Wendy sent this entry:

Of the many things that happen during a session one of the most interesting is the general conversation, exchange of ideas, favorite books, food, movies and music. To continue the exchange and sharing here are a couple of things:
At the last session I mentioned several books that deal with the women who accompanied their husbands to sea and the life that they and their children led. It’s an eye opener to contemplate: a ships kitchen in a boiling sea, all the forks and spoons going overboard, dentistry and childbirth to name but a few issues and all while wearing a skirt and petticoats.

So for those that asked here are a few titles to look for:
Sail Away Ladies by Jim Coogan pub 2003
Hen Frigates by Joan Druett pub 1998
Captain’s Daughter, Coasterman’s Wife by Joan Druett pub 1995
Petticoat Whalers by Joan Druett pub 2001
Captain Ahab Had Wife: New England Women and the Whalefishery, 1720-1870 by Lisa Norling pub 2000

Who among us doesn’t look for new ways to store and keep tidy our stash of stitching supplies?
The boxes or “Thread Chests” we are using to store needles, silk perl and the GST have gotten quite a bit of attention and many questions regarding where to get them. Tricia found them and used one for a project she created called “Pandora’s Sewing Box” published in Just Cross Stitch magazine. They are the perfect solution for this project as well.
The one we use is called ”Travis” and is available from Creative Imaginations – www. CreativeImaginations.us
Here is the stock number and description - #16333 Travis Case-3 Tray Inserts
Here is the direct link to the page - http://www.creativeimaginations.us/store/16333.php

I have been able to spend a good deal of time recently working on the gold thread embroidery and it is really beginning to make the piece come to life. While the polychrome embroidery is always impressive,
once the gold goes on a project, you realize that the piece was previously ‘flat’. There is nothing like that sparkle. I almost finished the gold work on the collar recently and couldn’t help playing with the lace lengths that our friends had finished for the wings. Here you can see it curved around the edge where the lace will finally be applied in the finished waistcoat. Just breathtaking. This object won’t need any light to be shone on it. It will be a beacon of its own. And we haven’t added the small ‘oes’ on the embroidery yet! Another level of sparkle to go!

Tricia

Having a ton of people working towards a common goal is really fun. Not something you often get in needlework which is usually a solitary activity. When we have work sessions, there is always something going on that you haven’t seen before and we are all whipping out camera to document the techniques we have developed or discovered. Here is one that we can share.

During the last session, Carolyn came up to prepare more bobbins with metal thread and spangles. We had a nice visit from Mark with more spangles, delivered in his classic rusty can again! We may have to make him some sort of silk fabric covered box to carry these amazing precious ‘gems’ so they come to us in a more proper manner. I am not sure that those who use the nails he makes show the same reverence for his work as us ’spangle ladies’.

Instead of keeping the spangles loose in a jar, we keep them on safety pins. We put 25 on each pin so we can keep count of how many we have and have used without having to touch them. Even thought the ribbon was plaited with gold, it has been rolled and cut at the edges exposing the silver. When we want to put them on the metal thread, we put the end of the thread through a needle and can easily put the needle thorough 25 at once by holding the safety pin up. Once the pin is removed, they are on the gold thread and it can be wrapped around the bobbin. We use mini-hair clips to keep the bobbins from unwinding and creating a tangled mess.

Rebecca only needs a hat and coat, and she only needed the coat because it was raining ferociously that day.

She looks great, and did great even on her very first day. This all happened a few weeks ago; she’s really no longer a “newbie” anymore, and in a couple of weeks when we hire a few more interpreters to end out the season, she won’t even be the new kid anymore.

We have a phrase here, that describes the state of being prepared to receive museum visitors - camera-ready. Often the interpreters will head down to work on the Village site in the morning not quite entirely dressed. They’ve got clothes on, period clothes even, but maybe they’re not buttoned, maybe the women’s hair isn’t tied up, maybe they haven’t removed eyeglasses or nose rings, maybe they’re carrying a Dunkin’ Donuts cup.

Sometimes, we have a film or photo crew on the site before 9:00 and everyone needs to show up “camera-ready.” In that case there’ll be a big note in the Carriage House letting everyone know that.

Here Rebecca is technically camera-ready, but she still needs a couple of items to be really done.