Tags
10th Massachusetts, 18th century clothes, authenticity, common dress, living history, Revolutionary War, sacque, sewing project, Spencer
Regency Green: Kochan & Philips + Robert Land = Matchy-matchy.
As expected, Mr Najekci dispatched the K&C wool before the Hook, so last Thursday evening when I arrived home after Gallery Night, there was a box of delicious waiting for me. And, also as expected though mostly hoped for, the wool and shoes were super simpatico. This will be a fun project when I get myself sorted to it.
I have not yet had the time to put all the projects into a spreadsheet, but I think it would help keep things organized and on schedule. For example, I have:
- to work out the details and rationale of the sacque, vis-a-vis date and style
- to finalize the Spencer pattern
- to pattern and fit a frock coat, waistcoat and breeches for Mr S ca. 1775
- to ask about the regimental for Mr S, which will be wanted eventually
- to face making a tent by next summer
- a plan for kettle bags, since I’d like us to pack lighter & more authentically
- to fix my stays situation
- an inordinate desire for a splashy bonnet to go with that Spencer
- two shirts to make up for Mr S and the Young Mr
- a red short cloak, for easier movement
Once I have a schedule and a plan, making things by deadline is somewhat easier. It’s “bridge” season now, between cooling and heating, summer and winter fashion collections, and that’s as good a time as any to work out plans for the winter. There’s nothing the guys must have for an event that they haven’t got already–for Fort Lee, they can wear their short wool jackets under their 10th MA hunting frocks and be perfectly authentic and warm. (The brown and green coat is 1777, and the Fall of Fort Lee is 1776. The blue and white short-tailed regimentals are 1781. No coat for you!)
So it’s worth taking the time to regroup, even as I rush headlong into projects…and considering I have jury duty (no scissors!) this week, maybe I should add hand-knit stockings to that list.
Kitty Calash 
“◾to face making a tent by next summer”
I am relieved to hear I am not the only one who finds this to be a less favorable task. At the very least, I need to make a fly, since I can’t seem to find one that meets my desires of a certain depth for a ridge I already have and a length to reach the ground for sleeping on one side and give functional shade on the other. Granted, the first step is to get my heavier machine fixed.
Heh…this tent has to be sewn by hand. But they did it in Williamsburg, so we can too. But it is a daunting proposition. I hope for good weather and sewing outdoors, as a tent will not fit well in an apartment!
I could actually wrap my head around hand sewing lengths of canvas a bit better than figuring out how to rearrange the sewing room to get that particular machine & table in a spot where I could machine sew the canvas.
We are also in an apartment. Luckily, we have a good size covered porch I could work on when the weather is nice. My porch list also includes carpet bags, which make far, far too much mess for inside.
The rearranging is the tricky part. Considering that the holidays are near, I’d better start thinking about how to return my sewing room to its use as a dining room…at least for a while!
I think that if the lengths of canvas are rolled on either side of the hand-sewing, it might work inside the apartment. But doing it on the machine in the space we have, when factoring in the intense interest of the cats, seems risky. Good luck with your projects!
A mental image of cats lounging on canvas draped on either side of the sewing machine is vivid in my mind. I do look forward to your tent construction, with or without the aid of cats.
Thank you for reinforcing the oncoming holiday conversion. My sewing room must become organized enough that I can still find what I will need through January while becoming storage for the decoration boxes and possibly guest sleeping space. I think curtains are in order.
Do they allow knitting needles in the courtroom??
Perhaps you could hand sew, using just a pair of child’s paper scissors for cutting thread?
I’m loving the project list too. I don’t dare make one or I fear I would never… start… anything,
Best,
Nancy N
They do not allow knitting needles in the court house, or anything with a cutting edge, or anything sharp. So no knitting, no needlework. I do have a book, but I am better when my hands are not idle.
Hand-written project list, here I come!
KC