Post by Honeylioness on Apr 28, 2010 10:14:32 GMT -5
Saturday, April 24th, was the Twenty-Third Annual Sheep Shearing Festival at Gore Place in Waltham, MA. www.goreplace.org/
I first started volunteering at the Gore around Christmas 1996. I had moved back to Massachusetts and had happened upon their Sheep Festival that year. I also made the acquaintance of a local quilt guild at the same time that I would be a part of for six years and actually serve one year as President ... but that is an entirely different story.
I have done many different things in terms of volunteerism at Gore - working the hay rides, manning the kids play area, helping carve pumpkins, doing tours of the house, standing as docent for a particular room, helping with special events ... even working with Kevin the shearer in the sheep pens. Each year there is something different to see or do while still having a lot of the same vendors and people that give the event it's feeling of continuity.
This year I was asked to be a greeter at the House, in costume. That meant I had to dig out my dress, iron it and then try it on to be sure it still fit. Yes, but snugly. And I was not able to wear the corset at all since I hated the way it showed through the fabric of the dress bodice.
So instead I went the female version of "Commando" under the gown .... shhhhhhhhh. Wouldn't want to shock any of the little ole ladies of the historic commission now.
Anne was disappointed at not being able to attend with me - but her Show Choir trip to D.C. was the same weekend so she was off touring the Capitol instead. I spent the time to "do" my hair up in a rather simple style appropriate for the time period, gathered all my items together then headed south. After some needed stops for coffee then the bank, where I turned $60 worth of rolled coin into lighter weight bills, I headed over to the Estate. Even at 10 minutes before the official opening there was quite the bustle of activity going on.
I was speaking with a few other of the workers that day in the room above the Servants' Hall/Laundry when one of the staff members asked if I had made my dress, after telling her yes she mentioned that they would like to talk to me later about making a simple dress as a prop for one of the bed chambers upstairs and one for another of the senior staff to wear when she does tours. Who knows, this may just bring in a little money to replenish the sad looking savings account. After changing into The Dress I checked the schedule and verified I had 90 minutes to wander before my "shift" started - so off I went with my hand woven market basket slung over my arm.
First stop - the basket maker - Fred Lawson, Owner of Wicker'd Good www.wickerdgoodbaskets.com/. I already own several kinds of his baskets but had been considering an upgrade of one in particular - the sewing basket. This one is big enough to hold finished and in-process quilt squares, but the feature I like best is the suspended rod that runs through each handle and is held in place with safety pins - you can add or remove any spools of thread you would like depending on what you are working on. And when you need to pull a new length off it is not laying all tangled and matted at the bottom of a container somewhere.
I really like the maker, Fred, and he remembers customers from year to year. I purchased one of his berry picking baskets a couple of years ago and just love it. His description of it says: " based on a Cherokee berry picking basket - Now with a Shaker tape neck strap, your both hands are free to pick and berries won't dump out if you bend down."
As I headed off towards my next destination my eye was caught by another nearby Historic Crafter, this gal makes period Colonial Era clothing but had a table with some small things set out. I snagged two very delicate alabaster looking arrowheads for use in a quilt I am working on.
Then it was down the slope to the South Lawn and my next "fix" .... FUDGE!! John and Doris have been coming to the Festival for at least seven years and I make it point each year to get some of my two favorites. Chocolate Raspberry and Chocolate Amaretto .... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Although their Maple Walnut with and without nuts, the Penuche and the Butterscotch all will do in a pinch. As they were wrapping up my sweets I was "accosted" by my friend Ruth and her very patient husband. As they were sampling the various flavors and getting their order wrapped the three of us were doing our usual back and forth banter until John laughed and said "What IS it about redheads??". When we looked over he was grinning and proudly showed us a picture of his grand daughter who looked to be almost three with a mop of riotous bright red curls. We just laughed and told him he was luckier than he knew since we red heads were blessing to all who knew us - albeit sometimes the blessing wore a really good disguise!
As we wandered along the rows of crafters and their wares I got more than one second look and several requests for photographs. I guess it is not that often you run into a woman wearing a white empire dress with small train strolling along. Ruth and Theron also let me pose in front of the house and took several pictures of me in the dress as I really do not have any of me wearing it where you can really see the entire thing. Unfortunately when I received the first batch of photos the next day they just made me want to sit down and cry my eyes out. I really really really really really really dislike how I look in pictures and then stress about whether this is how other people really see me.
We then wandered back towards the vendors where I got two more bars of hand made soap since I am almost finished with my last bar. Before moving back up the slope our eyes were caught by a new vendor - a woman that does catered Teas and even comes to your location with her outfitted Tea Room mobile home vehicle. Well, one thing leading to another she too mentioned to me that she is in need of a period costume for her Fall commitments and would I be willing to talk to her about possibly making it for her.
Wow, two possible commissions in one day and I was not even looking for any business.
We then went over to visit and chat with the Colonial / Revolutionary War re-enactors. I spent a nice 10 minutes or so chatting with the Regimental Surgeon about older ways of treating illness and disease and swapping sources for finding hard to locate items such as Dragon's Blood. Of course he did confide in me as he pointed to a small container filled with a white powder, that as Laudanum is no longer a readily available drug he substitutes powdered sugar in the container instead. After a quick drop by the Sheep Shearing tent where Kevin, the shearer, joked about how I was not dressed to be working in the pens I headed off for my shift and said good bye to my friends.
The house was incredibly busy as we had a steady stream of people coming in to take the abbreviated tour. All told we had over 200 adults, 120 kids under 12 and one Service Dog come through in 4 1/2 hours. Being on your feet that long on marble floors does not do good things for one's back I can tell you.
A perk of the job was we were elevated enough and in the direct line of sight to be able to watch and listen to a new group there this year - The Stuart Highlanders Pipe Band. I know they are not everyone's taste but I just love bagpipes - especially played in unison and harmonies under a blew sky by men wearing kilts.
I first started volunteering at the Gore around Christmas 1996. I had moved back to Massachusetts and had happened upon their Sheep Festival that year. I also made the acquaintance of a local quilt guild at the same time that I would be a part of for six years and actually serve one year as President ... but that is an entirely different story.
I have done many different things in terms of volunteerism at Gore - working the hay rides, manning the kids play area, helping carve pumpkins, doing tours of the house, standing as docent for a particular room, helping with special events ... even working with Kevin the shearer in the sheep pens. Each year there is something different to see or do while still having a lot of the same vendors and people that give the event it's feeling of continuity.
This year I was asked to be a greeter at the House, in costume. That meant I had to dig out my dress, iron it and then try it on to be sure it still fit. Yes, but snugly. And I was not able to wear the corset at all since I hated the way it showed through the fabric of the dress bodice.
So instead I went the female version of "Commando" under the gown .... shhhhhhhhh. Wouldn't want to shock any of the little ole ladies of the historic commission now.
Anne was disappointed at not being able to attend with me - but her Show Choir trip to D.C. was the same weekend so she was off touring the Capitol instead. I spent the time to "do" my hair up in a rather simple style appropriate for the time period, gathered all my items together then headed south. After some needed stops for coffee then the bank, where I turned $60 worth of rolled coin into lighter weight bills, I headed over to the Estate. Even at 10 minutes before the official opening there was quite the bustle of activity going on.
I was speaking with a few other of the workers that day in the room above the Servants' Hall/Laundry when one of the staff members asked if I had made my dress, after telling her yes she mentioned that they would like to talk to me later about making a simple dress as a prop for one of the bed chambers upstairs and one for another of the senior staff to wear when she does tours. Who knows, this may just bring in a little money to replenish the sad looking savings account. After changing into The Dress I checked the schedule and verified I had 90 minutes to wander before my "shift" started - so off I went with my hand woven market basket slung over my arm.
First stop - the basket maker - Fred Lawson, Owner of Wicker'd Good www.wickerdgoodbaskets.com/. I already own several kinds of his baskets but had been considering an upgrade of one in particular - the sewing basket. This one is big enough to hold finished and in-process quilt squares, but the feature I like best is the suspended rod that runs through each handle and is held in place with safety pins - you can add or remove any spools of thread you would like depending on what you are working on. And when you need to pull a new length off it is not laying all tangled and matted at the bottom of a container somewhere.
I really like the maker, Fred, and he remembers customers from year to year. I purchased one of his berry picking baskets a couple of years ago and just love it. His description of it says: " based on a Cherokee berry picking basket - Now with a Shaker tape neck strap, your both hands are free to pick and berries won't dump out if you bend down."
As I headed off towards my next destination my eye was caught by another nearby Historic Crafter, this gal makes period Colonial Era clothing but had a table with some small things set out. I snagged two very delicate alabaster looking arrowheads for use in a quilt I am working on.
Then it was down the slope to the South Lawn and my next "fix" .... FUDGE!! John and Doris have been coming to the Festival for at least seven years and I make it point each year to get some of my two favorites. Chocolate Raspberry and Chocolate Amaretto .... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Although their Maple Walnut with and without nuts, the Penuche and the Butterscotch all will do in a pinch. As they were wrapping up my sweets I was "accosted" by my friend Ruth and her very patient husband. As they were sampling the various flavors and getting their order wrapped the three of us were doing our usual back and forth banter until John laughed and said "What IS it about redheads??". When we looked over he was grinning and proudly showed us a picture of his grand daughter who looked to be almost three with a mop of riotous bright red curls. We just laughed and told him he was luckier than he knew since we red heads were blessing to all who knew us - albeit sometimes the blessing wore a really good disguise!
As we wandered along the rows of crafters and their wares I got more than one second look and several requests for photographs. I guess it is not that often you run into a woman wearing a white empire dress with small train strolling along. Ruth and Theron also let me pose in front of the house and took several pictures of me in the dress as I really do not have any of me wearing it where you can really see the entire thing. Unfortunately when I received the first batch of photos the next day they just made me want to sit down and cry my eyes out. I really really really really really really dislike how I look in pictures and then stress about whether this is how other people really see me.
We then wandered back towards the vendors where I got two more bars of hand made soap since I am almost finished with my last bar. Before moving back up the slope our eyes were caught by a new vendor - a woman that does catered Teas and even comes to your location with her outfitted Tea Room mobile home vehicle. Well, one thing leading to another she too mentioned to me that she is in need of a period costume for her Fall commitments and would I be willing to talk to her about possibly making it for her.
Wow, two possible commissions in one day and I was not even looking for any business.
We then went over to visit and chat with the Colonial / Revolutionary War re-enactors. I spent a nice 10 minutes or so chatting with the Regimental Surgeon about older ways of treating illness and disease and swapping sources for finding hard to locate items such as Dragon's Blood. Of course he did confide in me as he pointed to a small container filled with a white powder, that as Laudanum is no longer a readily available drug he substitutes powdered sugar in the container instead. After a quick drop by the Sheep Shearing tent where Kevin, the shearer, joked about how I was not dressed to be working in the pens I headed off for my shift and said good bye to my friends.
The house was incredibly busy as we had a steady stream of people coming in to take the abbreviated tour. All told we had over 200 adults, 120 kids under 12 and one Service Dog come through in 4 1/2 hours. Being on your feet that long on marble floors does not do good things for one's back I can tell you.
A perk of the job was we were elevated enough and in the direct line of sight to be able to watch and listen to a new group there this year - The Stuart Highlanders Pipe Band. I know they are not everyone's taste but I just love bagpipes - especially played in unison and harmonies under a blew sky by men wearing kilts.