jack (he's particularly interested in getting back to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, which opened last April on the 242nd anniversary of Concord and Lexington).  I've also become acquainted with Katherine Spivey, a woman who has been portraying Dolley Madison for twenty years, and we have talked about doing "Historic First Ladies" programs together.  All of this will depend on a lot of factors, and it will take some time to build credibility and make my mark (though I do have business cards which I'm very proud of!).  Not surprisingly, historic sites here tend to stick to a specific "cast of characters," only hosting costumed interpreters portraying people who were actually present or have a historical connection to those sites.  It makes sense that they don't want to confuse visitors about who was where and when.

Attending all of these events is going to mean lots and lots of SEWING!!!  I still really only have two gowns for Abigail: the floral one I made, and the striped one that Barbara Klingberg made for "1776" - and neither one is 100% historically accurate.  To be honest, I don't know if I will ever make an entire ensemble by hand, just because I don't see myself having the time (and I'm SO SLOW at it).  But I do want to make an effort to learn historical hand-sewing techniques and incorporate them into improving the clothes I have and to making new clothes using more accurate fabrics and more accurate stitches, etc.

Costume College is really the kicker.  It's a five-day swirl of classes, workshops, and dress-up opportunities.  It's attended by fashion historians, historical costumers, cosplayers, fantasy costumers, and everything in between.  The Gala is the Main Event, the one everyone pulls out all the stops for, and from what I can tell by looking at various bloggers' pictures over the years, it's impossible to focus your eye because there's a visual feast in every direction.  Plenty of people pick a different era or decade or style for each costumed event, while others stick to a theme.  Since Abigail Adams really needs gowns for different kinds of social occasions (and I want to have some ensembles from later in her life than I've been portraying), I'm going to kill two birds with one stone.  I'll just make a whole wardrobe and go 100% 18th century for Costume College.  I finally have fabric for all of these new gowns, too!  I will devote a separate post to all of those plans because I want to get this one posted!!

In the meantime, here are pictures of some new accessories I made for this year's Northwest Colonial Festival.  I made a pair of fingerless mitts in green wool, and a new apron.
Here are some in-progress pictures of the mitts:

Thumb opening clipped and stitched down seen from the inside.

One thumb stitched up and openings hemmed.

 It's hard to tell the difference here, but in order to tell which thumb to sew on which mitt, you check to see whether the "meat" of the thumb is mostly covered by the longer part of the thumb piece.  It's correct in the picture on the right.

Finished!  The "points" which go over the hands are lined with a sueded silk.

These are not completely historically accurate, since the only surviving wool mitts and descriptions from the era indicate that they would have been knitted rather than made from woolen fabric.  But they are made entirely by hand (the stitching is so fiddly that you could never do it on a machine anyway!).  Also, cold is cold, and many historical re-enactors compromise and use wool fabric, so it's not without precedent.  The other thing is that the lining would probably have been taffeta rather than sueded silk, but that's what I had on hand (no pun intended).

And here's a picture of me wearing them, which also shows off my new apron: 

The apron started life as a $2.99 single curtain panel I got at the local thrift store.  I love the subtle woven check and floaty lightness.  I didn't take any pictures while I was making it, because it was a pretty straightforward process - gather up along the long edge and stitch on a waistband!

This picture is one of many taken by the incredibly talented Cindy of Cindy Marie Photography.  She did such a fantastic job and I would hire her again in a heartbeat if I were back in Washington State and needed pictures taken!! ;-)

That's it for now - I will write another post shortly wrapping up my thoughts on NWCF and talking about Abigail's new clothes!

A year and a half in the life of Abigail Adams

Abigail has been a very busy lady!  She has now appeared at five events, and I just feel like I've gotten better and better and more confident with every event.  While I was still working at Everett Public Library, I basically took out every book I could find in the collection about her, and about Colonial life in general, including inter-library loans, and downloaded a ton of articles from EBSCO.  Of course, the downside of having that many resources at my disposal was that I couldn't possibly read them all, even with two automatic renewals (life got pretty crazy last summer and fall - moving across the country does that) so I only skimmed some of them.  But Woody Holton's book Abigail Adams was hugely helpful and is going to be a permanent addition to my personal library.  Reading it provided me with some terrific stories to tell that really surprised people and rounded out my knowledge of Abigail as a domestic manager, savvy businesswoman, and social diplomat.

I made a few additions and alterations to my outfit for these events.  Nothing extreme, just a few accessories and little changes to improve the overall impression.  When we were in Hawai'i at the beginning of last year, I went to Chinatown and bought an $8 paper parasol to help with sun protection.  It's still holding up pretty well, although there's a small rip near the top.  Also, I didn't have time to make a historically accurate pair of mitts, but I cut the fingers off a pair of gloves I had, and that has worked just fine (they need washing though...).  Mitts are another sun protection accessory, to keep hands and arms from getting tanned.  I'm working on a pair of period-correct ones in wool, but I will also need a linen pair for warmer climes.  The gorgeous costume that Barb Klingberg made for me to wear in our all-female "1776" just needed one quick fix to take it from stage to event - I ripped off the Velcro from the front closure of the bodice so it could be pinned closed over my stays.  I had also taken off the eyelet engageants (sleeve ruffles) from that gown and put them on my India cotton floral gown, but I made self-fabric ruffles for the elbows of the floral gown, so I need to put the eyelet ones back on the stripe gown.  Oh, and I took the ribbon ties off my hat (the one given to me by the ever-generous Mara Perry) and now I secure it with a hatpin.

Here's a refresher on what I wore for my first Rebels and Redcoats, which was also my first event as Abigail. I'm the one on the left ;-)

You can see those engageants on this gown (the ruffles at the elbow) which went okay on this dress, but it was a temporary fix.

Here's Ziva's old dress, plus my striped "1776" gown pinned closed down the front, without engageants (this also shows the "cheat" mitts).  I wore this gown for the first day of Northwest Colonial Festival 2017 so I could sew the sleeve ruffles onto the India cotton dress.  As I said in my last post, it really is nice to have handwork to do in camp - it gives you a conversation opener, and it's period correct to have some sort of project going on at all times!

Here's Ziva in the new dress, and clearly, she loves the new parasol ;-)  This is from the Mill Farm Pattern (her old one was Larkin & Smith).  My mom started the dress, but got stymied by some of the historical sewing techniques, so the wonderful Stephanie Lindey, whom we'd met at Northwest Colonial Festival, and who has a son just a few weeks younger than Z, finished it in time for Rebels & Redcoats.  Stephanie left it unhemmed (which I'd expected, since it's best to get hem length when it's on the person) so I hemmed it on day one of Rebels and Redcoats 2017.  It's really nice to have handwork to do in camp...uh oh, I think this is becoming my justification for not having everything done in time for events!

Unfortunately, the stitches on my hastily-sewn hem came out, so I will need to take the whole hem down and do growth tucks instead (lines of stitching that take up the length of the skirt and are removable as the child gets bigger).

Here's my updated look - complete with period-correct hair!!  

It's a little hard to tell, but I really like the effect of the flounces on the sleeves made from the same fabric as the dress.

Now - about the hair!  At Rebels & Redcoats 2016, I met Christina Walley, who is an incredible Colonial/Revolutionary costumer AND accomplished Civil War costumer/re-enactor.  Last year she came to R&R as a costumed participant, but didn't have a specific persona or a skill she was demonstrating.  Well, at Colonial Heritage Festival, she ended up running a booth of her own for the first time, called "The Lady's Toilette."  She brought pomades and powders made by a friend of hers (here's the Etsy storefront: Litttle Bits) according to "receipts" (recipes) found in a fascinating book from 1772, the Toilet of Flora. This book was available for housewives to purchase so they could learn how to make their own cosmetics and other useful household preparations such as soaps, "remedies" for bad breath and freckles, waters scented with flower petals, and laundry/stain removal treatments.  It's kind of a fun read, so if you have a little while, I highly recommend browsing it.

Anyway, I and a number of other participants were delighted to be Christina's guinea pigs as she styled our hair using these powders and pomatums.  The pomatum, made with leaf lard and rendered beef fat as well as a few scented oils, adds hold and volume, and the powder, which lists ground-up cuttlefish bones among its ingredients, soaks up the excess grease and "sets" the style.  Christina also used period techniques, such as adding volume with hidden "rats" (stuffed wool pads) and rolling the hair around wooden dowels, then pinning into place.  

Let me tell you, having my hair done up and coiffed really added something to my portrayal of Abigail.  It wasn't just that I felt more like I looked the part, but it changed how I walked and moved (having to remember that I was a few inches taller and was balancing a wobbly hat on my head, things like that).  It just made such a huge difference.  Also, my hair laughs at modern hairsprays and gels, but these historical cosmetics...I'm tellin' ya, they really worked!!  And then you just brush it out at night and the natural ingredients just condition and soften your hair, rather than leaving it brittle and sticky and crunchy.  Wow!

   This is one of Christina's early attempts, which I think is amazing! (This is from Colonial Heritage Festival)

And here's how she styled it at R and R.  She just kept getting better and better at it!  Isn't it elegant??  

Here's my hair after three days of styling this way.  Looks like premature gray!  I love how it makes my hair feel, though.  So soft and fluffy!

Christina has also been a huge help with the "Dressing the 18th Century Lady" presentation I give, where I start by wearing just my shift and stays and add all of the rest of the layers of my ensemble.    Sometimes it's been a listed program on the event calendar and other times it's been sort of impromptu, but it ties in really well with Christina's "Lady's Toilette" booth, so after my hair is coiffed, it's a nice transition into getting dressed.  

I added a new event to my "roster" early this year -The Revolution in Huntington Beach, CA!  It takes place the second weekend in February.  Here are some pictures:

 

So, I now have four distinct events under my belt, and each event has its plusses and minuses.  

If I were to rate these events purely on ambiance, atmosphere, and the overall "feel," I would definitely put Northwest Colonial Festival at the top of the list.  The location simply could not be better unless it was Mount Vernon itself.  The George Washington Inn works so perfectly as the backdrop for a Revolutionary War event (just look at this place!), and the addition of a replica Concord Bridge with blue forget-me-nots standing in for the "river" is such a nice touch.  The grounds are lovely (it's a lavender farm too!), the scenery is spectacular with the property going right down to these dramatic cliffs over the Strait of Juan de Fuca, much like the real Mount Vernon is situated right on the banks of the Potomac - it's really all breathtakingly beautiful.  We had some cold, damp weather this year, but Eamon saved the day but driving the three hours round-trip to rescue us with cloaks and extra blankets (thanks, love!!).  Also, the closed veranda where they serve tea is such a lovely place for us Founding types to meet the public and chat with them.  I really love that opportunity to have conversations with people as Abigail.  Last year, after I introduced myself, one lady responded with an enthusiastic, "Oh, I've been waiting to meeting you, I'm a huge fan!!"  It was really rewarding, and lovely that she was willing to play along and dive right in.  The only downside to NWCF is that it's in Washington in August, and the weather is unpredictable!  But that's pretty minor :-)

First thing about Colonial Heritage Festival, is that it's in Utah, over 4th of July weekend.  So it was HOT.  Yes, there's some coverage from trees, but even so, it's still the desert!  Also, the event is HUGE, and it's spread out over a big city park.  The Colonial Village is just a small part of the America's Freedom Festival, so there is also a WWII encampment and a section dedicated to Ellis Island.  So there was a lot to compete with, programming-wise, although there was a tent set up where Jack and I did a John and Abigail conversation and talkback at least once each day (I slipped up a few times and spoke about myself in the third person, but I got back on track quckly).  Christina and I ended up doing the "getting dressed" presentation outside her "Lady's Toilette" booth, and then I could just walk right across the way to the tent and do the program with Jack.  Ziva even joined us for one or two of them, sat very politely and quietly either in the audience or with us up in front of everyone, and curtsied when I introduced her as Nabby.  Her being there gave me an impetus to talk about the family's inoculation against the smallpox, and rib John for letting his quarantine delay our marriage - fun stuff.  It was so great to be able to include her (Jack is very patient with her antics, for which I am grateful), and obviously the public adored it.  She's still too young to really give her own piece, but I hope some day she'll be interested in really developing a persona, whether it's Nabby or someone else! 

Another big plus about CHF is that since it's in a city park, there's an enormous playground structure right in the middle of the event.  Even though it's terribly anachronistic, it's a great place for the veritable hordes of children to hang out and play together.  Everyone was very sweet about letting the kids just kind of run wild and keeping an eye out for them, and I never had to worry if Ziva scampered off (although there were many times it took a while to locate her if I actually needed to tell her something or we needed to be somewhere, but I was never concerned for her safety).    

There was a dinner that Jack planned to mark the peace treaty between the British Army and the Continental forces.  It was a small group - just Jack and Trudy as Major and Lady Redmayne, myself as Abigail, Gregg and Katherine as Ben Franklin and Mrs. Franklin, and Dan and Kelly Shippey as General and Lady Washington.  It was an excellent opportunity to grow in my persona and play and experiment with how I thought Abigail might comport herself in such a situation, without the gaze of the public and in the company of supportive, encouraging people.  

If I had to name a downside of CHF, it was the "keynote" address given at the "Sunday Heritage Observance" on the night of July 2.  The event, which is over a whole weekend, shuts down completely on Sunday, so this is the one public offering that day.  There were certain parts of the keynote I found pretty offensive.  Yes, this was in Utah, and there's sort of an assumption, I guess, that most of the people attending the evening festivities were from a similar background and faith.  But this guy, whose area of expertise is in Americana and Colonial papers and letters, droned on about how the subjugation of women was a good thing, and the family structure is falling apart because women work outside the home.  All I could think was, Abigail Adams urged her husband to ensure women's representation, well before anyone dreamed up the term "suffragette" (which was itself a pejorative, infantilizing term), only for this asshole to get up there and tell women that it's best if they remain second-class citizens, AND they'd better be grateful for it!  I very nearly just got up and left, I was that angry.  But to a certain extent, I felt like I couldn't because I was a visitor, and representing the festival as a re-enactor.  It was to say the least, an awkward situation to find myself in.

Whew!  Anyway...

Rebels & Redcoats is in Phoenix, which is where Jack lives, and that event is definitely his brainchild and his "baby."  The 7th Company of Coldstream Guards, the group he commands as Major Redmayne, participates in the skirmishes and battle re-enactments, and in 2016 he and I also did a "Conversation with the Founders" with General and Lady Washington.  We weren't able to fit that particular piece into the program this past year, but it's not really the focus of the event.  The Friday school visit day was extremely well attended last year, and it was great to be able to give the "Getting Dressed" presentation with kids.  I like being able to turn it into something of a guessing game - what will I put on next?? - and the younger audiences enjoy the interactive aspect to it and the fun of trying to figure out just what the heck everything is.  And they all ask really great questions!

The wonderful thing about the Huntington Beach event is that it's close enough to Los Angeles that I can stay with my mom and visit family.  And it was a great event!  It's situated in a huge city park with forested areas as well as big open fields, so there are places for vendors and camp followers to set up as well as day trippers.  I got to see Christina again, since she lives in SoCal, and I got to meet a bunch of her friends and fellow re-enactors.  She had the Lady's Toilette set up, and was enlisting her friends to do hair so that she wasn't the only one doing demonstrations.  One of her friends in particular is actually a Colonial hair and makeup expert, so everyone looked beautifully turned-out!  On the Friday before the event, Christina actually took me around all of her favorite shops in the LA Fashion District, which was hugely fun and only a teensy bit expensive ;-)

My brother David took the pictures I posted above plus a bunch more, and even better, he got some terrific video clips of Jack and me and Ziva giving our presentation.  It's fantastic to have a "demo reel," if you will, because I really want to expand my Abigail Adams repertoire and broaden my scope.  It really helps that I have done events all across the country, both because I've met a lot of people and have networks in all of those places, and because it just lends an extra air of prestige to be seen to be in demand.  I have a Facebook page for Abigail now where I posted those pictures and videos, and I am also trying to post a selection from one of her letters to John for every day of the year.  I need to get better about that.  I'm also working on making business cards!  I've reached out to a few historic sites and living historians in the DC area to see what opportunities there might be for giving presentations in educational settings.  Here's hoping!!

And now I think I'm finally caught up!  

Wrapping up "Rebels and Redcoats" and the Abigail Adams ensemble

Of course, no sewing project, particularly a historical sewing project, is ever truly complete!  There are always trimmings to stitch on (temporarily, so that they can be changed out again when the mood strikes), hem lengths to adjust, fit issues to address, and accessories to make (oh boy...accessories...the possibilities are truly limitless when it comes to accessories).  All of this means delving back into whatever research was done when the project was in its infancy, scouring books and blogs and websites and Pinterest boards for inspiration and ideas.

We do this to ourselves, you see.  It's a never-ending cycle.  We are gluttons for punishment.  When in the throes of such a project, we stay up all hours wrestling with fabric while cursing the time that decreases as our stress increases, we agonize over where it is acceptable to cut corners with modern techniques like machine stitching and where hand stitching really matters, we wring our hands and fret about minutiae like WTF color ribbon to use in an undergarment that under normal historical circumstances would never be seen (not that I would anything about that particular battle,,,AHEM).  Then as soon as we hear about an upcoming event, all we can think about is making more pretty things to wear to it, and we sign up without a moment's hesitation.

Anyway...

It was really, really incredible to be a part of "Rebels and Redcoats."  Although I've attended tons of events of varying eras and varying authenticity (I love you, Ren Faire, I really do, but elf ears ain't period) this was my first time participating in living history as an actual interpreter.  While I still have loads to learn, my main takeaway from being one of the people in full (mostly) authentic costume is that when you walk the walk and talk the talk, people not only listen, they listen and ask questions and broaden their horizons because they are willing to accept that you know more about the subject than they do - and hey, you know what?  Turns out you actually do!  I may not have a Ph.D in 18th Century History, but I do have a Master's degree in library science.  And yes, that's partly because I want a career as a librarian, but it's also because I have a natural proclivity to be curious about lots of different things, and to actually want to do the research and dig deeper.

As a refresher, I was brought on board for "Rebels and Redcoats" after meeting Jack Pauly at Northwest Colonial Festival this past August.  He portrays John Adams and Sir John Redmayne, a Redcoat General!  After hearing about my experience playing Abigail with Reboot, and how much I loved the show in general, he had all confidence that I would be able to translate that into a more comprehensive portrayal.  So I owe a great deal to him for the experience, and for having faith in my ability to carry it off!

I'm a performer and a singer, so historical interpreting is no great deviation, but it's just funny how the path of circumstance is truly a winding road and not a straight line.  Eamon first introduced me to the show 1776, and I believe between the two of us we've seen some ten iterations of it, of course including Reboot's in which I played Abigail.  But all of that is just of a piece with most of my passions.  When I latch onto something, it becomes all-consuming.  This is going to shock some of you, but I have never felt the need to hide my enthusiasm.  The preparations for this event and the event itself gave me an outlet, not just for my acting abilities, but also for sharing the knowledge I have obtained, and for sharing the notion that it's okay - awesome, even! - to be enthusiastic about things.  And what could be more librarian-like than that??

We arrived in Phoenix on Wednesday night and on Thursday it just poured rain - a drenching, soaking rain.  But the rest of the weekend was very hot, around 85 degrees.  And very, very dry and dusty (as it generally is in a desert).  I had not anticipated the amount of dust that Ziva would accumulate on her clothing and body.  She's always been a little mudskipper, but she would just sit in the dirt and gravel and dump them all over herself,  And of course this was desert dirt and gravel with lots of mineral and elemental pigmentations, so it was hard to wash out.  Now that I know, next time I'll bring two dresses for her so I can switch them out and really give them a good soaking.  I was very glad that we opted to stay in a hotel rather than camp on site, because we and our garments needed deep-cleaning pretty much every night we were there.  I mean, yes, historically, grime and dirt were just part of everyday life, but if I'm not above using a sewing machine, it seems a tad silly to forego other modern conveniences like indoor plumbing and washers and dryers.

Friday was school visit day, and I think the number of visitors totaled something like 900 students.  Pretty incredible!  Saturday and Sunday were open to the public.  Every day was a little bit different, but it was all really eye-opening and educational and fun!

And now...pictures!!  The first set of pictures were taken by Wylin Tjoelker, the secretary, photographer and webmaster for the Northwest Colonial Reenactors Association.

 Here's me and Ziva getting ready on Day 1.  Although I wish I'd gotten the hem stitched on her dress before the event actually started (I mentioned how much this was all down to the wire, didn't I??), it was actually kind of nice to have handwork to do in camp while visitors were coming and going.  I'm sure it added to the ambiance!  Next time I'll bring embroidery or a handkerchief to edge -  daughter running around in just her shift all morning!!  Not that anyone cared, she's 3.   

Here's Ziva with her best friend for the weekend, Gracie.  Gracie's mom was the tavernmistress for the event, doing all of the camp cooking for us - and she also had her adorable 7-month-old, Georgina, in tow!!  It was truly a village looking after the girls.  Gracie knew the layout of the grounds from previous years, so she and Ziva would occasionally just take off to wander around the museum.  Ziva was in absolute heaven being taken under the wing of a big kid!

Here's a lovely seated shot of the back of my dress.

Another, this time standing.

Here's Ziva with Amanda, Gracie and Georgie's mom.  

Me with Carmen, who gave presentations and demonstrations all weekend on smallpox inoculation!

Laura Holland, who played North Carolina's Joseph Hewes in Reboot's 1776, came to the event as well, and was an enormous help to me and Ziva over the course of the weekend.  She gave us rides to and from the museum every day and spent a lot of time playing with the girls.

The following set, also taken by Wylin, is of my second time giving the presentation entitled "Tyranny of the Petticoat."  Jack adapted that title from a letter John wrote to Abigail in response to her now-famous "Remember the ladies" exhortation.  It was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but he was basically saying, oh great, now that women are finding their voice and asking for representation, we must welcome our petticoat overlords!

 

The first time I was setting up for the presentation, as I was removing all my outer clothing and accessories, I just started laying it all on tables and other available surfaces, and a light bulb went off.  I could have everyone come up and take a look at everything, and then ask them to guess what I might be putting on next!  The kids especially enjoyed it being interactive, and there was a lot of great dialogue about each layer.  I had written out some blurbs for myself ahead of time, things I wanted to keep in mind or remember to say, but when it came to the presentations themselves, I went without notes and just kind of let  take its course.  I pretty much got to everything I wanted to talk about, whether it was because I brought it up or an audience member asked a question.   

Here's the back view of just the shift and stays.  Rebecca Maiten was my main go-to for advice about which fabric to use for the stays - and really, she answered TONS of questions about everything else while I was working on the whole ensemble!  Agnes Gawne made this shift (and Ziva's) and it fit perfectly and the stays really worked well over it. 

Here's the front of the stays, and I'm holding the bodkin in my hand that I use to lace them up with the ribbon.  I opted to have the stays already on and laced rather than stand there in front of everyone poking the ribbon through every eyelet.  It's a tedious process!  But I talked about how stays were made and explained why I had mine front and back lacing, and also pointed out the spiral lacing, which is different than most people have probably seen on a corset.

Here I'm wearing the hip pad and holding up the pocket.  These two pieces posed the greatest puzzle for the guests.  One lady thought the hip pad was shoulder pads, and a kid asked if the pocket was a bib of some sort.  Makes sense, if you've only ever known pockets to be an integral part of a garment!  I made this pocket based on one that was loaned to me by Mara Perry, who also loaned me the cap and gave me the straw bergere (flat bonnet hat) that I put on at the very end. 

Here's how the pocket is worn, and you pretty much have to plan all the rest of the outer garments around where it sits at your side.  This pocket is intended not to be seen, but I have seen some re-enactors wear their beautifully embroidered pockets so they are visible.

I've tucked my tucker into the neck of my stays, which in this period was more about sun protection than modesty, and I've put on my first petticoat on (which was given to me by Agnes Gawne).  Here I'm showing how an opening in the petticoat below the closure allows access to the pocket.

Second petticoat on, which in my case was made from the same fabric as the dress, but I pointed out that petticoats could be made from solid silks or other coordinating fabrics to increase the versatility of an ensemble.  This petticoat is two panels with waistband ties, and the front one ties around to the back and the back comes around to tie in the front.  I'm showing here where the panels meet there is an opening directly above the pocket.

Stomacher!  This one was easy for people to guess where it went ;-)

Pinning the stomacher in place.  A lot of the time, the stomacher would first be pinned to the corset and then the robings (front panels) of the outer dress would be pinned to the stomacher, but I found it quicker and equally as secure to just hold the stomacher in place and pin the dress to it.  Here I should mention that Mara Perry was extremely helpful in helping me decode the construction of the gown.  Never having made anything of this period, there were some things I found confusing, and she gave me some excellent guidance!

Look, I can still reach into my pocket!

I've added my "for best" apron, and I'm still not fully dressed!  I hadn't put on my jewelry yet, or my hat.  

     

           

 I was just amused comparing my pose fully dressed at the end of the presentation to earlier one when I was decidedly undressed!

My jewelry - jade necklace and matching earrings, plus a cameo ring.

The presentations all went very well, and I received some truly lovely and encouraging feedback from the seasoned interpreters who attended.  One of the ladies also helped me demonstrate how silhouettes changed in the decades of the 1770s - she was wearing pocket hoops, which are a much larger and more structured means of achieving the wide skirts than a hip pad, but not quite as big as panniers.  During the third presentation, she gamely got up to show them to the audience.  It was great to have multiple examples! 

At some point over the weekend, one of the other reenactors gifted Ziva a little apron and cap of her own.  So cute!! 

The rest of the pictures are mine, and I think I took them all on my phone.  For the most part I just tried to keep it put away since there was such a good photographer documenting the whole weekend, but there were times I couldn't resist!

Ziva was just so happy the whole weekend.  Her shift, as I mentioned, was made by Agnes Gawne, and her dress was made by Eileen Peterson, a seamstress and regular costumer for several Kitsap theater companies.    

They were all just so cute playing duck-duck-goose!  I love the action shot at the end.

Well, I think that just about covers it!!  My apologies for taking so long to get this posted, there was obviously a lot to talk about and process!  Time and funds allowing, I can absolutely see myself doing more of this.  It was such a rewarding experience with a very welcoming and warm group of people.  They were so supportive of me as a beginner and seemed really pleased with my contributions to the weekend's activities and offerings.