Tiger Lily's Threads

2019 is finally coming to a close (whew!). As we all look forward to ringing in the new decade that is 2020, I want to look back on the projects that were done over the year with both sewing and public history. This year's sewing adventure was a challenge and a blast, as was all of the events and programs that I participated in. I cannot wait to see what awaits for me in the new year! Speaking of... On a very personal note, I feel very honored and blessed to have been able to participate in many wonderful programs, events, and projects over the year and want to take the time to thank everyone who supported me in every way. There's a lot that goes into what I do, and having a wonderful support group who has always been there with helping me gather research on specific topics, assisting with planning and development, with transportation and lodging whenever I'm working on a program locally or out of town, or showing support by attending the programs and events. I rea

Back in October, the Ellicott City B&O Railroad Museum announced that they were going to renovate the historic red caboose (stripping and possibly gutting the entire 1930's train car from the inside out to bring it back to its former glory).  With permission from the museum,   my brother and I took this perfect opportunity to  experiment with his camera and take  some victorian themed shots b efore they closed the car off for the next several weeks .  Though I cannot speak on my brother's behalf as his opinions are very much different than mine, I can say that experimenting with lights & shadows, subject placement and perspective (worms-eye view vs. birds-eye view) was something of a challenge; the natural lighting from inside the museum made things very dark and shadowy on camera - considering Jared does not have any lighting equipment yet other than his camera. To counteract with that, we had to move around a lot to get the right lighting; the outside shots were

       Picture this: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 28th, 1777. The British have occupied and taken over the city by order of the Crown. The townsfolk are up in arms in an outrage that they're subjected to martial law. The State House in which the Declaration of Independence was adopted has now been converted into a prison, and there are soldiers everywhere!  However, through the crowd of angry patriots are loyalists who are relieved to see the red coats and hope that not only do they stay for as long as they please, but to also join them and leave Philadelphia behind when the British make their next move.  This was the concept of the weekend's Occupied Philadelphia event at the Museum of the American Revolution. Many reenactors from all over the East Coast participated in this reenactment and interpretation. While historically the British occupied the town for several months, we managed to compile it to just 3 days.  I had the privilege of reprising my

Back in early September, I was invited to the New York Historical Society to participate in their first interpretation program called "Black New York". This experiment was to shed light on the untold stories of the free black population of New York City during the times of the American Revolution and the mid-17th & 18th centuries.  Since I am a Maryland native and have predominate knowledge about black history in the southern states, I will be very honest with you in saying that I know little about black New York history other than the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920's-30's and during the time of the American Revolution, New York's population of enslaved people was larger than the small percentage of people who were free. This was because abolitionism did not come into effect until the turn of the 19th century (which would later make New York a free State ). Members of the free community contributed to New York not only in ways of having thriving bus