Tiger Lily's Threads

Last year, I attended my first ever Military Through The Ages at The Historic Jamestown Settlement in Virginia as a spectator. This year, as a presenter... well, what can I say about this year's MTA?  It. Was. Awesome!  This year, I participated by joining alongside the WW2 unit the British 1st Para and the British Red Cross as a member of the Women's Voluntary Services.  A little bit about The WVS: It was a voluntary organization erected by Lady Stella Isaacs the Marchioness of Reading in 1938 at the beginning of WWII; They collaborated with both the Civil Defense Corps and Air Raid Precaution Services (ARP) and were responsible for aiding civilians during the London Bombings. As they sheltered survivors in the Tube (London's Subway terminals), the WVS provided essentials such as food, potable water, medical care, and donated clothing to those in serious need. Over the span of 53 days, the WVS mucked in on pretty much all tasks such as ambulance transport, salv...

This year's Colonial Market Fair was pretty fun! Albeit it was pretty rainy during the majority of the weekend, but that didn't stop most patrons from coming out in droves.  Stephanie, her family, and I were at Ft. Fred mainly on Thursday to do our shopping. While there were many familiar sutlers that we'd shop annually with, compared to last years trek I noticed that there seemed to be more vendors this year followed by a lot more merchandise that was put in the forefront....I'm just glad that I did not break my budget (bringing only cash and leaving the credit card at home, was a smart idea after all-cause once the cash is down to $10, you have to stop shopping.)  My haul from today's shopping: mirror, wooden collapsible bench (gift), shortbread (gift), gold military trim, buttons, stamp watch fob. I got to see a lot of good friends, many of whom live in Virginia, and right here in Maryland. For a short time Stephanie and I met up with our Roya...

For the past couple of weeks I have been preparing a new historical character for an upcoming event with Historic Annapolis in preparation for Maryland Day Weekend. This past Sunday I portrayed Catherine Futier, a local laundress in Annapolis during the 1760's.  Of what information I could acquire, Catherine Futier was a free black woman and the only person in the black community documented to have a trade. While many trades peoples would advertise their services in the paper to gain new and occuring customers, Catherine chose not to advertise her services in the Maryland Gazette. Instead she got around by way of word of mouth - this not only benefited her by saving money (because printing would have been expensive during the time of the Stamp Act) but this was a good way of building a rapport with her customers. As a result, she did very well for herself and was able to rent a room and workspace at the Hogshead. Catherine also was also more than likely literate, as she...

Just got back from the George Washington Birthnight Banquet & Ball at the Famous Gadsby's Tavern Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. Though I have previously attended formal events at Gadsby's in the past, this was the first time I've ever attended their birthnight ball; in 2017 I attended another birthnight ball at Williamsburg's College of William & Mary where the venue was held. Fast-forwarding to Saturday night's events, I really had a great time. WE'RE LOOKING FABULOUUUUS! For those who aren't not familiar with birth night, it's an evening celebration of George Washington's birthday which was on February 22, 1732. While I do not know when and where the tradition actually started, a birthnight ball is held in his honor around the month of his birthday and has been going strong for almost 150+ years. The time period for this ball was pre-federal (1799) which was a few years after President Washington ended his term in 1797, once agai...

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of reprising my role as Jemima Banneker (Sister to Benjamin Banneker) for the Benjamin Banneker Museum's 2nd annual Holiday Tea.  (Left to Right) Jemima Banneker, George Ellicott, Mary Banneker, Benjamin Banneker (Mannequin), Molly Banneker, Jacob Hall This being my second year semi-hosting the event, to my surprise this year was a little different: I was the special guest. This is mostly because on February 2nd, I will be returning to the museum as Ona Judge to perform the histrionic that I did back in the Fall. My performance is in collaboration with the Benjamin Banneker Foundation in hopes to raise money for their annual Colonial Market Fair  , which I'm also attending as Jemima B. (June 8-9, 2019).  Anyway, with all of that said, I wanted to really get festive for this year's holiday event. The hand-sewn silk gown that I had worked on since October was ready (despite the trim still needing to be attached; I just didn...

This past weekend was the 9th annual Colonial Market Fair at the Benjamin Banneker Museum in Ellicott City, MD. It's a small but increasing local event that seems to annually bring in a lot of spectators from all over the Howard/Baltimore/Arundel County areas. Of the four years that I have participated (2014-2018), I have watched the CMF grow in size. From performances, to vendors, to demonstrations, and sutlers. Saturday Each year that I participate I always set up my display of 18th century women's fashion; I show everything from fancy ball gowns, jackets, hats, etc. to simple clothing like work jackets cotton petticoats and even underpinnings. This year due to the crappy weather that threatened us again this weekend, I decided to forego the fancy gowns and display rural 18th century women's clothing of the area. Basically your basic jacket and petticoat, underpinnings, and accessories.  The only new things I added to the table were a couple of booklet...

This Thursday, my friend Stephanie and I went the Ft. Fred Market Fair in Big Pool, MD. In the past we have gone for at least 3 years together and usually come ready with market bags, baskets, etc. to carry the combined haul. We saw friends and colleagues and made new acquaintances, and even the weather was cooperative (no snow or excruciating temps this year). Definitely planning to go back again next year. The front end of the Market Fair !Twins!  I kid you not though, we had not planned on wearing the same print or the same petticoat color! It was awesome and we had fun with it!  Love that mountain view! My small stash from the fair: A Yd. each of sheer kerchief fabric from Burnley & Trowbridge and 96 District Fabrics, and some lacing tapes for my new stays.  Well that's it for now. Now to prepare for the Rev. War Weekend reenactment at George Washington's Mount Vernon next weekend. Stay tuned! 

Disclaimer :  Due to the nature of this blog entry, I do warn that there will be some  uncomfortable and delicate content included in this post pertaining to slavery in the 18th century.  This past weekend, I spent all of Saturday and Sunday in early the 1770's  fully immersed in the lifestyle of what it was like to live  and work in the mid 18th century Maryland. I was expecting the weather to be frigid like the polar storm we had not too long ago, but it seemed like the weather was more favorable (in fact, it felt like an early spring). The participants of the big event were close friends and new acquaintances and the visitors who came really enjoyed talking with everyone and learning second-hand what we all experienced first hand such as sleeping outside in wooden cabins with nothing but the fireplace and bodies of people you either just met or have known for years to keep you warm. We experienced eating authentic 18th century foods, learning how to wri...