Our last stop was Margaret Hunter’s Millinery Shop. The second I stepped in the door I was mesmerized. I love period clothing and all of the detailed work that goes into, so being in a period shop where all of this wonderment is alive was heavenly.
Janae Whitacre, the Mistress Milliner, plays–no lives–Margaret Hunter. She has researched Margaret and millinery and Williamsburg, so as to represent an accurate real-life portrait of the shop at the time.
Traditionally the tailor sits cross-legged in the shop window to catch availble light. Can you imagine sitting like that all day sewing? Where’s my ergonomic chair?
It is fascinating that the period clothing has much tell tell Janae, as they do Linda and Kim back at the archives. In the show you’ll hear Janae explain how what would appear to be woefully long stitches in a given piece are purposefull time savers at specific places in a garment where they are only holding things together. And since the period piece survives, obviously those stitches performed their function well!
Here we are at the end of a long, wonderful day: Debi from Williamsburg PR, me, Janae –I’m sorry, Margaret Hunter– is behind Ivan Machiz. Linda is beside and in front of Ivan. Jean Nolte who produces the Love of Quilting show and is the editor of Love of Quilting magazine is next, and then Pia from Williamsburg. Leslie from Windham Textiles took the picture so she isn’t in it. We should have flagged down Benedict Arnold as he went by to do be photographer instead!
This Love of Quilting show from Williamsburg will be uplinked for PBS stations June 7, so check your local listings to see when it will air where you live. As a special treat, we will be airing uncut versions of each of these episodes in August on QNNtv We hope you enjoy them!
~Jodie
