No trip to Colonial Williamsburg is ever complete...

...without a trip (or two...or maybe even three...yes, we're very sad!) to the Margaret Hunter milliner's shop.  We know that a number of our readers, like us, delight in wallowing in endless pictures of period clothing, so here's a mini photo-essay of some of the more recent creations of the incredibly talented milliners/mantua makers and tailors at Colonial Williamsburg.  Enjoy the pretties!

Apprentice Sarah organizing the fabric.  Sounds like fun to me!

On Saturday during Under the Redcoat, we stopped by the shop ever so briefly on our way back to camp, just to see what was new on display (and also to enjoy a snatch of much-needed air conditioning!).  Our visit was short lived, however, because the shop was quite busy with visitors, so we snapped a few quick pictures and headed back to "work."

Journeywoman Mrs Warren at work

(and wearing her stunning embroidered jacket - I love that color).

A fashion doll perched on a shelf, silently yet

very ably advertising her wares.

Knowing that Sunday is typically the day in the shop for the tailors, we were sure to make time amongst our UTR duties the next day to stop by again to consult with Mr Hutter about some questions that have arisen about our stays since we started them in the Burnley and Trowbridge workshop back in April.  He very graciously and helpfully assisted with our quandaries, and after chatting a bit more about the progress of our stays (we were incredibly lucky we caught the shop at a rare quiet time), we admired some of the gentlemen's items on display and then ventured back out into the heat to watch our regiment perform in the afternoon's firing demonstration.

The "Spruce Sportsman" coat, waistcoat, and hat, along with some infant stays.

A gorgeous coat of creamy silk taffeta, lined in pink.  It's absolutely stunning;
I wish we had gotten a better shot of the lining contrast!

The tailor's worktable, strewn with two in-progress chintz banyans.

Our final visit came the following Saturday, to indulge in the pleasures of "Silk Saturday."  Heavenly silk gowns, hats, and petticoats adorned the shop, which was busy with visitors conversing eagerly with the shop's new young interns.  What a fantastic atmosphere!  After chatting for a bit with Sarah about some of her recent research (thanks so much for so generously taking the time to share all of that with us!), however, we very reluctantly dragged ourselves away.  If only we could have stayed all day!

Interns hard at work, catching the sunlight.

A quilted silk petticoat and a couple of hats, all of which I wanted

to carry home with me!

An infant's gown with a red taffeta bag displayed on top.

If you'd like to see more of the impressive work done in the Margaret Hunter shop, be sure to visit their facebook page!  Some additional photos of ours can be found in our flickr set and by clicking on the "CW milliner" tag below.