As I had done with the cover of Fields of the Fatherless, I took on the daunting task of setting up a photo shoot for Saratoga Letters. Everything seemed to be going fairly smoothly—until the model we had scheduled had a medical emergency three days prior to the photo shoot!
Trying not to panic, I prayed…and God delivered a very capable and sweet replacement. Maddie slipped into the role of “Abigail” and “Abby” beautifully as you will see in the finished photos. (Our first model was fine within a short time, by the way, praise the Lord!)
Our professional costumer, Laura Poresky, was a joy to work with. She always went with the flow and abrupt changes of plans and I am so grateful for her sweet attitude. We scheduled another pre-shoot fitting with Maddie. Lo and behold, everything fit beautifully! The corset however was a bit of a challenge! And none of us who wear modern clothing have to deal with the tight restrictions of Colonial American “stays” that are the hallmark of the clothing in that era.
Laura, who is the head costumer for Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa, designed the blue linen short gown from an old pattern in her possession. She made the rest of the costume previously, including the fichu (neck scarf) that is visible on the cover photo.
I designed (ahem…) the blue striped ticking bag that carried Abigail’s medicinals. As they would have done in 1777, I hand sewed the thick material—and developed a whole new appreciation for the strength needed to be a colonial woman tending to the needs of her household. A bag like this was filled with glass bottles of medicinals in the opening chapters of Saratoga Letters.
The lighting as well as the trees beginning to change their foliage color were both important for the setting which took place in both Fall 1777 and 1977. By now you may be scratching your head and wondering why two separate centuries! When you read Saratoga Letters, it will all be clear.
As the date approached I prayed for perfect weather. Once again, the Lord came through and we could not have received a more perfect day: Clear, crisp air and just the right amount of sunshine. It was perfect.
As I took everyone’s Starbuck’s orders to begin the day, I prepared for the photo shoot and prayed all would be well…
(Continued on September 22)
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