Lavender’s Green is a very small business – more a studio than a shop – and a resource for learning more about the past. My products are based on historic research – more clothing than “costume”.
This website will show you examples of completed projects from the past 30 years. You’ll also find a link to my catalog, where you will see the styles and basic prices. There’s also a page outlining my teaching, consulting, and public speaking services.
My clients are…
- Historic sites with living history programs,
- Individual historians, living history interpreters, and hobbyists, and
- People who love to learn about the past.
My garments are made…
- One at a time (and almost all by myself, Kay Demlow),
- Using a combination of historic and modern techniques with an eye toward balancing authentic appearance with reasonable cost.
My goal is…
- To help you and your staff portray someone from the 19th or early 20th century,
- To make your character believable,
- To help you dress in a way that your persona might have – while flattering your coloring, your age, and your body, and
- To bring the past to life.
The fabrics are…
- Natural fibers like cotton, linen, wools, silks,
- Occasionally combined with modern fibers when necessary and appropriate, and
- Chosen to suit your situation.
Your custom order begins with a discussion of your needs:
- The setting (indoors, outside, on stage, or in a classroom),
- Your character (age, status, time of year, time of day),
- Your budget, and
- Your timeline.
The turnaround time…
- Is normally two to three months for a small order, or
- Longer for multi-person or complex garment orders (remember that most of the work is done by one experienced seamstress with occasional outside help).
- Sometimes a client will ask for a mock-up before I begin on the actual garment. I can arrange for this, with an additional cost for postage, time, and materials. However, my work is reliably accurate, and a mock-up is almost never necessary.
Construction is…
- Similar to the seams and configuration of original garments,
- Designed so that you or your staff can make minor alterations,
- Machine stitched, usually with cotton or silk thread, and
- Hand-finished where needed.
- Hand-worked buttonholes are available for an additional charge.
There will be times that I will say “no” to an order; for example, if you ask for…
- Last-minute lead times
- A design based on movies, TV, or fantasy characters, or
- Specialized items or materials beyond my scope (military uniforms, earlier time periods, leather, or synthetics).
My promise:
Once we have agreed on your project, I will make every effort to have it completed to your measurements and on your timeline. If the item doesn’t fit the measurements you provided, you can return it within 30 days for complimentary alterations.