Sturbridge 2009 Fun Report
The next day we gathered earlier for class. We finished up our hardanger and worked on the other specialty stitches. We shopped. We ate. We stitched. We laughed! It was a lot of fun meeting the other stitchers!
We had a surprise gift from stitcher Denise from California. Denise attended a previous Stitcher’s Hideaway retreat at Sturbridge and was inspired to design “Sturbridge Mini Quilt” pictured below. The folks at the Publick House had it framed and hanging! Denise gave us all the chart and directions to make our own little Sturbridge Mini Quilt. Denise has had a lot of fun designing for her local EGA group. You can see some of her other designs on her blog. I’m working on her Spring quilt at the moment.
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That afternoon Jean Contino, Coordinator of Crafts and Households, and Rebecca Beall, Collections Manager at Old Sturbridge Village presented “Symmetry and Grace: Fashionable Clothing for Ladies & Gentlemen in the 1830s” -- a talk about artifacts from the Village collection that would be worn by gentlemen and ladies for special occasions such as balls and parties. We saw some wonderful examples from the Olde Sturbridge Village collection of fancy clothing, such as ladies’ gowns, collars and caps, and gentlemen’s trousers, waistcoats and tail coats. We also saw accessories such as embroidered and beaded bags, jewelry and hair combs. But first....we were given a printed invitation to a Military Ball, printed right at OSV.
Oh, my....what to do?!? There are so many items needed to get ready for the ball! Oh, I think these shoes will be perfect!
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Of course, I must wear my best stockings. But which dress?!?
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Harder yet, which hair comb?!?
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We must always keep our hair combs safely protected in their specially designed holders!
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The men had very long shirts. Only the part that would show was made of the best materials, embroidered, etc. Clothes were used for multi-purposes, and it would have been common for a man to wear this same shirt to a ball and as a nightshirt.
What an interesting and fun lecture!
Clothing was very dear to these folks and was made to last for generations. They were specifically made to be altered. Clothing for children was made to be adapted as a child grew. Long hems and hidden material in sleeves and waists allowed a shirt or dress to be altered as needed. Ladies also had dresses made so that they could be altered during pregnancy.
Our lecturers told us about a special display at OSV on the reuse of clothing. I’m getting a little out of sequence here, but I’ve just got to tell you that after the retreat Thea and I went to OSV and spent a fantastic day strolling around and taking in all the sites. We saw the display the ladies mentioned and enjoyed it very much. Below is a picture we took of a reticule (top center) that had later been turned into part of a quilt.
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And since I’ve already gone off subject telling you about our trip to OSV, here’s a few more pictures...
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Our day at OSV was truly a special time for the two of us. After all the crazy rain we had been having, it cleared up wonderfully for our day at the Village. We took our time wandering about, asked questions of the characters, had great meals, shopped, and just relaxed. It was WONDERFUL!!!!! We saw the old Freeman Farmhouse and the Fenno House that Thea captured in her Sturbridge Kitchen Garden, and saw a garden so much like what she also included in her sampler. SO cool!
But now to get back to telling you about the retreat! Ciick here to read more!
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