A Red Hospital Flag

I have been busy working on David's uniform and, with characteristic procrastination once again attempting to thwart me, have been busy as well trying to get all of us decently attired for a reenactment next weekend. I   am in dire need of a new corset and cage and Judah needs a new outfit. There are several small projects I need to accomplish as well - a bit of mending, retrimming and refitting as clothes from the larger children get passed down to the smaller ones. 

I sewed this flag for David quite a while ago but only recently put in the eyelets to attach the ties. Although it was rainy this morning I was able to take it outside to finally see how it looks. It is hard to get a good picture of a flag when it is lying in all its flat largeness on a table or folded up and put away. I am really happy with how it looks and am excited to see David use it for his impression this year. 

It is made of several long strips of red wool bunting, which is a lightweight, thick-threaded, tightly woven material. I had never worked with it before but it was, as most wools are, very easy to work with. The construction was extremely simple - sew the strips together, fell the seams and hem all around the edge of finished 4' x 6' flag. A header of cotton canvas was attached to one end and three eyelets worked with hemp thread for ties. 

Plain red flags (among several other kinds) were used by the Confederate army to designate field hospitals or aid stations. David prefers to portray an aid station, which was an area wounded men could come to for treatment before being sent on to the larger field hospital and then, if needed, to an even larger general hospital. 

The Manual of Military Surgery for the Confederate States Army, published in 1863, spoke of the use of the red flag: 

"When the troops deploy or form for action, the 

surgeons, with their assistants and pack-horses, move 

a short distance to the rear, out of the range of the 

shot, and they establish there the field infirmary. It 

would be convenient if some house could be used for 

this temporary hospital. 

Where this can not be had, the shade of trees or the 

shelter of a hill-side will answer the temporary 

wants of the surgeon. If the body of troops about 

entering into battle is a large one, with an extended 

line, several of these points should be selected and 

marked by a suitable red flag, which designates the 

spot where those slightly wounded can seek surgical 

aid. "

Red flags had also been used prior to the War to designate hospitals in both the U.S. Regular Army and some European armies. In Echoes of Glory, Arms and Equipment of the Confederacy, an original red hospital flag can be seen on p. 276. Like the one I made for David, it appears to be pieced of several long strips of material. 

I'm looking forward to seeing the flag in action this year. It attaches to the pole with leather ties. The leather "grips" the wood so the flag does not slip down. I think it will set off David's field hospital/aid station quite nicely. 

Back to intense sewing! 

Love,

Sarah

Peasants and Pioneers - Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge # 5

It was rainy, warm and pearl-grey yesterday. The birds were returning. I could hear them overhead. Some lighted in the wet fields, some in the sparse trees. The wind was full of wings. I was with the man I love and could smell the good smell of earth. Spring is coming!

He trod the grass in big boots; my shoes were soon soaked through with water. Melting snow and days of steady rain had saturated the ground and it was spongey. The garden was a great rectangle of mud.

Still! To be out after winter. It is a euphoric feeling. I found in the beds by the house small green things pushing out of the dirt; the ivy a mass of color flourishing at the base of the red brick chimney.

After last years drought it was a joy to see the puddles. An old friend of ours who stopped by in the afternoon told us that one month after the willows start to change color it is time to plant. And, he said, they began to change two weeks ago.

It is a happy time.

Love,
Sarah

The Challenge: Peasants and Pioneers - c. 1860 work dress made of 3 yards of purple wool plaid. Dart fitted bodice, hand gathered skirt and two piece fitted sleeves (pieced). 

Fabric: wool 

Pattern: My own, based on mid-19th century construction and pattern shapes.

Year: 1855-ish-1865-ish. (unfashionable garment, so can work, theoretically, for a wider span of years.)

Notions: Hooks and eyes, thread.

How historically accurate is it? As accurate as I can make it. Hand stitching where appropriate and machine stitching with straight stitch on machine where appropriate. Period construction techniques and pattern shapes.

Hours to complete: Maybe 12?

First worn: Yesterday, in the rain!

Total cost: $12 for the wool fabric. The lining for the bodice, sleeves and hem facing were from the stash.

A Dress of Purple Plaid

The next Sew Fortnightly challenge is "Peasants and Pioneers". My project isn't done yet, but I'm working on it. I got a lot done today so should have the dress totally done by this weekend. I tried it on today for the final fitting. The sleeves are tight, but I knew they would be, so I think all is well to finish it up and call it good.

I found the fabric a few weeks ago at an antique mall. It's a semi coarse wool. There were only 3 yards of it but it was only $12 for the whole piece.

I contemplated making David a frock coat out of it (wouldn't a purple plaid frock coat be amazingly awesome?!) but he didn't spring for the idea with as much passion as I had hoped. Sarah from A Most Peculiar Mademoiselle suggested a very plain, working-class dress. The more I thought about the more I was drawn to the idea, so that is what I did. It worked well for the category of the challenge. This is about as peasanty and pioneery as I can get!

In-construction. At a point where I was considering skirt trim.

There were only three yards, so first I cut and set aside two full width panels for the skirt. The less-than-a-yard that remained was sufficient to cut out my basic bodice. There was a long skinny piece of fabric left. I had to piece the sleeves (each sleeve is made of 3 pieces) and the sleeves are a bit short, and quite tight, but I made it! Whew. I was worried I wasn't going to be able to. I cut the itty bitty scraps that were left over into bias strips and eeked out enough for piping for the neckline, armscyes and waistline. The sleeves are lined with pale blue cotton and are wide enough at the hem so I can roll or push them up to my elbows.

The bodice is darted-to-fit, as that was a common treatment for wools during the mid-19th century. (silks too; though cottons generally were gathered-to-fit over a darted lining). The bodice is flat lined with pale blue cotton that I cannibalized from some thrifted curtains.

Excuse the hat. . .yes, it is a mans hat. But I didn't feel like doing my hair in a period style just to check the fit of the dress, so it hides the farbism.

Other than that there is not much to say about it. It's so plain. The only cool thing about it is the color. I like the vivid purple plaid.

The back is cut in 3 pieces to help add to the illusion of a little waist.

I plan to wear it with a neckerchief instead of a collar, an apron and bonnet. No hoops. For these pics I tried it on over my corded petticoat and my brown checked "work" petticoat. Another plain petticoat or two will help the skirts pouf out nicely.

It will be just the thing to wear to our first event in May, where David will be portraying a Confederate. This dress seems very Confederate-y. I have long been pro-Union (not in personal sentiment, but because I feel that is being most true to my would-have-been self, since I am a native Rhode Islander) but it feels right to be Confederate this year. The boys and the baby and I will visit him at his hospital portraying a local farmwife offering eggs and first garden produce for sale for the sick and injured.

Love,
Sarah

1860's Clothes for David

It is with a bit of shame I have gone through our reenacting clothes and have realized how sad a state the boys' wardrobes are in. There was a time, not even that long ago, when I took great pride in the tiny garments I fashioned for them. The boys always looked perfect and their clothes coordinated and David and Judah usually matched. I always received millions of compliments on how cute they looked. But now? They have been "getting by" with less and less the last year and a half or so. They have grown, and the once nicely fitted clothes now make them look like gangly scarecrows. The hand me downs Malachi has received are faded and, although in sound condition, just look worn. It's sad.

I have had to step back a little and reevaluate why I actually participate in 1860's reenactments. I have been very burned out so last year, when we did not do many events at all, was a sort of reflection year for me. It was nice to have that little break. This year we do not plan to do very many 60's events (quality over quantity!) but I do want the boys to be nicely dressed. They don't need tons of outfits but one nice outfit apiece will be sufficient and suitable.

Last October I started button suits for David and Judah. I never actually finished them. So, when we had the opportunity to visit a local historic site for a program celebrating A. Lincoln's birthday, I pulled out the nearly finished blouse and trousers and added the buttons and buttonholes they needed to be complete.

Basic white blouse or bodice. . .buttons to trouser waistband

David told me he wants to wear "big boy" clothes now. After all, he said, he is growing up. And that is true. I  draped and cut out a little vest for him on Sunday and sewed it up in some grey plaid wool he selected from the stash. The vest is lined with black cotton sateen and is, to all appearances, "just like Daddy's", with the exception of the pockets. I did not put any pockets in the little vest.

A little cap, made years ago and rather small now, but still fitting, he put on. I tied a bit of grosgrain ribbon around his collar for a simple tie and he was thrilled with his new outfit! He would not take it off all day and was very careful during meals to not spill any food on his clothes. He pinned a cockade to his vest for the party last evening and to all appearances is very well satisfied with himself. This came as something of a surprise to me, since he usually takes no interest in his clothes whatsoever.

 Judah was very upset that he had to wear a tunic last night. He wants a big boy outfit now, too. Malachi still prefers tunics. He very matter-of-factly informed me that it's better that he wears tunics (or even dresses) because he is "still a little boy. I'm not as big as David or Judah." Which is true.

Anne is well supplied with all of Malachi's old baby clothes. . .they still look quite new, for the most part, so I do not feel very guilty putting her in old things. Here she is with David:

And by herself, with her Christmas dolly. (no, I haven't put fasteners on the doll dress yet - I am so afraid she will chew off hook and eyes or buttons! I may deviate from historical accuracy and just put some velcro on there, at least temporarily).

Love,
Sarah

Quilted Smoking Cap

Are any of you all doing the Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge? I have been hearing about it on and off the past few weeks but did not really read what it was all about until a week or so ago. I was intrigued. I am already going the monthly Regency Costume Challenge and I have realized just how much that keeps me motivated to keep sewing historical garments. Having a deadline and a category to make something from keeps me inspired. So I decided to try to play along with the Sew Fortnightly challenge as much as I can.

Challenge #0 was under the category Starting Simple.

This was a Christmas gift for David that I feverishly sewed up on Christmas Eve. I didn't have any surprises for him as inevitably we fail when we try to "surprise" each other. He has very specific ideas as to what he wants for gifts and so do I. So we each pick out our own presents. However, I wanted to give him something that he was not expecting and I knew he wanted a smoking cap as he had mentioned it several times recently so that is what I decided to make.

It is not copied from any particular smoking cap; it is just something that fits the general lines of the 1860s era and is sewn with period techniques. I made it very similarly to the brimless cap I made Judah earlier this year. It is mostly sewn on the machine with some hand finishing on the inside. The outer layer is silk and the inner is cotton sateen; the batting is cotton.

I think he likes it. He has used it many times already since receiving it Christmas morning.

The next challenge is due January 14th and must be an item from a year ending in "13". I am already working on a teens-era underbust corset. I've wanted to make one for quite a while and this is the perfect excuse to do so! I have my mock up fitted and am ready to start sewing once I get a few corseting supplies.

I think it will be a fun year for historic sewing!
Love,
Sarah

About My Project:

Just the facts, Ma’am: Quilted silk gentleman's smoking cap, mid-19th century style. 

The Challenge: Starting Simple. This is about as simple as it gets! The only interesting part was the quilting. 

Fabric: Silk taffeta for the outer layer, black cotton sateen for the lining and cotton needlepunched batting for the inside. 

Pattern: My own.

Year: Made to be used for 1850-1860's living history events.

Notions: Thread, pins, needles

How historically accurate is it? As accurate as I could possibly make it. I know the materials and construction is correct but I am unsure of the cut; the cut approximates period looks quite well but it is not copied from any one particular cap. The only thing I am sure is not accurate is the fiber content of the tassel. But I will replace it with a more period correct one as soon as I can find one!

Hours to complete: 3 hours  

First worn: Christmas morning!

Total cost: Scraps from stash - free!

Election Day, 1864 Style

There are days when, I do admit, I do not like being a homeschool mom. Days when I wish I could just cheerfully say good-bye to the oldest two in the morning and spend my day cleaning the house without it being systematically dirtied behind me. No arguments between the oldest two children to mediate; just Malachi (who is a very quiet and happy and helpful little boy, for the most part) and the baby to care for. Things would be quiet. Things would be peaceful. Things would not require perpetual motion. How easy things would be!

But then I realize what my kids would miss if they were away from me all day. And what I would miss. The light in their eyes when they learn something new; hearing them sound out their first words. The millions of questions I get asked every day. . .if my boys were gone from me, who would answer them and how would they answer them? "Why does gravity keep us from falling off the earth?" "Mommy, why do things happen?" "When you were a little girl, were there still dinosaurs?" "What happens if I get dehydrated?" "Why do numbers have no end?" "Who made God?"

And then I realize I wouldn't trade these hectic days for anything. They are too precious. The boys' minds are too moldable. These years will be too brief. And so, we continue on here at home. Learning, asking questions, absorbing information. The boys are forming their own opinions and are organizing their own values and beliefs. The foundation is being laid for the adults they are growing into. This is a critical time. I cannot entrust this responsibility to anyone else.

Plus, homeschooling can just be plain fun! We take almost any excuse to make a regular day into a "special day". Election Day was no different. We learned about the election process, the candidates, the role of government and our duties as citizens, but with an 1864 twist.

We dressed up in our 1860's attire, lit the house with candle-light (it was a very dreary and gloomy sort of day) and hung the 13 star flag. The boys helped me with the day-long process of baking an Election Cake (complete with liquor-soaked raisins and candied lemon peel) and we mixed and steamed a round loaf of brown bread and made a big pot of bubbly clam chowder, a nod to the early elections in New England, where I am originally from.

Election Cake - Actually quite good!

When David came home from work we bundled up and headed out to the polls, (little David was disappointed we just went to the local fire station; he thought we were going to the White House!) where the boys watched as we filled the ballot and turned it in. We came home and had dinner, which the boys proudly helped serve up and ate with apparent relish - no leftovers! - while we discussed the election and the various likely outcomes.

I felt a bit of motherly pride when Judah told me he wanted to be president when he grows up. But then he paused and looked at me questioningly. "But how many presents does the present-it get?" he asked. "I want a lot." Perhaps he will make a good politician when he grows up, since even at this tender age it appears he is inspired by greed.

Now on to Thanksgiving! My favorite holiday of the year.

Love,
Sarah

Anne's 1860's Sacque

It only took a few hours to make and fits her so much better than Malachi's old coat.

She does look somewhat like a mini-Confederate soldier in her butternut and blue but we can just say that her coat is "military influenced". Which was, after all, fashionable and patriotic in the 1860's. We can conveniently ignore the fact that her daddy does a Federal impression. Or we could just say that this was really all that her mama had in the stash that could work and the similarity to Confederate military coats is just an unfortunate coincidence. Which is true.

These types of coats are really so ridiculously easy to make. Only 5 pieces - two fronts, one back, two sleeves - and they can be whipped up in under an hour.

For this one I quilted the lining and sewed it right sides together with the outer wool shell around the fronts and bottom. Turn, press and bind the neckline edge. Set in the sleeves. Add some sort of closure and that's it!

Actually, for these style coats, a closure isn't even always necessary. For hers I covered a few buttons and made it close to the waist. A simple band of trim around the edges finished it off. Under 2 hours. Handsewing and all!

Love,
Sarah

Anne's 1860's Winter Hood

She has hair, but not nearly enough to keep her little head warm during gusty autumnal days. She has a decided prejudice against things that go on her head but for this I have to put my proverbial foot down and tie the strings beneath her chin, though she protesteth loud. 

She will have to put up with a great deal of things she does not like this weekend. Such as socks. And corset-boob. (who wants to suckle when right beneath is coarse and steel-reinforced fabric that thrusts the bosom up and outward into an unnatural and unappetizing position?)

But she will survive. And she will thrive. She will learn the lore of the Dark Side and become assimilated into this fine hobby we call reenacting. Her resistance is futile. 

There's a smile!

So, she will wear the hood I made for her. This is definitely the tiniest hood I have ever made. It is an uber-small version of the toddler and woman's hood I posted on my pattern blog a few years ago. For this one, I faced the brim with silk and the lining is of a blue and white print cotton. The outer layer is light brown wool. I debated on whether or not to put on silk ties but since she likes to chew whatever her mouth can reach I thought cotton tape ties would work just as well and would not be greatly harmed by gnawing.

Malachi's old woolen coat *could* work for her this weekend. It's roomy but that is okay since underneath we can pile on the layers. I may make a new coat for her though, to match the hood. Blue and brown are nice colors for her.

Love,

Sarah

Mentally Thrashing Out The Boy's Button Suit

The 1860's Boy's Button Suit.

And before I go further, I want to say that the images I have here I pulled from saved files and I honestly have no clue where they originated. I want to give credit where credit is due and don't want to violate any copyright issues, so, if you recognize a photo and have info about whose it is, please let me know!!

So anyway I am revisiting the 1860's boy's button suit. I tried this style three years ago with David and Judah. They were 2 and 3 years old at the time. They looked adorable but there was so much about the button suit to not like. The number of buttonholes! (although I have become more fond of making buttonholes since then). The lack of flexible sizing! (there's only so much bagginess you can put into a suit like this before it looks, well, bad.) The biggest problem was going potty.

This little boy's suit is quite large for him and is probably the Extreme Edge of Bagginess I would attempt at making a suit larger than needed. Any baggier and it would look way too much out of proportion!

In a button suit, the blouse has a fixed waistband. This waistband is buttoned to the waistband of the trousers all around the waist. This creates problems and frustration for little boys who need to use the bathroom and do not like mommy or daddy help when doing so. So, I ditched the button suit. I embraced the Flexible Tunic, which could be created quite large to leave plenty of growing room and could also hide an elastic waistband on the trousers so the boys could easily go potty by themselves.

But after 3 years of making tunics I have become bored with them. And I don't want to feel like I just gave up on the button suit without making it work somehow. So I'm revisiting them and am in the middle of making David and Judah each a new button suit for the always-cold and October-y Civil War reenactment we will be going to next Saturday.

The most helpful piece of information I have discovered during the last 3 years, concerning button-suits, is that some trousers in suits like these had a convenience slit in the front. I am not sure how that slit was created (is is *just* a slit in the center front crotch seam?) but I will be adding them to the trousers I'm making for my boys. For these, I will go with a normal fly opening that is sewn to the waistband at the top. I don't think I will make the fly button shut but it at least will have the nice overlapping bit that a normal fly has to avoid accidental exposure of things best left unseen. So that will take care of most of our potty issues. They will still need help, I think, if they have to completely remove their trousers but the need for that should be relatively rare compared to the need for the nice convenience slit.

To finish off the button suit I will be making waistcoats and jackets to go over the blouse. The waistcoat will be just like a man's waistcoat and will help add warmth (definitely go with more lightweight layers when it gets cold instead of one bulky, heavy garment!) and the jacket will go over all. I first planned to make a notched collar for the jackets but the more I look at images the more I see the type of jacket that buttons all the way up to the neck. It appears that this type of jacket has no collar or perhaps a very small standing band collar, and then the collar of the shirt beneath is folded out over the top of the coat neckline. I really like this look and it seems it would be warmer than a notched collar style since the entire neck and chest area will be covered.

Then, if it's *really* cold, they can wear their wool sack-style coats from last year over everything as a sort of overcoat. But hopefully it won't be that cold. I don't like cold events.

This is the look I'm going for.

It's going to be inconvenient to bring a nursing infant out anyway. I keep imagining the awkwardness of trying to unbutton my coat and push it out of the way, unfastening a dress bodice, undoing the neckline of a chemise and fiddling around to get the nursing apparatus out, all while, probably, trying to "cover up" beneath a lightweight shawl or blanket, with the baby, heavily bundled herself in a wool coat and hood and wrapped in a woolen shawl, squirms and complains about being covered up (she hates having anything over her head). . . just thinking of all that almost makes me want to stay home instead of going to the event!

This woman looks strong, confident and not ashamed of breastfeeding WITHOUT covering up! Woo-ha! She's
SO. Awesome. I love her.

But if they did it in the 1860's, we can do it too. I just keep having to tell myself that to motivate me to try. Like I said, I hate giving up on something without making it work somehow! Photo below from Breastfeeding Art.

Add caption

Lots of sewing to do!

Love,
Sarah