A Little Mental Exercise

[Elaine Kessinger]

As the new year is in the planning stages I would like to invite you on a little mental exercise.

Most military units will plan in the spring for a Camp of Instruction to cover some of the basics members need to know or be refreshed on after the "winter hiatus." (I would presume the fall/winter focused groups would hold such in the early fall).

They generally cover basic drill, basic gear and packing of same, and have opportunities to present on specialty topics of relevance.

The mental exercise is this: If you were to give a Camp of Instruction for the civilian members of a unit (whether the unit was entirely civilians or a contingent of civilians within a military group), what topics would you cover? Why those particular topics? What particular formula for presentation do you think would be effective?


I'll give this some time before I post my own thoughts unless someone needs further clarification.
This is supposed to be fun and everyone's opinion is welcome. Please remember folks are at different points of their progressive journey.

[Spinster]

Re: A Little Mental Exercise

I do a combination of lecture, show and tell, participatory feedback, and make and take. Presentations are organic/free flowing with specific known preplanned points to cover, but the approach to those points made based upon the group response.

First comes 'Why are you here?'. Why do this-whats your motivation? The responses give a feel for the level of the group, and what they wish to accomplish. Sometimes this is augmented by written questions submitted prior.

Then what to wear and why it matters. The group may have an interest in period skills or they may just wish to be ornamental. Needs in this area affect clothing, but also steer the conversation to issues of class and wealth, what the common person's life was like, women's work and the over representation of the upper classes in our impressions. Character development comes into play at this point in the conversation.

I tend to speak and mentor primarily female groups. If this is an all female group, at some point, I'm going to get dressed, and talk about clothing as a system--how underpinnings protect clothing from our bodies, about the wisdom on having one dress and three sets of underpinnings makes a lot more sense than three dresses and one set of underpinnings. The purpose of a corset, and the various types. How a cage crinoline differs from a typical sutler row covered bridal hoop, and what that means for clothing choices. How to starch a petticoat and why one wears collars and cuffs. And on and on. A special emphasis is placed on the importance of natural fibers, and the additional fire dangers caused by the use of man made fibers.

Other material culture issues get covered in talking about period cooking and household living. Furniture styles, including the various glaring mistakes we see of 'old timey stuff' much of which is 50-80 years post war.

The comes the 'Can This Dress Be Saved?' part. Pile all the plunder on the table and let's go through and make upgrade suggestions, without the person being inside. This diffuses a situation that can be hurtful. And I always start with a dress story of my own, and what wonder throw pillows it made. Additional construction details come out here, and ways to do better the next time.

Make and Takes going on all through this may be installing skirt lifters, hemming Kerchiefs, making hairnets, covering bandboxes, sewing collars and cuffs, or other inexpensive upgrades that make a great deal of difference. If I have a helper, I often set up a hair restyling that is ongoing so that people can see techniques to deal with modern styles.

Mixed gender groups include a larger emphasis on work, as men entering this side of the hobby are often asking for instruction on what they can DO, especially if they are coming from a military background.

So, the talk can bounce all over a wide range of subject matter, bolstered by pattern boxes reference books, originals, and excellent reproductions.

Oh yeah, make sure your audience really wants to hear this information, and you are not there just to further the agenda of one person in the group who wants some backup against the White Blouse Queens in the Sofa Cushion Skirts. If that's the agenda, you'll have wasted your time.