Underpinning the sensationalism of battle reports and broadsides is the often-silent steadiness of women’s work with textiles. The choices they made every day about fashion and fabric consumption and creation drove the course of the revolution just as determinedly as any Congress. As southern New England commemorates the 250th anniversary of the War for Independence, it is these local dresses in fulled wool or spun silk that continue to inspire creativity, resilience and empathy in us today. From the mythology of homespun to the legends of midnight rides in red cloaks and clashes the dirty blue shirts share stories of women who waged war on multiple fronts as well as a look at what they wore as their worlds turned upside down. This program is presented by costumed historians and includes reproduction clothing pieces and fabric samples as well as a presentation with images of extant originals.