Redcoats and Rebels 2013

Our unit returning to camp from Saturday's battle.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

This past weekend was Old Sturbridge Village's 11th annual "Redcoats and Rebels" weekend, when the 1830s village gives way to the Revolutionary War years of over 50 years past to host the largest New England reenactment of the year.  Our unit has been attending this event for as long as it has been running (see Ashley's posts from years past), but this was the first time I've personally been able to make it, and I had a splendid time.  Of course I missed Ashley; it still feels strange attending events without her, since reenacting has always been our "sister time" together.  She couldn't make the long trip from her new home to attend the weekend's festivities, and everyone in our unit noticed her absence and expressed regret at it...though that was typically swiftly followed by a qualification that no one should feel too bad that Ashley was missing the fun, since she does get to play in the 18th century every day for "work" now...;-)  So because this was the first big event that we've missed being at together, this extra-long post is as much for Ashley as it is for general blogging purposes!  :-)

The British encamped on the village green.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Another view of the British camps with the Union Jack flying high.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

I drove up to OSV (too early) on Saturday morning with a couple of other ladies of the distaff and arrived bright and early to settle into the camp that had already been completely set up the evening before by some of our most dedicated and diligent members.  The morning was warm and sunny, so after helping to tidy up after breakfast (which we just missed, alas!), we sat under the kitchen fly catching up with everyone. 

Our camp at Sunday nooning.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Photo by TMW.

The view of one side of our camp from the road.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Photo by TMW.

This year, we had a fantastic location in the School House Field, right on one of the main paths between the town green and the farm fields in which the larger military demonstrations took place, so the visitor foot traffic through our camp came in an unrelenting stream of dozens of people at a time throughout the weekend.   To a group like ours, full of people who love to talk (and love even more to talk about the hobby and history we're so passionate about!), the chance to interact with hundreds of friendly and inquisitive visitors is what makes an event like this extra special and even more fun than our usual battle reenacting weekends.  I loved seeing so many families learning together, with kids visiting in mom-made costumes, eyes bright as they discovered a new (old) game or tried on a hat for a memorable picture as they asked questions about what we were wearing.

C preparing the spinach salad for Saturday's dinner.
Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Preparing Saturday dinner for 35 hungry souls.
Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Mistress M, who oversaw the food planning and preparation for the weekend,

did an incomparably splendid job, as always.  Thanks again for all your hard work!

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

After preparing and eating dinner, several of us ladies headed over to the "Runaway Runway" to partake of one of the cleverest and more humorous activities on the schedule.  Hosted by the Ladies of Refined Taste, the "Runaway Runway" is precisely what it sounds: a fashion show of working-class clothing with models dressed to replicate descriptions from 1770s runaway advertisements.  And who should I happen upon as we went into the show, but two of the models themselves - none other than the delightful Miss Emily (of Emily's Vintage Visions) and her finance!  We didn't get much of a chance to chat before the show, but spent some time afterwards catching up with each other.  And we also finally got our picture together!  Despite collective weeks spent together over the past few years while working on our shoes and everything, we had never managed to get a "formal" picture before, so here it is!  Unfortunately, it had to be sans Ashley this time, but next reunion, we'll get the three of us!  :-)

With Miss Emily.  I'm in love with the scarlet red lining of her bonnet's brim.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Because I hadn't been to OSV since a sixth-grade field trip way too many years ago, I spent much of the afternoon touring the village with some of the ladies and some of the younger members of our unit.  We skipped the battle that afternoon, opting to keep sight-seeing instead, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves wandering in and out of the trade shops and houses and stopping to visit with friends from other groups.  One of our stops was to a fellow CT militia unit, whose camp was clear across the village from ours.  Several of their members had taken part in our hearth cooking workshop back in February, so we were thrilled to see them again and excited to find that they were putting their new skills to most excellent use to feed their large number of weekend attendees.

Our friends from another CT unit put their new cooking skills to work with this splendid

display of culinary abilities.  While we were cooking for 35,they had to prepare enough food for 60!

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

A group of ladies keeping cool the 18th century way.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

The Brits returning to their camp after the battle.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

The Brits returning to their camp after the battle.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Although OSV closed their indoor sites and interpretation programs at the usual time that evening, they left the village as a whole open to visitors until quite late, which gave the guests more time to visit in the camps and watch as we prepared and consumed and cleaned up after supper.  By the time dusk fell and 8 o'clock came around and the park closed to guests, the majority of our group prepared to head over to the famed evening Jolly.  Exhausted from our early-morning drive, however, I and the other ladies with whom I'd driven opted to depart for the evening and headed to the mosquito-free and shower-awaiting comfort of our hotel room.

Evening shadows begin to fall over the camps scattered in the farm fields.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Back in camp early the next morning, we again helped clean up after breakfast and then got to work on lunch early.  As we were preparing a chicken stew, we wanted to give it maximum simmering time before lunch.  Well, that, and the tasty aroma of things cooking over a fire is always the ideal way to draw in visitors to camp!  :-) 

Some of our youngest members tending to the morning fire.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Once that was on the fire, we settled down to do a bit of sewing.  B began the process of trimming a new hat with some delicious red satin ribbon she purchased at Monmouth a couple of months ago, and K was working on finishing up a new shortgown, as was I.

B and K taking advantage of some down time with a bit of sewing.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

And then I got a very special surprise: a visit from family friends who had driven up from CT to spend the day!  After nearly a lifetime (no exaggeration, we've known them that long!) of hearing me and Ashley go on about how much we love Rev War history and reenacting and sewing historic clothing, they decided it was time they saw for themselves what it was we're always going on about!  Believe it or not, they'd never actually seen either of us in costume before, so they got quite a kick out of it!  One of them told me he was pleased to see I looked just like I did in all the pictures he's seen!  ;-) 

Sunday lunch was a chicken and wild rice stew with mushrooms, beans, and carrots.  Yum!

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Photo by TMW.

I gave them a quick tour of our camp and then we headed off to do a bit of sight-seeing together before I had to head back to camp to help with dinner, at which point they departed to watch the British troops assemble on the green before following them to the battle.  I missed Sunday's battle as well, as C and I stayed behind in camp to keep an eye on everything, but I didn't mind and my friends very generously shared their pictures afterwards.

Our men beginning to muster for battle.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

The Brits marching past our camp on their way to the battlefield.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Sunday's battle, Redcoats and Rebels 2013.

Photo by TMW.

Sunday's battle, Redcoats and Rebels 2013.

Photo by TMW.

Ah, the necessary anachronisms of the reenacting life!

Photo by JHW.

C is currently working on putting together her second camp-appropriate outfit, so while waiting in camp for the battle to end, we whiled away the time talking about styles and fabric options for new items.  You might recall that she began her very first bedgown at our distaff day back in June, and she wore it this weekend.  Didn't it come out lovely?  And speaking of which, K also sported the floral print neckerchief she finished during our sewing gathering over that weekend as well!  It's so fun seeing finished projects "come to life" at events!  :-)

C beginning work on a new apron, while sporting her recently-completed bedgown.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Following the battle, I met up with my friends again and we spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering around town together seeing buildings we hadn't yet had a chance to visit.  Around 4, the sky started to look pretty threatening, so my friends decided to head for home (and generously took my new favorite hat home with them so it wouldn't get poured on!  Thank you!!!), and I scampered back to camp to help quickly pull tents down before everything got drenched.  Fortunately, it only ended up raining lightly for a quarter of an hour or so, but we decided to head out a little early and start our long drive home.

Returning safely to camp.

Redcoats and Rebels, OSV, 2013.

Another weekend, another set of fantastic memories!  With the exception of UTR, this is my only major summer event for this year, but it certainly lived up to its promise and was even better than I could have hoped it to be!  There are a multitude of photos of the weekend on flickr that can be easily found with a search; my own set is here, with apologies for its limited nature because I was too busy most of the time to have time to get too many pictures!  Many thanks to the W family for filling in the holes with their pictures and permitting me to use them for this post!

On both days during the weekend, I wore new outfits - a gown the first day and a jacket the next - so stay tuned for two new Threaded Bliss posts coming up very soon!  If you've joined us on Facebook, you've already seen a hint at what the gown project might be... :-)