A few quick notes on the "Mercy Bradford" cloak.

I put "Mercy Bradford" in quotations for a very good reason: I don't think it's Mercy Bradford's cloak, nor does whoever wrote the accession card!

There's much more to come on this subject, including photos (which I have express permission to post, it's really good to be friends with a curator!), but I couldn't let you all hang in suspense while I prepare the big post. Especially while it's fresh in my mind!

A few notes on the cloak, that are of interest to me, and I'm assuming you all, too:

• The scarlet red cloak is not stitched with scarlet red thread! The seams are sewn with yellow thread; however you don't see the yellow for the most part.
• The black velvet trim is only on the right side of the fabric and is stitched with black thread.
• This cloak has both a hood and a collar.
• There are two strange, non-working "pockets," for lack of a better term, up by the shoulders. They are stitched down on three sides.

I found a few surprises that no one, not even the curator, noticed. But I'll save those for the big post!

It's the weekend: Fly-by post.

Since I'm examining an extant cloak this afternoon, and with the impending winter-weather-in-fall coming, I thought it would be appropriate to feature another beautiful extant cloak that also has provenance in Massachusetts.

Woman's hooded cloak. Last quarter, 18thc. Red wool
broadcloth trimmed in black silk. MFA Boston, 99.664.16.

From the MFA Boston's website:

"Red wool broadclothhooded cloak trimmed in black silk, hood gathered at back, cloak gathered at shoulders and pieced at bottom.

Provenance: Worn by Abigail Robbins (1759-1850); inherited by Ellen A. Stone; gift to MFA, 1899."

Hood is gathered at the back, cloak is gathered at the shoulders
and pieced together at the bottom.

The wool was manufactured in England, and the cloak was made in Massachusetts. It was worn in Lexington. Click on either photo to be taken to its catalog page on the MFA's website.

Fabric swatches from Renaissance.

So, a while back I received the swatches I asked for from Renaissance Fabrics: spring green, peacock blue, copper, and gold-purple.

"Preserving the Harvest."

In the Boston area and looking for something 18thc. to do and see? Come learn about "Preserving the Harvest" tomorrow, 10am to 4pm, at the Hartwell Tavern in the Minute Man National Historic Park!

From The Hive's website:

"Take part in a living history day at Hartwell Tavern where we will be ensuring our food supply for the winter and early spring by employing period food preservation techniques. From meat to fruits and vegetables you'll be able to both watch and participate in preparing foodstuffs for winter storage. Before refrigeration, one had to utilize a variety of methods to make harvest last. You'll learn how drying, pickling, salting, brining, cellaring and canning were done, as well as how some of these foods were reconstituted for later use."

I will be there in kit (with my completed pocket around my waist!) making butter, and potentially milking a Devon cow to make butter from her milk.  Come say hello and learn something new!

It's the weekend: Fly-by post.

18thc. pockets, 1796. Linen. American.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1979.346.200.

Looks very similar to my pocket pattern! Click the photo to go to the Met's pocket page.

It's the weekend: Fly-by post.

18thc. pockets. Cotton, linen; printed cotton. American.
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 48.1218a

From the MFA Boston's site:

Pair of pockets, pockets attached with coarse cotton tape tie, edges of slits bound with white linen tape, face of pockets of blue on white floral printed cotton, backs of pockets of hevy white linen; a number of small yellow stains. Dimensions: 43 x 37.5 cm (16 15/16 x 14 3/4 in.).

Click on the photo to go to the MFA Boston's pocket page.

If wishes were riding habits.

Marie Antoinette hunting with Louis XVI
in the background. Louis-Auguste Brun, 1783.
Private collection.

Though my reenacting takes place in conservative New England, I have a large soft spot for the 18thc. French garments. I make it no secret that Madame de Pompadour and Marie Antoinette are my French idols. The Dauphine holds a large part of my heart especially, as she was an equestrienne. In a time where it was believed a woman's place was not on the back of a horse, she refused; she rode with the hunts--stag, boar, fox--on her own hunters. Despite the uproar, the now-fictional stories of riding ruining her chances of becoming a mother (we also now know that it was not her fault for not consummating the marriage or bearing children immediately), she rode. Riding seemed to be her escape from the pressure of the royal court life and sometimes it was the only time she saw her husband. If you ask any equestrienne they too will respond that riding is a form of therapy, an escape from every day life.

When I ride, I sometimes slip from the 21stc. to the 18thc. and pretend I'm riding behind the hounds, through the thick forests, dressed in a beautiful habit--the color and material changes with the seasons. Green and worsted wool for cool springtime rides; indigo Irish linen in the warm summer; red like the blazing maple leaves in the fall, or brown later in the season, like the bare trees. While I ride astride, I do long to learn to ride aside, but thankfully there is evidence of split-skirts in 18thc. riding habits so I won't have to--one day, though. It's on my to-do list.

Marie Antoinette at the age of 28. Louis-Auguste Brun, 1783.
Versailles.

Gazing at paintings of the 18thc. aristocracy aboard their magnificent steeds takes my breath away. When my dog Lola and I are out on the trail or riding through the field or even working in the ring, I imagine we are a small sliver of a portrait, or that maybe we are Marie Antoinette, "riding like a man" and ignoring the naysayers. I think of the Dauphine's difficulties, and realize that 3 centuries later, we're not that much different. There is a little bit of the Dauphine in me.

One day, when my sewing skills are more advanced, I will research more carefully a riding habit for myself. More like a few; one to wear in conservative New England at events and another inspired by Marie Antoinette (I particularly love the lavender or lilac habit in the painting above). Maybe even her military-esque habit to the left; why not, right? All that stops me is my own fear and imagination (okay, and money). Fear kept me from riding for several years, but I've conquered it and ride like I have no fear (or try to, fake it 'til you make it, right?). I can certainly conquer sewing in the same manner.

And an interesting note, Marie Antoinette is just a year older than I am in the painting of her astride her warhorse.

My warhorse, Galli. This was one of my Christmas card photos last year.

It's the weekend: Fly-by post.

Since I'm on a petticoat making mission, here's an interesting petticoat for sale through Meg Andrews. I've never seen fabric like this, it is so amazing!

1760s Norwich fabric petticoat. Remade into
a 19th century skirt.

Click on the image to be taken to the website.

Many thanks to Sew18thCentury for posting the Meg Andrews website on Facebook! I wish my checking account had unlimited funds ...

Maybe I'm more mathematical than I thought.

I'm pleating my printed cotton petticoat right now, and it's kind of awesome! I found it a bit difficult to do on the skirt panels for my gown, but with a flat, very straight-forward piece of fabric, it's really rather easy to do.

That may change when I have to do them backwards on the back panel, though!

I had to piece together the petticoat as my fabric was only about 46 inches wide. This makes it more accurate and authentic, as looms back in the 18thc. were much, much smaller then modern ones. 60 inches of fabric may make it really easy, but maybe consider buying smaller pieces of fabric or chopping up the larger fabrics to make it accurate!

The center front box pleat.
I made it about 4 inches.

The seam where I had to
piece together the petticoat.

These are my photographs. Please do not take or use them without permission.

Some links for your enjoyment.

Damask is an underutilized fabric for reenactors. Learn more from Hallie's series on the beautiful fabric: http://bit.ly/oU9M9i

Are you cut out for the 18thc.? Sew18thCentury doesn't think she is: http://bit.ly/pktasd

Mimic of Modes drools over some past Augusta auctions: http://bit.ly/nqtHDn

An excellent collection of links from the Two Nerdy History Girls: http://bit.ly/o9FqhQ

From the Friends of Minute Man National Park, a look at George Washington's Sept. 6, 1775 letter to Canada: http://1.usa.gov/r5IcfZ

This Day in History, Sept. 7, Jeremiah Poope of the Freedom Trail Foundation recounts the naming of Boston: http://bit.ly/nN6KL1

Embroiderers of the 18thc.

My quick and dirty search into slate frames, scroll frames, screws, and general embroidery in the 18thc. proved to be very interesting.

No, really! I'm not an embroiderer, so researching something I know hardly anything about was really neat. In the past, I had picked it up with silly cross stitch kits and kits with round hoops and Disney characters on them. But that's contemporary, and really all I had to do was follow the instructions and the color guide. Thinking about it now, it's all very similar to what I'll be doing on my practice workbag and the pocket. But at the same time, it's also different.

Screwed! ... sort of.

Remember yesterday's post, about those scroll frames at A.C. Moore that could pass for period?

Well ... maybe not.

It looks like my initial thoughts about them not having screws were wrong. They do in fact have screws. And wing nuts. Those are definitely not 18thc. I still bought it, because what the heck, right? I am not going down without a fight!

I may be able to get them to work without the screws. I'm going to test a thought I had while thinking about them grocery shopping (usually, all of my best thinking is done in the shower). I think, if I can tie the dowels together in a tight X shape, they could work.

Is that 18thc.? I don't know. Before I do that, my next move is to try and find 18thc. drawings/engravings/paintings of people with a slate frame and see how the dowels were held together; my research yesterday said that one of the books on my library list, 18th Century Embroidery Techniques by Gail Marsh, has engravings of women working at slate frames. I also may find that if I can hold them together with something else--not necessarily a screw, or a tie, but maybe another dowel?--that could pass for period. I can't just try and hide the screws, as I'm going to need to get to the back of the embroidery, and lifting it up would expose the wing nuts.

This is an unexpected but welcome challenge. I may not know a lot about slate frames and embroidery now, but I'll know a little more when I'm finished. And that is really, really cool, and a big bonus to being a serious reenactor. I believe that learning never stops, it should never stop, and why not learn at least a little bit about something new?

Ready? Set? Go!

Some links for your enjoyment

It may be August, but it's never too early to think about capes in New England: http://bit.ly/ooHu0n

Why yes, you can place that elaborate, ornate gold box on my dresser any time: http://bit.ly/ns1N0U

Costumers and reenactors aren't the only people bringing the 18th century to life: http://bit.ly/o03zAy

A collection of stars on the stomacher, and all over the gown? Yes, please! http://bit.ly/lv7aEv

Mitts for keeping the sun off your forearms (and covering up your tattoos): http://bit.ly/pe44ix

Mind = blown: Stay-lacing cord with a built-in bodkin! *Angels singing*: http://bit.ly/nXrSCg

A New Project in the Works!

I am quite excited to announce my involvement in an enormous undertaking of research, garment creation, and sewing, to culminate in a garden party and muster day next summer, at the Minute Man National Historical Park! It's the perfect opportunity to really be "stuck" in the 18th century, and immerse myself in truly learning the techniques of period sewing (not to mention, be able to use the years of research methodology classes and examine primary sources!).

I'm the newcomer in all of this (sewing-wise, that is), so my hope is that I'll remind others what it's like to be a neophyte again, maybe a teeny bit over their head, and also to inspire other newcomers to just take the plunge! I'm finding, and I've been told, that breaking into this hobby is hard for a woman; I hope that after this project is completed, a few more will join the ranks.

The project is called the "Crazy Concord Chicks" and you can read all about it on our blog. There are 10+ people in this project, and we all have our own standalone pages that get pushed to the main blog. My section is the "Younger Set," with another young lady. We're thinking we need to be the "little rich girls" that get dressed up and sort of emulate the "HEYDAY! Is this my DAUGHTER ANNE!" satire.

And have no fear, this fledgling blog is not going anywhere. I'll be crossposting from the Crazy Concord Chicks, as well as documenting the process for whatever gown I end up choosing. Lots of work, yes, but this is going to be so much fun!

"HEYDAY! Is this my DAUGHTER ANNE!" linked from "A Catalogue of 18th-Century British Mezzotint Satires in North American Collections." By F.E. Adams, 1773. Found in two collections: New York Public Library (B1970.3.970) and Lewis Walpole Library (779.10.11.1).