March Hive -- Staying Warm from the Inside Out

This Sunday, March 13th is the last Hive of the season. The topic is "Staying Warm in the 18th Century - from the Inside Out"  We'll be looking at how both men and women dressed when the weather got cold -- from inner wear to outerwear.

The doors open at noon for "The Buzz"  -- grab a cup of coffee and catch up with a friend.  The lectures start at 1 and will run till 3.  The last hour will be a chance to work on a project or get help with something you are working on.

We have something extra this time!! -  Roy Najeck will be offering a concurrent cartridge pouch workshop for up to 5 people.  This is a 21 round pouch with a black leather shoulder strap suitable for militia, state troops and pre 1779 Continental Army.  The pouch is based on originals from New England and the Champlain Valley.  If interested email Roy directly at roy@najecki.com  No experience in sewing leather is necessary.  You will learn the basics from 12 - 1 and work on your project while the lectures are going on.  The cost is $60 (includes all materials)

Also, we have two openings left to Saturday's shirt workshop.  If interested see the Larkin and Smith website Ihttp://atthesignofthegoldenscissors.com/collections/18th-century-shirts-1 to sign up.

As always, there will be coffee and tea served, snacks to share are always welcome. 

The Hive is free - located at Minuteman Technical High School on route 2A in Lexington.  Follow the main entrance and go all the way to the end of the building and use the entrance (the one near the pool) follow the signs for The Hive.

Also we're looking for volunteers for set up, clean up and coffee duty.  Email me if you can help.

See you this weekend!

--Steph

hiveworkshops@gmail.com

Back Down the Rabbit Hole -- Shirts

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London Self Portrait of Lt Gabriel Bray 1775

IIt's back down the rabbit hole and this time we were led there by shirts.  We decided to do something different this year by devoting an entire Hive to a single garment. The shirt was selected for several reasons - because so many reenactor men are wearing really bad ones, but also because we knew there was much to be learned about this seemingly humble garment.

The first part of the Hive will look at the shirt from a societal and historical context. What do earlier and later shirts look like?  What do period sources tell us about how to make a shirt? Who makes them? How many would you own? What are the period names for the parts and pieces of a shirt? We'll then dive into a survey of shirts as depicted in 18th century artwork in order to identify the hallmarks of a shirt from the 1765 - 1785 time period.  We'll use period advertisements, inventories, sewing guides, and other primary sources to better understand fabric options, shirt production and specifications.

Detail from The Blacksmith 1772 Lewis Walpole Collection

The actual construction of the shirt will take center stage when we dig deeper into the details, sewing techniques and assembly sequence. We are going to look at four examples of shirts with 18th century provenance that we have had the opportunity to closely examine.  What did we expect to see?  What didn't we expect to see?  And what were the out and out "wow" moments?   And thanks to high resolution digital photography we can zoom in close enough to make sense of what we can't see with the naked eye.

Detail from Paul Revere Portrait by JS Copley - MFA Boston

The last part of the Hive will be spent demonstrating several of the stitching techniques you will need to create an authentic shirt of your own.

Mark you calendars for February 21st and come join us for what should be a fun and informative afternoon!

The Hive will be held at Minuteman Technical High School on route 2A in Lexington, MA.  The Hive is from 12-4.  Admission is free, coffee is served and snacks to share are always welcome.

Any questions feel free to email me at hiveworkshops@gmail.com

(Yes our website is currently unavailable -- up to date info will be posted on this blog)