Originally posted by Laura Mellin at http://attack-laurel.livejournal.com/
Gardiner’s Company, of which I am the Education Officer (it sounds fancy, but all it really means is I HAVE THE POWER OF LIFE AND DEATH OVER EVERYONE’S CLOTHES MUAH HAHAHAHAHA give advice to newer members on their kit), has been asked by the Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center to create two entire suites of clothing for the new Governor’s House in the living history Fort. They’ll be displayed, and they will actually be able to be worn, but the person in charge of the project says they can only be worn if we’re all very, very good.
This is really exciting. Gardiner’s and Jamestown, we go way back. We’ve had some really good times together. I, personally, have been a volunteer interpreter since before I was with Bob. Other members of Gardiner’s have been volunteers there since before there even was a “Gardiner’s Company”. It’s a lovely place.
But now, it’s getting even lovelier with the new Governor’s House, which has been furnished with gorgeous pieces (including an amazing four-post bed with soft furnishings that some members of Gardiner’s have also been consulting on). We are going to provide two shirts, two suits (matching doublet and pants), a set of ruffs, a set of falling band and cuffs, stockings, leather gloves with embroidered gauntlets, and a nightcap. We are going to be paid, even. I was so excited, I threw in the nightcap gratis, because they really, really wanted one, but didn’t think their budget would stretch that far (and they’re right; the nightcap would eat up about 3/4 of the budget in time alone). But we get to make clothes for a museum!
WE GET TO MAKE CLOTHES FOR A MUSEUM!!!!!!!eleventy!!!!
The suits are going to be made by Eleanor Hamilton (SCA) and Olivia Carlisle (SCA), I’m spearheading the linens, with help from Victoria Dye (Esther Pickering in the SCA), and others TBD. Eleanor and Olivia have drafted all the clothes patterns (suits, shirts), and I drafted the accessories (hey, cutting out rectangles is hard. Stop laughing), and, more importantly, I’ve designed all the embroidery patterns.
I plan to blog my part of the proceedings here, with the tag “governors new clothes”. Gardiner’s is also on Facebook, but I am not, so Eleanor will post links there.
We’re all madly excited. We got final approval on the drawings at the February training weekend. Our due date for the main pieces is mid-June, so expect me to get more and more panicky, or, if I’m a good girl and do my work, more and more smug. The secondary pieces I hope to deliver by November, for Foods and Feasts.
This is a huge honour for Gardiner’s and a huge honour for me. I’m so excited.