Kalamazoo Wrap Up

Saturday morning the merchants have until 9:00 to finish preparing for the crowds that will come though when the doors open. Some of us come dressed and ready to go, 

others change there as soon as they are ready. (Rick still hard at work.) Women's period clothing often needs an assistant to put it on (think stays, a forerunner of the corset) so Lisa and I come dressed.

I don't get away from my booth much but that's okay - my favorite friend on the living history circuit was in the booth next to me!

Carol plays an indentured servant, Maggie, and helps Leslie and Rick out by selling their block print fabrics while they manage the show. (She does have all her teeth; that's just part of her character.)

In real life she has Haflingers that she drives plus she, too, is a retired teacher. With all we have in common, Carol and I never run out of things to talk about.

Something very thoughtful happened at the show, too. A tinsmith who had seen this video of Lukie last fall at The Feast of the Hunters' Moon putting in tent stakes for me had made him a little gift for having worked so hard to help.

He brought that gift with him to Kalamazoo in the hopes that I would be there and he could give it to me to take home for Lukie.

A tin star to recognize him for helping out! (And Lukie did just that - he got his stakes into the ground so well we had to us stake pullers to remove them!) I'm going to put a leather lace through that hole so Lukie has a necklace to wear.

Leslie also was mindful of the children at the event. (Photo by Brooke Sauter.)

Every afternoon there was a drawing for a really nice gift, and she had a child pull the winning ticket and read the numbers. (Photo by Brooke Sauter.)

Ever had a maple cake? They are my favorite 18th century treat. They also sold big time -  people love them. I'd brought two boxes (84 pieces per box) and I ended up buying two more boxes. I was so glad they were there! That's a lot of maple cakes to sell! (Maple cakes are a form of maple sugar candy only much smoother and creamier.)

By the end of the event, I'd sold 3/4 of the clothes I'd made, and so many other items, I came home with four empty tubs! This is a photo of Saturday morning before the doors opened; it looked very different at the close of the event. (I was so tired, I forgot to snap a picture.)

It was a great time with family and friends and I felt especially close to my mother - the one who brought the living history hobby into our family. I look forward to next year's Kalamazoo, but I am taking a break from sewing 18th century items for a week or two.

And a special thanks to Lisa for her help - I could not have done this without you!

Kalamazoo Opens

The Kalamazoo Living History Event got off to a bit of a rough start. A snowstorm closed I-94 Saturday morning for a couple of hours making it difficult for merchants as well as attendees to get to the expo hall. But the snow melted quickly and soon the interstate was open and the hall was crowded and very busy.

Lisa and me at opening time, one of the very few times of the day we could catch our breath.

I had not realized just how much more merchandise I had to sell than last year and I was very, very grateful for her assistance in getting set up.

Our friend, Phyllis Dotson,

offered to help Lisa put her hair up

and finished just before things got really busy.

I sent Lisa off to take some pictures for me. I'd started selling clothing as soon as the event opened and I was excited to see this one among her photos.

I'd make this bed gown and had ALMOST kept it for myself, I liked it so much. It was the first thing I'd sold and the lady was already wearing it!

The bedgown hanging in my sewing room at home.

Later that day a man came striding down the aisle and came to an abrupt stop at one of my clothes racks. "I want that!" he cried.

And he pulled this shirt off the rack.

"Why don't you slip it on over your head to check the fit?" I suggested.

"Nope! It'll fit and I really want it." And he handed me payment, thanked me, and strode off.

About an hour later, Lisa was back with me and restocking. Suddenly she cried, "That's our shirt!" 

The gentleman had changed into the shirt I'd made and come back to show us. He was standing by our booth grinning from ear to ear. "I love it, and I am even going to wear it to work!"

A half hour later, a woman came by and introduced herself as his wife. "He loves that shirt so much, I just had to come by and tell you!" she said and then she thanked me for making it.

As you might imagine, the sale of that shirt was pretty much the cherry on top of my day!

Sales were brisk and I was pleased at how well my things had sold. (By the end of the event, I'd sold 3/4 of everything that I had sewn!)

More pictures tomorrow, so stay 'tooned!

Jolis Chevaux - Prep for a Show

(Second post of the day.)

March 18 and 19 is the 2023 Kalamazoo Living History Show.  My sister Leslie and her husband, Rick , own the show and this is its 47th year. Teacher Daughter Lisa and I will be attending for our second year as vendors.

Lisa and me at the 2022 show.

The fabrics I use most for the 18th century clothing are imported hand printed block prints. Here are some things that I've made since Christmas and will be taking up to Kalamazoo to sell. 

An 18th century bedgown (from the back.)

And from the front.

A men's shirt with bone cuff buttons.

This one is actually a custom shirt and sold but I include it because it is an unusual "medallion print." You can't see it here, but when the shirt is worn, the pattern on the fabric forms a complete circle around the arms and body. It is a little tricky to get everything matched up when sewing, but worth it in the end.

Another men's shirt. The shirts are usually worn with a belt of some sort.

You might think that this shirt has a paisley pattern, but that' s not paisley. It's called "Botha" and is a very, very old pattern.

The patterns and colors vary a lot on the block prints.

I really like this pattern - it quite different from the other cotton block prints I've got.

I finished this one yesterday - it has horn cuff buttons.

I'll also be selling women's shortgowns,

chemises (also called "shifts"),

bum rolls,

hussifs,

 

an opened hussif (for storing sewing supplies),

panniers, 

pinner aprons, and lots more.

If you are a blog reader who happens to attend the show, please come find me and say hello. I may just have a little gift you you...

Leslie and me at the 2022 show.