Tailoring Brigade Volunteer (2025)

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Park Information:

Located approximately 20 miles northwest of center city Philadelphia, Valley Forge was the site of the 1777-78 winter encampment of George Washington and the Continental Army. The park commemorates the sacrifices and perseverance of the Revolutionary War generation and honors the ability of citizens to pull together and overcome adversity during extraordinary times. ( http://www.nps.gov/vafo)

Brief Description:

Do you enjoy learning a craft (i.e., sewing, knitting, patternmaking, or leatherwork)? Do you have some experience, but want to improve these skills while assisting your local national park? Then the Tailoring Brigade might be for you! Join our team of volunteers and volunteer leaders to help us make, alter, and repair reproduction eighteenth-century items for the park. This endeavor helps to significantly reduce costs, and it improves the overall quality of both the park’s living history inventory and its public interpretation programs.

Short Term Impact of this Work:

Visitors and volunteers feel more engaged with the park story: Helping present the public with the most accurate and authentic portrayal of the soldiers and civilians who encamped at Valley Forge in 1777-1778.

Long Term Impact of this Work:

Visitors are inspired to inquire and apply for regular service opportunities (stewardship). Volunteers who commit their time can attain or improve valuable skills in tailoring, patterning, clothing construction, and leatherwork. In turn, this helps uniform very grateful park staff and volunteers, so that they can provide living history programs (like artillery demonstrations) for the public.

Time Commitment:

In additional to an initial 1.5hr orientation, a minimum commitment of three sewing parties or workshops a year, amounting to 12+ hours annually. Volunteers can expect an average of 4-6 hours per month for regular participants.

Start Date - 2025-04-17

End Date - 2026-03-28

Activities include: General Assistance;Visitor Information