(Topic: Knitting, History) Hi Friends! Recently having finished a lot of baby stuff, I decided it was time to reach for some of my UFOs (UnFinished Objects) and get a few things done that have been lying around my project area for a while! One of the projects I had half-done is called a “Sontag”
Category: Year: 1860s American Civil War
Semi-Sheer Pink Day Dress
Dear Friends, “How long did it take you to make that?”I hear this question a lot, but it’s not as simple as that. Remember, some of the details that make it take time (such as having matching piping, linings, lower hem linings, hand stitching, hand button holes, etc), don’t necessarily show easily or obviously to
Plaid Ball Gown
Dear Friends, I have recently had the pleasure to have a ball gown made by Sarah Crow, of The Preacher Wife’s Gowns and Carr Antiquities (Facebook)! She and I discussed options, the primary limiting factor being that we would work only with fabric I already owned, with minimal purchases for trim. I had a lovely
Pocket and Bustles
Hi Friends!!! As you may have seen or heard, I recently went to a ball, so there will be several posts related to that coming up. As I was preparing for the ball, I realized that since a friend was making my ball gown (Sarah Crow, The Preacher Wife’s Gowns and Carr Antiquities (Facebook)), it
Shoe Rosettes
Hi Friends! Over the past few years in my free time, I’ve been translating an instructional article from a German magazine called Der Bazar, which was published in the 1800s. This particular article, from 1861, explains how to make fancy bows (“rosettes”) to put on women’s slippers, shoes, and boots to make them fancy! Rosettes
1860s Maternity Dress
Hello Friends, Recently I decided to try to make a maternity-style dress, with the challenges of being able to accommodate different sizes and shapes that a body does during pregnancy. Since different people also carry differently (like high vs. low), the dress does end up being somewhat personalized (such as shoulder-to-waist length), but is much
1860s-Style Mourning Dress
Hi Friends, As some of you know, we recently experienced a loss in our family. This led me (of course!) to looking into historical customs of mourning, specifically for the American Civil War era (1861-65). Garment Data:– Type: Dress, specifically for mourning or half mourning, depending on the accessories– Date made: August 2016– Pattern: My
Blue Apron
Guess what?? I finally finished the apron I’ve been meaning to make for ages! Garment Data:– Type: 1860s-style apron– Date made: spring 2014– Pattern: Elizabeth Stewart Clark’s apron pattern– Fabric/Materials: blue plaid 100% cotton “homespun” from JoAnn’s – so, nothing fancy, and it has a “dishrag” soft texture– Trim: none– Time to finish: a few
Gettysburg: 150th anniversary, June 2013.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you for bearing with me on the brief hiatus of posts…. Relaxing in camp on a hot day. I’d mentioned in a few previous posts that exactly a year ago at the end of June of 2013 I went to Gettysburg. This was the first Civil War-era overnight camping event
Continue Reading “Gettysburg: 150th anniversary, June 2013.”
Red Memorial Day Daydress
Dear Ladies and Gents,you may have noticed an item of wear recurring in mention multiple times: a basic red cotton daydress, which, when worn without hoops, can serve well enough as a camp or work dress. Garment Data:– Type: Civil War style daydress– Date made: Just before Memorial Day, 2013– Pattern: Simplicity 4551, plus alterations.