I remembered to take a photo of the final fitting on Whitney’s new waistcoat. Whitney’s also wearing her brand-new petticoat, made by intern Arianna and volunteer Carolyn. This was taken on Friday, when this weekend’s embroiderers were already at work.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving Whitney will be the bride for a recreated wedding in the 1627 English Village. I’ve promised Whitney this new outfit in time for the wedding, but I’m trying to finish it in time for her to wear a couple of times this week. We’ll see. I’m also hoping to spend some time today practicing the plaited braid stitch so I can audition for embroidering the coils. Wish me luck!

I mentioned that we were, a few weeks ago, concentrating on getting clothing ready for our child volunteers. We’ve expanded the program this year (only to children of Plimoth staff, though) and are introducing nine new colonial children to the 1627 Village site this week. Colleen asked when one might find children on site. We’re not holding them to particular schedules, being youngsters and volunteers and all, but this is what I know. You’re likely to find children on site any day except Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the time being. You’re much less likely to find any on those awful, suffocating hot & humid days we sometimes get. The children aren’t scheduled through the front desk, so calling ahead, unfortunately, won’t get you any more information. The children are pretty excited, though, and want to be on site. With nine to choose from you’re pretty likely to find some most days.

Next Thursday, July 3 there will be a “squadron muster” in the English Village and I believe most of the children are planning to be on site for it. In the 17th century the colonists were very serious about defending their colony, and being prepared to defend it, both from potential European rivals (Spanish and French, most notably) and Native peoples. We have historical references to the colonists “exercising their arms”(arms & armor, not limbs) periodically, and the squadron muster will be a demonstration of what that might have looked like. We have no record of any attack on the Plymouth Colony by either Europeans or Natives up to and including the year portrayed on site – 1627.

A couple of days ago the children got into their period clothing, most of them for the first time except for try-ons. They practiced first person interpreting on our Colonial Education Site with plain-clothed interpreters for pretend visitors. Here are a couple of pictures Penny caught of their work that day.

A couple of days ago Mary asked if we have another Big Project in the pipeline for when the jacket is finished. She wrote “don’t cringe” but what I actually responded with was a sort of manic giggle. Yes, we sort of do have another or few big ideas. One is the 2009 Symposium, which I wrote about yesterday. The exhibit that the jacket will be part of is actually a pretty big project, and pretty “wardrobe heavy” which means lots of hands-on work for us. There’s enough talk about a book about creating this jacket that I think that is very likely, even probable. We’ve even started thinking about another big Volunteer Project, but I’m so not ready to let that cat out of the bag right now. It isn’t likely to be something very similar to the jacket, but it ,will be similarly awesome, ambitious and unique.