When we were at the Colonial Williamsburg Costume Design Center Open House last week, my son asked for help with his cravat and that opened the door to the vast variety of colonial neckware.  The first piece of neckware we got to see was the black stock. The black stock is the narrow black piece with the slight curve in the center, in front of the hats and behind the gorgets and epaulettes.

     The black stock was worn by various members of the military, whether American, French or British.  Lafayette wore one with his American Continental officer uniform...

...we've met American General Nelson wearing one...

...the mayor of Williamsburg, whom I think was part of the militia...

..the enlisted men of the American Continental Army...

....oooh, even Benedict Arnold...

...and the fife and drum corps. By the way, even though they are wearing red, they are not British. The fife and drum corps wore the reverse colors of their army, to distinguish them as non-combatants. Both sides of the war needed them to serve to relay messages via tunes not only for their own army but also for the opposing army. 

      My son has been anxious for me to make a new costume, since he's had an increasingly difficult time getting into his original colonial boy costume. He's grown several inches since I first made it. He would like to portray the son of a gentry plantation owner.  Therefore he'd like another type of stock, a white one, which we had learned about at the CDC.  Since it's going to take me a few months to figure out and sew a gentry costume as historically accurate as possible, I thought I'd gain his patience by telling him I'd make a black stock to make his neckware more authentic, while wearing his Lafayette costume.  He got excited about that! Surely I can reproduce that look in a couple of hours.

     Last Saturday I sewed the black stock for my son.  I had no pattern to go by. Therefore making the black stock proved to be a great challenge than I had initially thought. My son wanted to design a template for me, himself. First we measured around his neck to find the length to make the template. After the first stock I made, we figured out we needed to make it larger by an inch or two. Somehow in the cutting and sewing, the proper sized template resulted in a stock that wouldn't reach all the way around his neck.  The second longer stock I sewed was a better fit until he put it on over his shirt collar. Ugh, he was choking! Back to the drawing board! Hint: Add several inches to the circumference of the neck!  I'm currently in the process of sewing the third attempt,  between doctor appointments and multiple drives to the base pharmacy miles away for my daughter's allergies, preparing lessons, and sewing window treatments!  Hopefully the third time will be the charm! 

 With the template I cut a piece of black felt, left over from making his colonial cape.  (I'll blog about that when I actually take pictures of the interpreters at CW wearing capes. Apparently they come in a variety of sizes and colors, but it's not been cold enough for them to wear them while we're there yet.)

Then I traced the template onto two layers of leftover pieces of matte silk  from the lining of his cape, with a white chalk pencil. Then I cut the satin out a little larger to allow for seam allowance.

I sewed the two pieces together, carefully sewing on the seam line around three adjacent sides. leaving the long side with the curve that dips down unsewn.

After I trimmed the seams and clipped the curves, I turned it right side out.  Uh oh.  The curve was barely there and the sides were not symmetrical.  I cut out two new pieces of silk.  Then I centered the precut felt on top of the satin and pinned it. I used flat pins to allow it to lie flat. Regular curved pins distorted the fabric. Then I slowly sewed around the edges.

Then I took the pins out. I trimmed the seams and clipped the curves.  Then I carefully turned it inside out, leaving the felt inside to replicate the stability and padding that we got to touch at the CDC. I carefully pressed the stock with a cool iron.  I turned the edges under on the remaining side, pinned it together, then handstitched tiny hidden stitches, though a couple peaked out anyway. It's a bit difficult to produce a smooth curve, since I am using silk. Although my son would have liked actual historic hardware, none is to be found. I made this stock a bit larger than his neck, to give him room to grow. I stuck black velcro on the ends.  

    I'm not sure how my son is going to set the stock against his shirt collar.  The shirt is wrong, because there is no ruffle in front. We will shop for a proper colonial shirt pattern in a few days.   Jo Ann will have a pattern sale and looks like I will need to buy two different patterns to combine elements for the proper look.

   By the end of the afternoon, my son tried on his Lafayette coat and realized the collar doesn't turn up like it does for the rest of the officers.  He asked if he could have a new Lafayette costume for the winter (which would have a felt coat) , then a gentry plantation son costume for the summer (which would not need a coat).  That is the new plan.  The Lafayette costume with a general's coat made of felt (to represent wool), would keep him much warmer than a gentry coat that would be made from a cotton blend.  Also the Lafayette costume uses the "boots" that my son made, which adds another layer of warmth for his legs.  Additionally, this would give me practice before I tackle the gentry coat I will eventually make for my husband. (Of all the costumes I've made for all of the historical eras, the colonial costume is the only one he has asked me to make for him. He wants an extremely nice costume like Alexander Purdie wears, so he is all for my figuring this out.) We found a colonial coat pattern that I can purchase at the pattern sale at Jo Ann later this week.  The colonial coat pattern looks to have facings, which will be a huge help in recreating the Lafayette coat.  (However now I realize I could have created my own facings by reusing the original pattern. Oh well.)

     Yesterday I got to wondering what my son will want for the epaulettes.  Last year when I made the Lafayette costume, he did not want epaulettes like Lafayette. Now I forget what I had patterned them after.  When I asked him, he sheepishly admitted he'd like a pair like Lafayette's this time.  What?!  I couldn't believe that.  The children started laughing at the expression on my face.  They asked if I was worried about what I'd tell Lafayette if he asks. I said I'll wait to see what he says and just try to follow his lead.  My son and I each took close ups of the epaulettes and I got to hold them, carefully inspecting them.  I forget a lot now. However I do remember a few key elements and think perhaps I can perhaps get a fair representation made.  It won't be perfect, so that in itself will be good, so people won't think he's Lafayette.  Of course his age makes some of the interpreters call him Lafayette, which he quickly assures them he is supporting the troops. He has great respect for Lafayette and will only portray him for school projects at home.  

In the meantime, I decided I'd like to try to make a shift for my daughter, which would help to make her dress look more realistic.  She was excited to hear that.  I only recently figured out where the ruffled look on the dresses came from. However I still haven't completely figured out how the shift works.  I've been referencing a  terrific book, Costume Close-Up: Clothing Construction and Pattern 1750-1790.  According to the write-up, this book is for the advanced seamstress to reproduce period garments with authenticity.  It was recommended to me by the CW milliner and tailor. Although this book is indeed excellent, and it does show a period shift, shirt and a white stock, there isn't enough information for me.  The shift and shirt in the book do not have ruffles and there was no sequence of sewing for the white stock. It's a challenge to figure all of this out. Obviously I do not have advanced sewing skills.  Nevertheless I am up to the challenge.  It's sort of like a puzzle. I enjoy deep thinking and puzzling things out. I'm determined to take this quest one project at a time.  Perhaps I'll pay a visit to the milliner but she seems to think I am perfectly capable of all this. Hmmmm, I'll be deeply thinking of the best way to phrase my queries.