So I guess I should ramble on to why I'm starting this project specifically for
2024. I am hoping to have a collection of projects and lessons learned by the
end of the year but I don't know how well that's going to work out in the long
term.
Who:
So who am I? I'm a 44 year old disabled woman with multiple chronic illnesses.
(Rheumatoid Arthritis, POTS and Fibromyalgia to name a few) In addition I'm a
late diagnosed Autistic with ADHD (two for one special). My hyperfixations and
special interests usually revolve around history and crafting.
What:
My goal is to work on a series of historic projects that are
both pulled directly from the BBC historic farm series: Tales from the Green
Valley, Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm, Wartime Farm and Tudor Monastary Farm
are the ones currently out. (I would actually reccomend finding these and others on either Amazon Prime or on Absolute History Channel on youtube.
Why:
I have been an avid reenactor since I was 15 more or less but since the start of the pandemic, I have not been able to get out as much. I do hope to return to eventing eventually but with multiple food allergies and chronic fatigue it gets rather difficult. I have enjoyed passionately the history of every day people and the smaller things. Food, clothing, etc are all affected by history and all affect history. So with that the farm series has become a comfort series. It's comforting to consider what has been done over and over again, that no matter what else goes on around us some things are constant.
This is not to say that I romanticize the past. I am well aware that attitudes have changed for the better. I'm VERY grateful for modern medicine and its place in my life. So I don't want to fully recreate the past nor do I think I'd be better off there. That being said, there is much to learn in terms of things like sustainability and thrift from our ancestors. And that is the lesson I want to see if I can learn this year. Whether it is the apron to protect a nice dress, a quilt made of scrap fabric or making pottage of whatever is currently in season, I think these lessons are good ones to learn. The Make do and Mend from WOrld War 2 and the ration recipes (some sound better than others) or the ways in which women kept house in the Edwardian age are all giving us valuable lessons.
This is not to sound preachy whatsoever, a lot of this is for my own lesson learning and I hope that in sharing these things maybe I can inspire others. I lost my mother last July and in many ways my creative processes and research into history have felt somewhat stifled -- partially because my mother was my cheerleader and example in these projects. She taught me needlework and often helped me with project supplies etc. So with this, I'm hoping to do honor to her memory and to the memory of other women in my family.
How:
First and foremost some of these projects will not be direct reproductions of things used in history. Some might and I will document which is which. I plan on doing and documenting as much as possible, whether it's a sewing project, a knitting project inspired by that point in history or a meal. There will be large and small projects and hopefully I will somehow inspire you to start your own such projects.
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