SO YOU WANT TO DRESS IN PERIOD CLOTHING (My story of how I started my passion for dressing in Period Clothing and Competition.) By: Sharleen Leigh West Costume Chair N-SSA Costume Competition Hi! everyone, I am Sharleen Leigh West, and I am the N-SSA Costume Chair, I have been the Chair of this Committee for numerous years. The costume competition has been a source of love and sometimes trying at times for me. It is hard to generate a passion in others for this N-SSA competition. The main reason is that the interest in home sewing had dropped before the Covid era of our time. For some people during the time of Covid they found themselves wanting to learn a new skill to fill the lack of time that was previously used to go to the gym or other public group setting that they had previously enjoyed, but was abruptly ended due to Covid. To fulfill that time some learned to cook, bake, garden, knit or crochet and some learned to sew. So if you learned any of the last three skills that were mentioned. Then I have a new hobby for you. PERIOD COSTUMING. Now, the new competitor has it easier than I ever had in the sewing of period clothing. You have a wide variety of patterns that can be purchased which are period correct and some have the proper techniques in construction of the garments in the instructions. I only wish I had in my experience of making and wearing mid Victorian attire. On with my story of getting into the hobby of N-SSA Costume Competition. It all happened 55 years ago, when I was a mere 6 years old. My grandfather Lenford Eastep was a member with the N-SSA almost at its conception of the organization. A short time later my dad, James’s “Micky” West joined. My Grandfather was on the land acquisition committee to scout and find a national range. When they came across the present-day property, the committee was deciding on a name for the property. Well, my grandfather was an avid whistler and at one meeting when the committee was deciding on a name for the fort. He was whistling the song “Shenandoah”. He was asked the tune he whistled, he said the tune was “Shenandoah”, it was decided that was the perfect name for our property, “Fort Shenandoah”. My Grandfather had a shop on Sutler’s Row and sold guns, and gun parts, at one time he sold covered hoops for ladies to use under their hoop skirts, (as he called them), he also sold black powder orders there. He and Elmer Venoski started Back Creek Black Powder Co. My Grandfather already had his FFL license and was selling black 33 Skirmish Line Summer 2022
powder, here at home under the name of Poquoson Gun Shop. He also sold powder to Colonial Williamsburg and the National Park Service around our area, also to the general public. When I was a teenager, I remember sitting in the shop on Sutler’s Row with one of my girlfriends for fun, and to sell the black powder for him. He would pay us $20.00 each to do so. Of course, he would embarrass us by trying to enlist young gentlemen for a date to the Saturday night dance. Which was so, embarrassing, at that time being a teenager and all. I wouldn’t give those memories away for a million dollars. Now, how I started in costuming, I was about 10 years old, and I asked my mom and grandmother to make me a dress to wear at Winchester. I remember it so well. It was a Simplicity pattern. Which by the way is still available today? It is the one where there are four different styles of dresses on the front cover depicting a colonial, frontier, civil war and a sacque gown. The fabric was cotton calico, yellow background and darker gold yellow undertones. It buttoned up the back with wooden buttons and had polyester lace at the neckline and on the cuffs of long sleeves and a matching sash tied in a bow in the back. Mom bought me a bridal covered hoop to wear under the dress. I thought I was so pretty in that dress. I signed up that fall National and was given a numbers paddle to carry to participate in the Saturday afternoon competition. Then the competition was judged by three chosen bystanders, all the children walked around in a circle and was judged. Sadly, I didn’t win that day, but I had fun anyway. I want you to know, I wore that dress at every national event on the Saturday and Sunday until I couldn’t get it buttoned up in the back and it was almost up to my knees in length. At that time my grandfather and dad belonged to the Old Dominion Dragoons. There was a lady by the name of Barbara Whitlow, she participated in the dress competition where she made her and her daughter’s dresses. I would wait until they came out of their camper all dressed to go to the competition on Sunday morning. I thought about how beautiful they looked and that someday, somehow, I wanted to do that too. Mind you, I was only 11-12 years old at the time. As time went on, I married, and he joined the team. I finally decided It was time to take the plunge and try my hand at making a dress for me to wear and if it turned out, I’ll enter in the dress competition. I wanted a ball gown. So, I had no idea as to how to go about making one since there
