For this month’s class, my 6th of 9, we had two special edition opportunities for Under the Redcoat weekend.
FRIDAY MORNING: PRIVATE HISTORICAL SEWING CONSULT
For Friday afternoon I reserved a 20- minute session of individual consultation time with Brenda and Tom at the Costume Design Center.
I got to take in any 18th century projects I wanted and ask questions galore! How cool is that?
STAYS
My first question was about stays I’m sewing for my daughter.
I was clueless as to whether I should widen or lengthen them, or use the pattern as is.
With zero experience in even wearing stays, much less sewing them, I had no idea how to even begin accessing the pattern.
I decided to make the pattern “as is” and see what came of it.
When I laid out my stays and pattern for Brenda and Tom, they immediately jumped in to help.
As they plummeted me with valuable information, I grabbed my colonial notebook to jot down all the directions.
GOWNS
After telling them about my gown making woes, they gave me lots of tips.
Pointing out the problems on my daughter’s newest gown which she was wearing, they gave me a lot of helpful information.
SHOWING OFF
After my son showed them his newest breeches, my daughter showed them her completed pocket from a previous class.
Brenda enthusiastically took us to see Nicole, our instructor from the pocket class, who raved over her work!
FRIDAY EVENING SHOWCASE: 18TH CENTURY REGIMENTALS, GOWNS, AND STAGE COSTUMES
Friday evening we assembled at Bruton Heights to learn about three different types of 18th century clothing.
An interesting lecture on 18th century military regimentals, perfect for Under the Redcoat weekend, showcased some examples made by the Costume Design Center.
Moving to a set of three fancy 18th century costumes, obviously for the stage and not daily life, Brenda and Tom shared lots of fascinating details.
The crown jewel of the third set of 18th century historical clothing was this gown created by the Costume Design Center for Mamie Gummer who recently came to the historic area to portray Lady Dunmore at the Governor’s Palace.
Discussion focused on the challenges in reproducing the fabric from an original in the CW collection.
After the lecture, guests were free to see and touch the clothing close-up.
LEARNING LOTS IN THESE CLASSES
Now that I have three 18th century sewing classes down, I have greatly expanded my ability to create a historical wardrobe.
Class 1 – I learned the key to historically accurate fabric and hand stitching. (Wow! I can do that!)
Class 2 – I learned how to wrap Dorset buttons and Death Head buttons. (Wow! I can even do those now!)
Class 3 – I learned how to create various types of bags to create accessories for the historical clothing I’m sewing.
Class 4 – I learned how to create historically accurate adornment for ladies’ gowns.
Class 5 – I learned how to trim hats to accessorize gowns for myself and my daughter!
Now 6 – Now I’ve gleaned new valuable tips for the problematic gown sewing.
Three more classes to go while I improve my historical sewing.
Stay tuned!
