The Limner

The fifth graders in our school district learn about colonial life and then pick a colonial career to do a project about. Here's a post about Peter's project, and one about Cooper's project. Phoebe escaped this particular assignment since she attended virtual school for fifth grade.

Sophie spent many hours recreating a limner's workshop and preparing her presentation. I love that she drew several waiting canvases. She used playdoh in those tiny jars to make it look like they're full of paint. And she made a wagon as a traveling workshop, in addition to the diorama.

A few days before it was due she reminded me that she needed a colonial costume. This wasn't too hard for the boys. I just had them roll up their church pants to the knee, wear a pair of Bryan's church socks, wear a white church shirt, and throw on an apron. Sophie's costume was more involved.

I thought we might be able to reuse the Mary costume I made for her for the Nativity movie, and maybe add an apron. The night before the project was due I pulled the costume out from its box in the basement. That's when I remembered that I'd made it quite billowy. That wouldn't work at all. 

And that is how I came to spend the next six hours cutting up and pinning and resewing the dress. I found some pictures online and did my best to approximate what they looked like. I didn't want to add a zipper (because I haven't mastered that skill) and wanted her to be able to pull it on and off herself without help since she'd need to do that at school. That's why it's a little loose. It's definitely a costume and isn't nice enough to wear to church. But it is solidly made and won't fall apart. Considering I really didn't know what I was doing, I think it turned out well.

Sophie loves it, and that's good enough for me.