Colonial Williamsburg, VA, Day 1

What a wonderful place to visit.  I am impressed with the forethought of city planners, then and now, to keep the surrounding area undeveloped.   Lots of green space, buildings with old world charm, etc.   Then you get to the actual Colonial Williamsburg Section.   

In 1926, Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. financed the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg.    The Rockefeller family provided more than $79 million over the following decades to create this living history museum.   The staff is so well versed and totally in character.   Truly a step back in time when one enters one of their shops.  They rarely break character, are a wealth of knowledge, encourage questions and really seem to thoroughly enjoy their jobs.

On the way to Williamsburg, we took a side trip to The Stitching Post near Baltimore.   Sorry, no pictures.  We arrived at 2:35 and they closed at 3 pm.   A quick pick up of needed floss and out of there.   In Williamsburg, of course we visited the local cross stitch store, Liberty Hill Needleworks.  What a fantastic store.  Beautiful displays, friendly and helpful staff.  Tons of models on display.   We must have been there two hours.  Minimal credit card damage was done.

Once in Williamsburg, we started our tour at the Visitors Center.  You can park here and shuttle to Colonial Williamsburg or there is a walking path to Colonial Williamsburg.  In hindsight, I am so glad we need not decide to park here and walk into town.

Inside the visitors center was the “Birthday Quilt”.   Quilt blocks were constructed, submitted and then the wide array was on display.  They are individual blocks and not sewn to one another.   Some were patriotic, others were not, some were political, some were scenic, some were traditional quilt blocks.

  

 

This one was created using silk flowers. 

Leaving the Visitors Center, Lisa had recommended a great parking lot one block off the Duke of Gloucester Street (the Main Street of Colonial Williamsburg.).  When I say great, location great  and $1 an hour price  great.   No highway robbery here. 




 

Our first stop was the Art Museum of Colonial Williamsburg.   Unfortunately for us, the needlework display was closed for revamping the exhibit.   Worry not, we saw many lovely things, just not samplers.

Clothing was often remade and updated as styles changed.   This silk fabric produced in 1720’s and was made into a gown.   50 yeas later, it was updated to the latest fashion.   It is a testament to the quality of the textile.  

It was traditional to dress sisters alike.   Younger girls had the shorter skirts with pantalettes to cover their legs.  Unknown who these dresses belonged to but they stayed together for over 200 years.

The waistcoat below is believed to have been stitched at home rather than produced professional.  There is a placket of buttons behind the embroidery which was probably done to preserve the embroidery.  

The front panel of this waistcoat was woven as a panel.  Stitched with metallic threads, this would have shimmered in candlelight when the threads were new.  

At the end of the 1700’s, waistcoats drastically changed shape.  

Exquisite doll house.

I took exception to the use of a sewing needle to represent a knitting needle in the ball of yarn.   Just the internal perfectionist in me.

The “York” heel, made popular by the Princess of York when she married King Georges III’s second son, Frederick.   She was an unwittingly a trendsetter.   Below is a show that was modify to become more like the ever popular York heel.

When George Washington died, Americans were anxious to find ways to honor him. A series of mourning rings were made by a jeweler in Philadelphia.   One found its was to the Marquis de Lafayette.

Winterthur Estate/Museum, in northern Delaware, has  - I believe - 4 or 5 of Paul Revere’s tankards on display in their collection.

Decorative painting became popular in the 1790’s.  It was initially used to simulate more costly building materials.  Most was done freehand without templates.

Why are these people never smiling in their portraits?    They actually are.   It was thought to be vulgar to show your teeth and showed you had no self control.    Below, the Boy in Plaid.  

Girl With Cat

Close up of a quilt by Sophia Van Gleson or her grand-daughter, Mary Sophie Post of Passaic County, NJ.   With family names carried through generations the exact provenience could not be determined. 

Crazy Quilting - a great way to use scraps.  It has always been a fancy of mine to do one.   Maybe one day and then again maybe not.  

Jane Pelton Burdon pieced a variation of a Le Moyne Star quilt before marrying amd moving to Waterbury, CT.  This quilt contains over 400 8-pointed stars.  This quilt was surely used in Jane and her husband’s  home on Pine Street, built in 1893, and still standing today.  

Coverlet - amazing how vibrant the colors remain. 

Coverlet, half woolen/half cotton, woven in Indiana, circa 1868 in John Kline’s weaving center.

Quilt by Sarah Pennepacker d. 1883, of Montgomery and Chester Counties PA, 

And that my friends is a wrap on most of what we did on Day 1 in Williamsburg.   Thanks for hanging in with me on my travels.   Keep positive, stay happy and keep on stitching.  

America’s Tapestry

In Williamsburg, after two days of 15,000 plus steps in the heat, I think I broke Stacy.   What a reversal of roles.  LOL.   Saturday morning we were on our way to Aroma Cafe by 7:30 to meet friends for breakfast.   Lisa and Bob were great ambassadors of the area. (Lady Huzzah on Flosstube)   We walked through the farmers market, toured Colonial Williamsburg all day, saw all the exhibits, shopped, had ice cream for a late lunch and got back to our hotel about 6.   Both of us were hot, tired and sticky, so we each showered and got comfortable before walking to a nearby Mexican restaurant for a light dinner.   

Oops.  We got TOO comfortable and ended up eating cheese, pepperoni, and crackers drinking wine from our souvenir drinking vessels while watching Netflix.  A necessary stop at Goodwill the day before  provided non-plastic options for beverage consumption. $0.99 wine glass and $0.99 coffee mug worked just fine.

I was ready to crash but never thought I would see the day when Stacy was happy to stay in for the night.    The heat took its toll on her.  Me, I am more used to it working in the yard but had no complaints about just chilling with my feet up.

We were Williamsburg, VA for the specific purpose of seeing the America’s Tapestry at The College of William & Mary.  If you are not familiar with the project, check out this link - America’s Tapestry.   A quick down and dirty, this was the brainstorm of Stephan Romero.  The concept was a tapestry depicting lesser known historic facts one from each of the 13 original colonies.   All 13 are finished now and circulating to different venues as one exhibit.

Delaware, the First State,   Depicts Major Henry Fisher who set up a system using the lighthouses and express riders to alert Philadelphia of British ships in the Delaware Bay.   I can let you in on a couple of “Easter Eggs” I learned about.  I hear there are initials stitched into one of the ice flows on the left.  

Each was displayed with a write-up explaining what was depicted and a message from the State Co-ordinaries.  Stacy and I both worked on the Delaware Tapestry and she also worked on the Maryland Tapestry.

Pennsylvania, #2.    The “western” PA flag and the “eastern” PA flag.  Flags were both political and military symbols.     Under the “L” in Pennsylvania, a Raven was added to the roof of the building.  \

New Jersey, #3   Women fundraising for the war, making socks for soldiers and funding provisions.   Dr. Bodo Otto inoculating soldiers against smallpox

 Georgia, #4  Free and former enslaved black soldiers from Haiti were know as the Volunteer Riflemen of Saint-Domingue and fought in the battle of Savannah.  

Connecticut, #5  Known as the provision state, sent troops to fight at Valley Forge (PA), Brandywine (DE), Germantown (PA) and Monmouth (NJ)    The woman run Connecticut Courant, featured in the lower left, published her newspaper even after the British set fire to her paper mill.

Massachusetts, #6    Patriotic Americans refused to drink tea and instead started drinking chocoalte.   It became a staple for the Continental solders.   The cacoa beans!

Maryland, #7  The 1st Maryland Regiment held  off the British to allow Washington and the Continental Army time to evacuate.   Know as the “The old line state” because they held the line and didn’t allow the British to advance.  The Wye Oak is also featured,  Maryland’s state tree, was 460 years old went it came down in 2002.  Lastly, the State House with Washington giving his resignation speech.  

The faces, the jacket front, ……

South Carolina, #8     The top of the mural depicts the alliance with the Catawba tribe.  The young man, John McCord was 13 when he volunteered for the war.   Like other young volunteers, he worked in the camp helping with meals and caring for sick.  His hands, the fire, the tents, the horse, the trees in the background.  Oh my!

New Hampshire, #9      Trouble started in New Hampshire with the Pine Tree Riot.   Colonists protected protested that the British were allow to chop down any tree over 12 inch wide for their ship building.  This tapestry had a lot of surface embroidery.  The Easter Egg here is the shape of the 13 colonies are incorporated as rocks in the stone wall.    I couldn’t find all 13 but I bet they are all there.

That is a stitched feather!  Love the grass and the shadows under the man’s feet.

Perhaps you can find the 13 colonies.

Virginia, #10   This was stunning with the dogwood flowers throughout.   Virginia ore was mined and used for making munitions. Aberdeen, an enslaved man who defied his master by enlisting with the Continental Army worked for 7 years in the Wythe County Mines.   He was granted his freedom  in 1783 gratitude for his service.

New York, #11

North Carolina, #12  The dresses were amazing.

Rhode Island, #13  This was clever how they separated the different scenes.

 

Each and every one was a true work of skill and dedication.    We had to go around more than once to take them all in and each time seeing something different.  Firm plans are not set as far as where the tapestries will be displayed.  It is my understanding they will first circulate through the 13 colonies.  If you have a chance to see them, take it!   Check out their website for the most accurate and up to date information.  

Thanks for touring the tapestries with me.