BROKEN PROMISE

I am sorry that I didn't deliver the promise I made in my last post!   I know it is now the 27th of April and I promised to come back to you all on the 22nd! However, don't despair I will let you know in due course if the news is good.  So far so good but I just to find a special piece of equipment and then I will let you all know of THAT dress.  I do so hope you will find the news worth the wait!

As well as working on THAT dress' I have also been busy trying to secure other dresses as well as working on launching a competition that we have just been given funding for. 

In March I attended a seminar at the University of Leicester which had been arranged by MuBu which is part of Rennaissance East Midlands (www.mla.gov.uk/renaissanceeastmidlands).  It was one of the most interesting seminars I have ever attended and was all about how to use the 'digital age' to promote an event i.e. by using Facebook, Twitter etc etc. 

Before the seminar, I had an idea of running a competition alongside the exhibition whereby (this is a simplified version) a wedding dress would be designed by students of Design and Technology from the County's secondary schools, the entries would then be chosen by a panel from Lincoln Univeristy Art and Design Department and the winning entry would be on show at the exhibition.

At Doddington, we have excellent relationships with primary schools who come to visit the Hall and take part in our education programme - they are also able to take part in events arranged in the Kitchen Garden.  Bishop Grosseteste college has helped us quite a bit in the past but I really wanted to concentrate on the secondary schools and perhaps give a student, who wants to go on and study fashion and design, a step on the ladder.

Last Friday I met with the staff at the University of Lincoln and outlined what I had in mind and they confirmed that they would be thrilled to be involved ... hallelujah!  So today, I have been working on the outline of the competition and am just waiting on having it approved - the University are the ones who are going to make up the dress so it has to be something that they can work to.  I will keep you updated on progress.

Due to the funding, we shall be able to make a film all about the life of the dress i.e. the inspiration, the material, the making of and finally the finished article in all its glory playing its role in the exhibition.  We are extremely grateful to Renaissance East Midlands for their help with this project.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, I am attending the first of the training days to help with the project and I am looking forward to it immensely and will tell you all about it in my next update.

Yesterday (Tuesday) I spent the morning with Sara Basquill who is the Keeper of the Collections for a number of the Lincolnshire County Council museums like Gainsborough Old Hall and the Museum of Lincolnshire Life to name just a couple.  Sara was kind enough to let me look through her database of costumes which are held at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life.  I came away with about 75 sheets of paper which I now have to look through and decide what to choose.  What a job ... how on earth am I going to choose what to leave out ... it's doesn't seem fair.  Sara mistakenly gave me details of a tank .... this is one exhibit that I won't have to think too hard about.

After lunch, I made my way to Tasty Vintage (http://www.tastyvintage.com/) which is a wonderful shop based at 9 Steep Hill in Lincoln and is owned by a lady called Harriet.  She sells vintage clothing and accessories from the 1920s through to the 1970s.  She showed me to her newly created 'wedding room' and what she had in there was mouthwatering.  I have chosen a number of dresses which include a couple from the 1960s ... very Twiggy and a wonderful velvet number from the 1920s which has a headdress a bit like Julius Ceasar's laurel wreath.  Not only has Harriet offered to lend me these dresses but she has also offered her own wedding dress - you can see it in the photo on the right.  This too is from the 1960s.

Also, this week we have been busily designing the flier for the exhibition.  It is very stylish and you will soon see these in and around the venues in Lincoln ... do pick one up or even a few so that you can pass them on to your friends.

This Friday I will be in Nottingham looking at another collection of dresses.  Again, I will have some difficult decisions to make but will let you know of just a few that might be making their to Lincoln.