I have been sewing for many years - costumes for my kids, quilts, adult clothing and home décor and even camping gear. The transition to hand sewing began with my interest in 18th century costuming after reading and bingeing the entire Outlander book and TV series. The costuming was wonderful (keyword, "costumes" for a tv show), and I was excited to try to make an 18th century inspired lady's costume based on the show's main character Claire, who's 1700's experiences range from 1740's all the way through the American war for independence. My first costume was a dreadful linen/polyester blend lace front jacket, stomacher and petticoats, all machine sewn, fast. The first time I wore it was for a haunted Halloween event that I played a ghost. A few months later, I wore it again for Massachusetts' Patriot's Day events in Concord, MA.
It was at this first 'real' reenactment event that I got my first exposure to handmade historically accurate kit, and my eyes were opened to the merits of hand-finishing with period appropriate techniques, and working with appropriate materials, wool, linen, some cotton, and some silk.
It was then that I hunkered down and began researching & building 1775 appropriate clothing for myself a distaff in my unit, my teenage son, a drummer, and my husband, about to be sucked into the hobby as a musket by sheer peer pressure, and by watching me have so much fun, and wanting to join in.
Luckily, history, is history, and doesn't really change. Our understanding of it, however, often does, as new primary resources surface, we are able to really begin differentiating regional nuances and trends in period costume. This means that our understanding of the clothing trends of the eighteenth century has evolved significantly since the bicentennial when the New England states really began to embrace our revolutionary history. I have photos of my grandfather, a drummer for the Woburn, MA Minutemen during the bicentennial era, wearing a polyester regimental uniform, and his wife, a velvet type princess cut gown, and some others, covered in polyester satin and lace, and NO STAYS! Yikes!
Since then we -collectively as a community - have really begun to understand what it means to properly represent our ancestors in a way that respects their history, and what they wore. We wear the proper materials, made the right way. From five or ten feet away, we look authentic to visitors.
It is our current understanding of the clothing worn in Massachusetts in 1775 that sets the standard for the kit I can provide.
To that end, I offer tailoring service according to the Minuteman National Historic Park Living History Standard of Authenticity 5-10-foot rule - Standard to Exceeds Standard goals.
