Hello All; Allow Me to Introduce Myself.

Well everyone, thank you for making your way to my first blog. My name is Bethany, and my living history persona is known as Maeve; a Scottish immigrant living in Virginia. In the following paragraphs you will find my adventures in the art of being period. The term "period" is used to describe dressing, acting, talking, or owning things that are accurate to a specific time period. Mostly this is done for conventions, renaissance or history faires, or at places like Historic Jamestowne, Colonial Williamsburg, and Mt. Vernon; any place where "living history" happens. My period is colonial America; 1607 - 1789. The things that I make (or try to make) are all based off of actual garments, objects, or possessions, and are made from period materials - or as close as I can get my hands on/ afford. I specialize in research, but I also sew, weave, and I'm currently learning to spin wool into yarn.

This particular outfit includes my shift, a
pair of lightly boned stays, a belt,
a modesty cloth, and a cotton petticoat. 

So without further ado, let's talk about the things that I've already made. For clothes, this includes petticoats (skirts), not-boned stays (a corset-like objective), kerchiefs (these can be 'handkerchiefs' or a scarf-like garment that men wore around the neck), modesty cloths (also knows as a fichu), slops (pirate breeches - a form of pants worn by men that end just below the knee), shifts (a night gown/ underwear) and weskits (waist coats). I should probably mention that a good chunk of this work has to be done by hand. Any seam that can be seen can not look like it was done with a machine. Unless you don't care. Then I say go for it. But any visible seams on my clothing or accessories have to be covered by hand stitches. Do not be mistaken though, I make very good use of my machine, we are very close friends. For non-clothing, I make belts, bags, sometimes jewelry, and various other odds and ends.

Most of the petticoats I've made either had drawstrings, or are pleated. It really depends on where your persona originates. Mine is Scottish, so a lot of my clothing reflects Scottish origin. However don't hesitate to ask about other origins, I have a plethora of research and I might just have something for you; if I don't I'll do my best to find something. I use either cartridge pleats, or knife pleats. Cartridge is really more accurate for Maeve's social status as lower middle class; also known as the middling; but I have a 38" waist, so all my skirts require at least 4 yards of fabric and cartridge pleats have to be done by hand with a running stitch, then pulled like a curtain and a band is stitched around the pleats through the individual loops. Knife pleats are just quicker, and they fit a little better under stays. This may be different for some people, I also have 49" hips, so my stays have to be altered, and my petticoats hang less tubular and more fairy-princess-esque with cartridge pleating. However I do have both kinds - just in case. I had a petticoat that was drawstring when I first started, but the bulk of a gathered skirt made me look lumpy instead of the desired 'tube' fashion of the day.

I currently have 2 pairs of stays. One is lightly boned; as seen in the picture above, and one is a test pair for the ones that I am making now. There will be another blog about that process so look for it if you're interested. The ones in the picture above are slightly in-accurate. Can anyone guess why? Well the pattern isn't exactly right, and neither is the cut. A period set of stays would have only been cut like that if there was a skirt attached to it; making it a manteau, or a gown. Also little flappy-bits at the bottom where in high fashion. My shift is pretty good, it's made from a cotton bed sheet. If we're getting super technical, the thread count is too high, and it's bleached. But it's cool in the summer, and it fits. You can't see it, but my shift is like a night gown and goes to mid-calf.

Let's talk for just a minute about men's clothing. You may notice that I have a male model, his persona is Thomas O'malley, a sailor from Ireland. Now, I don't make an awful lot of men's clothing, only whatever Thomas needs, or if someone requests something. I've made 2 weskits, a pair of slops, and an embroidered handkerchief. In the picture above is Thomas in his usual get-up, complete with ye old-e flip-flops. He's wearing a shirt and hat that he received from our Captain, a borrowed weskit, the slops I made, and his "swag stick." He often has rope, dice, and a bag of some sort with him. To the right is the weskit. That particular picture was taken before they were finished, sans pockets, lacing holes, or buttons.



Well that's about all I can say for now. Thanks for sticking it out this far and I hope you'll be back.