This week I had a unique and incredible opportunity. For those of you who may not know,
Historic Jamestowne is putting on a reenactment of the wedding of Pocahontas and John Rolfe on April 5 - the
400th anniversary of the actual event. The
Costume Design Center of
Colonial Williamsburg (where I work as a tailor) has partnered up with Jamestowne to create the bride's wedding ensemble. This includes an intricately embroidered 17th Century sleeved waistcoat, on which
volunteers have been busily stitching away since mid-January. On Wednesday I had a chance to work on the embroidery myself! For one hour, I got to be part of history. It was very cool.
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| All of the pieces are traced onto white linen stretched tightly onto wooden frames. The full jacket will be assembled after all the embroidery is finished. |
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| This is the back, which is the only piece yet to be finished. |
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| I chose to work on the upper left corner of the back. |
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| Here is the section I worked on - before I did any stitching. |
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| Same section after my hour was up. I only finished one flower, but I can still say I contributed! |
Want to see more pictures? I thought you might.
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| The original paper pattern pieces are kept handy for reference. |
I can't wait to see the finished garment!
