Painesville, 2012

Reenactment in Painesville, Ohio, at the Lake County Historical Center! July 14th, 2012 (or 1862, if you prefer!). Tried to make sure the background was period appropriate! Back view. The bodice isn’t fitting quite right, but I think (hope) that mostly took care of itself with new underpinnings. The strange juxtaposition of troops marching, hoopskirts,

The Silk Umbrella

Originally written for the U.S. Civil War Ladies Auxiliary, Inc. newsletter, July 2012 The Silk Umbrella by Sarah Koby Black silk was the favorite material for piecing out old clothes, because it suited everything… An old black silk skirt with nine flounces was a treasure in our family for nearly two years, and when that

More possible Civil War hairstyles

Playing around with hair – May 2013. This is just a rolled and pinned looser style, done right after my hair dried so that I have a lot of fullness and curl. The ribbon/lace thing is based loosely on a Godey’s illustration, and could be worn for fancy occasions. Same style as above, sans decoration.

A Ball!

By February 2013 I had gotten my “ball” gown ready enough to wear. I’d been to a few reenactments (Summer 2012 – posts will follow at some point!), and was excited to hear about the Grand Military Ball in Canton, Ohio. (Edited to add: the ball is called the Ohio Regimental Military Ball [SK 2/17/2014])I

Tucked petticoat

Posting some older items, to catch up with what I’m working on now! Garment Data:– Type: Petticoat– Date made: February 2, 2013– Pattern: Self drafted– Fabric: Cotton – a basic muslin, white– Trim: none (but with 3 tucks)– Time to finish: don’t know– Notes: meant for closest to the body – beneath the hoops. Three

Parti-Colored Cotehardie

Posting some older items, to catch up with what I’m working on now! Garment Data:– Type: Cotehardie– Date made: ?– Pattern: Self-drafted, based on a “block” (personal pattern) that I drafted based on the directions in The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant– Fabric: Unfortunately, this was a poor choice: A Linen/Rayon blend. Rayon doesn’t breathe, and is

Learning possible Civil War hairstyles

Posting some older items, to catch up with what I’m working on now! I used this hairstyle for Painesville  2012. Data:– Type: 1860s Hairstyle– Date made: /– Pattern: braided + ringlets– Fabric: n/a– Trim: n/a– Time to finish: About an hour, I think.– Notes: This is at the end of the day, so the ringlets

First Civil War Dress!!!

Posting some older items, to catch up with what I’m working on now! Garment Data:– Type: “Ball Gown” (by cut (mostly), not by fabric.)– Date made: On loan to me, but with permission to alter if necessary– Pattern: unknown– Fabric: generic quilting cotton– Trim: polyester (?) pleated– Time to finish: n/a– Notes: Of course, I