Back to School
Emily’s gone back to Bennington, and we miss her. But, by working very hard and very fast, she finished the pair of stays for Norah before she had to go. I missed the very end of her stay, including the final fitting, due to yet more germs. It’s been the worst winter for illness around my house; I hope yours has been much healthier. Thanks to Penny and Shaina for taking these pictures and helping Emily with the last bits of finishing.
Notice Norah’s jeans in the first picture; they add to the outfit, don’t you think? The second shows more how they’ll be worn, with a petticoat over. Nearly all the time she’ll also wear a jacket or waistcoat over top; only within the house she may sometimes work in either just the smock-sleeves and stays, or with a loose house-jacket over that.
Plimoth Plantation’s living history exhibits re-open to the public four weeks from Saturday. We’ve got a lot to do.
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:55 pm
With opening day not so far away, I am thinking, for the sake of my own visit, I might as well wait until the site is open as it may be more interesting to my husband. Do you know when you will have the two lace pillows up and running? So far, all the fun is being had by the embroiderers.
Devon
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Tech question: What do you use to bone the stays? Plastic/nylon? Steel? (Spare whales being in short supply . . . .) The channels look wide for hemp cord. ‘Conventional wisdom’ is that steel wasn’t used until sometime in the 19th century, but it takes a woman with a very spare figure to achieve the inverted-cone silhouette of the 16th-17th-18th century, without something that stiff. - I’m currently trying to build German dress of about 1580 to 1590, and while most German woodcuts show more curve (fortunately, as I’m a bit on the curvy side), support for which is probably achievable with hemp cord in narrow channels, I’m still curious.
Yes, I’m asking for your research, but I promise to credit you if I ever write my project up!