Short, early post tonight.

We have a picture of Rosemary from MA sorting out what is the next step.

And a detail photo of Rosemary’s stumpwork dragonfly – stunning.

I’ve been hit with a truly nasty bug, which makes the simple sinus infection I’ve been fighting look like a lightweight, so I’m going to fall back on pretty pictures for a couple of days. Enjoy.

Wendy, Tricia, Carolyn and Robbin’s emails have been flying, sorting out what is the best pattern to use for the sample bobbin lace and moving ahead to the next steps.

Tricia has located a place that might be able to make us the tool we need for the spangles, although no one’s given up on Mark, we just know how many other irons he has in the fire (ooh – even a fever can’t keep me from making a pun!).

So everything’s moving along great, and if you’re interested in the bobbin lace kit, take heart, we’ll have it ready soon. If you’ve left a message for Kathy this week and haven’t heard back yet, don’t worry about that either; she’s off for a few days and will certainly be right on it when she comes back.

At the last session (which just ended Sunday evening) Carolyn, Robbin, Tricia, Wendy and I talked lace. Carolyn has made a spectacular sample of lace using the real-metal threads Tricia recommended, with sequins standing in for spangles. I was deep in conversation about logistics with Robbin and Carolyn when Tricia spirited the sample off to hold it up to the jacket, so I have no picture for you. What I DO have, thanks to Jen (thanks, Jen), is a link to HER photo of the lace sample held to the end of a sleeve. If you look carefully you can see one of the sequins. I actually got to hold this sample, and when I moved it even ever so gently, the sequins quivered. Quivered. They caught the light, they twinkled. I was mesmerized. Too wonderful.

Anyway, we’ve decided we can invite lacers to participate in a similar way as embroiderers. We’re creating a kit with a pattern (not the Laton pattern, more on that later), small amounts of the real metal threads we’ll be using for the jacket lace, sequins, and instructions. The cost of the kit will include a tax-deductible donation to Plimoth Plantation which will directly support the jacket project. We’ll be asking lacers to make a few repeats to send back to us. The kit will include sufficient materials to make more lace than that, though, so the lacer gets to keep some. We can add two or possibly three lacers to each embroidery session starting (hopefully) in January.

There are a couple of things we still have to do before the lace kits will be ready to send out. Tricia is ordering threads. Carolyn is developing a lace pattern based on two originals (the Laton lace and one from 17^th century Antwerp) which will incorporate the skills/techniques needed for the real lace. We can’t use the pricking she is developing of the real Laton lace because that pattern belongs to the V&A. We need to write directions and some other bits of text to include. We have to figure out how much it will cost (no more than the $40 that the embroidery kit does, though). We don’t know yet exactly when it will be ready, but we have a plan in place to let everyone know. If you want to get your name down, you can call or email Kathy (508-746-1622 X8114 or kroncarati@plimoth.org) now; she’s making a list. But don’t worry – there’s time. We can’t start making the lace until Mark, Tricia and Wendy have made spangles. They’re getting closer and closer. They’ve figured out how to do it and are looking for stock to cut them from.

For pictures tonight I have one of Kimberly from PA, and one of Kimberly’s hands working on the wings. The wings are the little shoulder flap things that get trimmed with lavish lace and sewn to the armhole.

Thanks, Rich, for setting me up with more categories to make everything easier to find.

Every volunteer embroiderer in every session is an amazing, interesting person. I’ve said a number of times that the best part of this project for me has been the opportunity to meet and get to know so many talented and generous people. I’ve been thinking you might like to get to know them too. 

The first picture tonight is of Sharon from Virginia, as she was known this session. We had two Sharons this time. This Sharon took a weekend away from her own major, long term project, opening a new library at the college where she teaches, to join us. I was glad to hear about her amazing project which is nearly complete – the library has been open for a couple of months but the finishing touches are still being put to it, and the official opening ceremony isn’t for another week or so. Her mammoth undertaking made ours seem positively do-able! 

The second photo is Sharon’s hands at work. Thanks to Lilia who again photographed each embroiderer’s hands (all those present on Saturday, anyway). Fortunately, this time she took a big picture of everyone, too, so I would be able to match names with hands. 

I have loads of pictures and subjects for blog posts, probably enough to last until the next session even if nothing new happens (which is unlikely). The next session, November 14-17, is full, but we do have some spots open in December – the 11^th to the 14^th, so if you have a few vacation days to use before you lose them at the end of the year, think about coming to Plimoth. The gift shops will still be open so you can do some holiday shopping in between stitching. 

This session’s embroiderers made a big impression on the jacket. Nearly everyone worked at least one or two large motifs – pinks (carnations) or foxgloves. It feels like we’re tipping the scales to more done than not done. Not true, of course, there’s still loads to do, but the frames no longer look mostly blank with a couple of rosehips and a leaf or two. Two frames are now “out of service” meaning everything is done on them except the gold vines (that thread has yet to be manufactured) and the sequins (we have them but want to put them on last, after the gold work). We didn’t want to have to reduce the number of embroiderers who can come each time, so we’ve thought of a way around that. More on that another day.

Today was the last day of the October session. An awful lot was accomplished this session, even though it was only three days (this is the last 3-day session; all the rest will be four days as we’ve found that’s more efficient). 

Wendy caught one of the lighter moments today, when Laura dropped a needle. Embroiderers converged on the spot, searching high and low, but the needle was never found. Wendy said the picture quality wasn’t up to her usual standard because she was laughing so hard. 

The second picture is a postcard Plimoth Plantation made in 2004, when the Red Sox capped a record-setting post-season with their first World Series win in 86 years. Even the role-players in the 1627 English Village are part of Red Sox Nation. Now, since I mentioned them twice and they won twice, the laws of fan superstition state that I must mention them again. So – one more time for the pennant – Go Sox!

This is a picture of Lyn from Ontario taking a photo of two surprise visitors to the embroidery session. These interpreters were hosting a 17^th-century dinner for museum guests. Afterwards they noticed the lights still on in Accomack where we have our sessions, so they stopped in. Anne and Lyn were working late tonight. 

When Lyn arrived yesterday she gave me her feedback survey from the September session (I’ve finally wised up and this time I’ve started handing them out at the beginning of the session instead of mailing them afterwards). One of her wishes was that the participants would have the opportunity to speak to some of the interpreters as modern people and find out how they prepare for their roles, what they think about the period clothing they wear, that sort of thing. Earlier today John Kemp, director of the Colonial Interpretation Program, stopped in on his rounds as weekend manager, and Lyn had the chance to chat with him about some of those very topics. Then, around 7:30, these two interpreters stopped in. It was all a coincidence, but it made me look very on top of things, and it was a fun treat for the embroiderers and the interpreters to get to talk about their very different experiences. 

I have so much to write about, and I think Tricia will be sending some posts in a few weeks too, but for now – the Red Sox are on. Who’ll be tonight’s hero?

Today was the first day of the October embroidery session. It was a long day as we had supper together and then a tour of the Colonial Wardrobe Department afterwards. In upcoming posts I’ll have a spangle update and I want to chime in on the discussion of Linda’s samples that’s been happening in the comments. But for tonight, I just have a picture of some of this session’s embroiderers getting to work on the jacket.

Linda is testing linens and silks for a new project – she’s volunteered to make a handkerchief with a double running stitch border for Plimoth Plantation. When she came to embroider in September I gave her samples of the three linens we had on hand. Two were unevenly woven and so unsuitable. This is the best sample (well, the embroidery on each sample was exquisite – this is the best linen), but the linen is a little too coarse. I’m going to send her another piece of linen, a kind we didn’t have in stock last month. Maybe that will work. Or we’ll keep looking. 

The pattern is from a handkerchief in the V&A (where else? They have everything.) Of course I don’t have the accession number right now, but Linda mentioned there’s a problem with searching their collections with the accession number; something doesn’t quite match. The inspiration hanky is embroidered with red silk and has gold metal bobbin lace. Actually, it’s the same hanky that inspired Kate to make hers but she used a different pattern. 

The pattern on the original handkerchief is charted in The New Carolingian Modelbook. AND, Linda noticed, the same pattern with different filling stitches appears on the 17^th century sampler described and charted by Kathleen Epstein (now Staples) in her book An Anonymous Woman her work wrought in the 17^th Century. Synchronicity. (Linda used Italian cross stitch for the filling stitch on this sample, and was pleased with the effect.) 

I hope all that was interesting and not horridly confusing. I have to go now to rest up for tomorrow, the first day of the October embroidery session. Oh, yes, and to watch the Red Sox. But I’ll be resting. Go Sox.

Offers to volunteer to knit stockings keep coming in. We are working on fulfilling the requests for stocking kits and will send them out next week. Thank you all so much. 

You were right, Beth, you did tell me. And Beth is really from New Jersey, not New York as I said the other day. You know, if I had her address I would’ve known that – wait. I do have her address. Duh. 

There have been several requests for the knitting patterns to be posted or linked to the blog. I’m sure we can figure that out, but it won’t be this week. 

The rest of this week is all about preparing for and then hosting the October embroidery session. Kathy’s putting together packets of information and paperwork (photo release, so I can post pictures here) for the new volunteers. Marcia is cooking; I went over to that building twice today and it smelled so yummy. Tomorrow we’ll move the floor stands, thread boxes, lights, manuals and embroidery frames over to Accomack. 

Just because we’re between sessions, though, doesn’t mean nothing’s happening. Last week, despite a balky car, Marilyn S traveled down to Plymouth to embroider for the day. Today Louise came. It does more for my peace of mind than you can possibly imagine having embroidery going on in between sessions. It may seem like only a little gets done on any given day, but the cumulative effect is impressive. I also got notes today from Lauren S and Kris A, both of whom are passing through MA next week on other business and offered us a day or two of their expertise – which I will gladly and gratefully accept. 

Samples today from Linda F and Catherine K. Also another kind of sample from Linda V – Linda of the reversible embroidery is testing linen and silk in order to make another double-running stitch embroidered handkerchief for Plimoth Plantation. The samples are gorgeous and will probably be the subject of tomorrow’s post.

This is what I spent yesterday doing, when I wasn’t blogging. I finished this pink wool waistcoat (or jacket) for a new interpreter. The buttons were cast in pewter by Mark, based on 17^th century examples.