Early 19th Century Boys Fall Front Trousers

So we are going to Heritage Days this year as early 19th century citizens. And we will bivouac on the rendezvous side and David desires to wear his linen tail coat and go fishing. We have always visited the rendezvous before, walking over to that side of the lake from the Civil War camps, but we have always been outsiders looking in. This year we will be in. It will be different and casual and hopefully not too hot.

David and I and the baby already have things to wear (Anne is wearing the olive voile gown of Malach's toddlerhood) but I procrastinated dreadfully in making the boys something to wear. Namely because I wasn't exactly sure what they should wear. The older two are at awkward ages (almost 7 and almost 6) so they aren't really little anymore. Malachi is 4  and is too old for the little dresses and tunic outfits that very small boys could have worn.

After asking some knowledgeable people, looking around online at original garments, paintings and fashion plates I decided it was most practical to dress my older two boys in adult style clothing. *sniff* Thankfully, Malachi is still little enough to wear little boy style clothing, so he is getting a button suit, aka skeleton suit, with linen trousers, a short linen jacket with a white shirt and lots of silver buttons.

The older boys outfits thus decided upon, I began researching the trousers. I was a bit surprised at the diversity I saw in the trouser images I was able to come across. I assumed all the trousers would be quite similar; close fitting with a fall front. And while this was true to some extent, certainly not all trousers are created equal and I saw trousers with a broad fall (falling from each hip) variation in the size of a narrow fall, diversity in the number of buttons used and varying degrees of tightness in the leg. In paintings and other illustrations where the waistband could be seen, the level of the waist varied quite a bit, too; anywhere from the natural waist to slightly high to very high indeed.

I combined what I thought were the best features for trousers that I hope will be both accurate looking and long lasting, my two most important priorities. Because, of course, while it would be awesome to make every garment for my children an exact fit, it is, truthfully, very wasteful of both time and materials to do so. Because, of course, children grow rapidly and usually this happens right before an event, leaving a distraught mother with 3 options:

The "baggy butt" was a defining period feature for many trousers of the era

1. Have them wear too-tight, too-short clothes, which often results in uncomfortable and unhappy offspring, torn seams (especially the crutch seam. . .don't ask me how I know. . .) and popped buttons.
2. Endure a panic filled day-before-the-event sewing spree, which renders the mother miserable and incapable of enjoyment of the event because she is too tired to do anything but grumpily follow her wildly cavoriting children around, praying desperately that seams don't bust and buttons don't pop off.
3. Let the child go forth naked and unashamed.

Therefore, these trousers are made to last. The crutch seam is cut extra-long, resulting in a high waist that, as the boys grow, will sit lower on their torso. The legs are cut loose and the hem is wide, and can be let down several inches as needed. The waistband is cut 6" larger than needed and the excess is taken up in the back with eyelets and a tie (which is also a period method of controlling fullness, so double win!)

To keep everything up and in place the boys each got suspenders (a better term is braces) made of slightly stretchy wool tape, and finished with wool buttonholed tabs to fasten to buttons on the trouser waistband. The suspenders are taken up 1.5" in length via a small and unobtrusive tuck above the back tabs, so as the boys get taller the suspenders can be let out, too. (In the photos shown, Judah is wearing his suspenders before they received the tuck - so that is why the waist band is sitting lower than it ought to.)

The trousers are of 100% linen, unlined, with all seams finished by hand. I wavered back and forth on whether or not to add a lining but I decided not to. I am not sure if that was a good idea or not, because lining something does extend the wear so much. But I wasn't able to find much information about lined trousers vs. unlined ones. . .so I went with unlined.

The only thing left to make the boys are little shirts. I started them today so I have hope that within the week I can finish their shirts and start on Malachi's outfit. Then, if I have time, maybe I can make them each a simple waistcoat. But if not, their shirt-and trousers outfit will be perfectly fine for a casual day of fishing at the lake.

Judah was very happy to model his trousers for me today. Poor kid had to deal with too-small trousers at the David Davis Civil War event last month and the seams popped and his blouse kept coming unbuttoned from his trousers and he was embarrassed and self conscious the whole time. He likes his suspenders because now he is "just like Daddy" and he can "run around without my pants falling down."

These fall front trousers will work right up through the 1840's too. . .I love making clothes that are dual-era! It's hard to do that with women's things, but mens clothes change so slowly it is easier to get away with making something work for more than one time period, especially when you are not portraying high fashion.
Can't wait for the rendezvous!

Love,
Sarah

Blake's Fatigue Blouse

A few weeks ago I finished a project that has been on my list for over a year. It's a good feeling! Early last year, Blake bought all materials for both his frock coat uniform as well as a some flannel for a lighter weight fatigue blouse. I made his frock coat and other necessary garments quickly, but the blouse has been on the back burner for a while now. It was nice to get it done.

The coat was made in a span of about three days. The pattern was created with a quick mock up we did last year for the body, and the rest of the pattern was created as the pieces were sewn. That is one nice thing about these coats - they are easy to put together, they are not very fitted so you save a lot of time on fitting and tailoring and there are very few buttons. (only 4!)

The fatigue blouse, also known as a sack coat, was a casual (and common) option for uniform in the field. These coats were mass produced and distributed to the soldiers from various depots; at this link there is a brief overview of the different styles produced by different depots. This is just a broad generalization. At John Wedeward's site you can see photos of an original coat, compared to his reproductions. You can also see photos of original federal sack coats on CW Quartermasters site.

photo from Library of Congress

For Blake's coat I decided to go with a 4 piece body - two back pieces, two front pieces - with 1 piece sleeves. Because Blake's frock coat is so heavy, being fully padded and quilted and lined, I decided to make his fatigue blouse unlined. This will hopefully help him keep cooler in the summer time, though the coat may show wear earlier than a coat made with a lining. Both unlined and lined fatigue blouses from this period exist, though unlined seems to have been less common. The material is a very lightweight twilled wool flannel from Wambaugh and White.

The construction was easy. All seams were machine stitched together and then finished by hand. The large kidney shaped pocket on the breast was applied by hand and the edges of the coat topstitched by hand. The collar is interlined with canvas to help it keep its shape but otherwise there is no interior construction. No wonder these coats could be produced so quickly for such a large variety of men!

The last thing to do was to attach the steward stripes on the sleeve. Blake got his from NJ Sekela and I was very happy with the quality and appearance. They are so pretty!

I stitched them on close to the edge of the stripe with an uneven running stitch, short on the outside and long on the inside. 

All done! A hospital stewards fatigue blouse!

Of course, I was really nervous about it until Blake was able to try it on to see if it fit. . .apparently the neck is a bit tight for him but he can still button the collar and I can move the buttons over to give him a bit more wiggle room. David said he looked very fine in it at the living history a few weeks ago. 

I really need to make a man-sized dress form thing, instead of using a couch cushion. . .

And so, that is the last of my Civil War mens sewing projects for this year unless I decide to make David something new. In the meantime I must sew like mad upon the boys regency outfits. 2 weeks til the event and I am starting to panic a bit! I have had the material for a while so WHY did I leave things til the last minute? I thought I had learned by now how awful it is to do that. I guess not. The older boys are getting fall front trousers, shirts and braces (suspenders) and Malachi is getting a little skeleton suit. Here is an in-progress shot of Judah's trousers from yesterday. They just need buttons now and they will be done!  

excuse the mashed banana on his shirt. . .

Love,

Sarah

HSF Challenge #15 - White ~ 1910's Petticoat and Chemise

It's a cold July morning and I'm sitting here in a flannel nightshirt with a cup of steamy tea, trying to stop shivering and looking up fashions of the year 1916. It's a pleasant way to spend the little hour or so that I have after David leaves for work and before the children wake up. While I'm loving the airy, frilly summer frocks, after this morning something in heavier material may be preferable - like wool. I'm loving this suspender skirt from Past Patterns.

I might have to actually get this pattern. I can see it being very cute in something like lightweight wool, or corderoy or a heavy cotton twill. I'd try to make a similar style myself but do you think I can find any other diagrams, or patterns, or advertisements, or illustrations, or photographs, or extant garment example, of this type of skirt? No. All I have to go off of is this little illustration. So the pattern would be useful to have. 

But first - one needs the right undergarments, of course. I finished my petticoat on Saturday by adding a simple placket and a band at the waist. My 1917 book The Complete Dressmaker was helpful in instructions on how to make the placket and the waistband (just straight strips of fabric really. . .very simple.) I added a buttonhole at the waist and another one in the center of the placket and dug out two tiny antique china buttons from the stash to fasten them with. I really like these little buttons. Original buttons or good reproductions really helps things look real. 

After that I realized I still did not have a chemise. I remember being frustrated when researching this period earlier this year because it is hard to know exactly how the undergarments were worn. How were they layered? In the online 1919 book Garments for Girls, instructions are given for an "envelope chemise", which is described as being a combination of corset cover and drawers. So that would indicate they were worn over the corset, right? But what about a brassiere? Over or under? And what goes under the corset? Below is a photo of a c. 1915 chemise that was sold on Etsy (the listing is no longer up, so I wasn't able to see more photos of this garment, sadly!) 

I decided to make a plain chemise instead of a combination. I did not have a pattern or any real idea of how they should be cut, but decided to use the top portion of the diagram given in Garments for Girls for the envelope chemise, for the top portion of my chemise. I used my brassiere as a guide for the neckline and armholes and cut a wide tank-top shape. 

I used an old 1860's petticoat of soft cotton muslin for the chemise and the panels were not quite long enough to cut the full length I needed. I added a little flounce at the bottom of the chemise to extend the length. I wanted to know how the scalloping stitch would look on a 100% cotton fabric so I scalloped the edges of the armholes, neckline and the hem with the stitch. It worked much better on this fabric and I was very pleased with the little touch of femininity the scalloped edges lend to the finished garment. 

The last thing to do was to work eyelets along the neckline for the ribbon drawstring. I made 40 of them,  by hand, Saturday evening while David and I watched The King's Speech. (btw - that is like the best movie, ever.) The ribbon was threaded through them and the chemise finished! Finally a proper chemise!

Yesterday David took some photos. It is hard to see detail in these since everything is white but they give a general idea of the overall silhouette the foundation garments provide for the (hopefully soon forthcoming) outer clothes. 

For these pictures I am wearing the antique brassiere (or what I think is probably a brassiere) that I found at an antique mall back in the winter. You can see the support it provides is quite different from the one I made, though both shapes are probably okay for the time period. The original one provides little lift, but it does offer a bit of support without being stiff or unnatural and it keeps everything neat and contained. I really need to make a reproduction of this! It's so simply made. 

In my 1917 dressmaking book I did find a description for a "circular flounce" as "a flounce cut to fit the skirt at about the knee, but which flares into a circle at the foot of the skirt". This describes the flounce on this petticoat quite well! 

I still need to make some drawers but I need to do more research before deciding which style to make. Below you can see the chemise, since you can't really see it with the brassiere/petticoat on over top! It could stand to be a tad longer but I had fabric limitations!

I need to get to work on regency outfits for my little boys, but I really do want to make another 19-teens garment for the next challenge, which is "Separates". I would like to make a simple shirtwaist, but we'll see. I am not sure what kind of fabric I would like to make it in, though one can never go wrong with a simple light white blouse, right? It goes with anything! There are very thorough instructions on how to both draft and construct a basic shirtwaist in Garments for Girls: 

Love,

Sarah

Recreating an Antique 1910's (?) Petticoat

Well, dear readers, back in January I made a 1910's corset and brassiere for a Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge. At that time I was gung-ho for a 1910's outfit and began the process of taking a pattern off an original petticoat that was gifted to me by Natalie. But, as it usually seems, life got in the way, my interest was diverted to other things and I never actually finished it.

I have lately been pretty interested in the 1920's again. I really like the transitional styles of the very early 20's. Anyway, I decided to finish this petticoat since it will work just as well under a late 'teens/early 20's dress as it would beneath an earlier style gown from the earlier 'teens.

I decided to start fresh and take the pattern anew, after examining the petticoat and taking some measurements and looking at construction techniques. These first photos are pictures of the original petticoat. Above you can see photos of the front and of the back. Here you can see the waistband, which looks like it is just a wide piece of twill tape folded in half and topstitched to the waist.

There is a center back opening with a slashed placket. There is no button at the waistband here; I am not sure how it originally fastened.

The inside of the placket has one buttonhole and one tiny button.

The seams were interesting. I at first thought they were french seams, but it appears they are not. It looks like the seams were folded under twice (like a hem) and then stitched down close to the fold. One side of the seam looks like this, with a line of stitching above the folded edge. The other side of the seam has just the line of stitching, looking much like a french seam from that side.

The circular flounce is definitely the most eye catching part of this petticoat! Sooooo much lace insertion! And whitework!

The overall cut of the petticoat is quite simple. The main body of the petticoat is made of shaped panels, or gores. There is one wide front gore that covers nearly all of the front. Then there are two side gores and one skinny back gore. The bottom is a knee-high circular flounce. Having tried on the petticoat before, I know the fit is good for me already, so I was good to go for taking the pattern!

My method of taking patterns isn't very professional, but it works (at least for me.) I have a big roll of wide brown paper I got at Menards, and I spread out a large section on the floor, on top of a carpet. (A solid wood floor would not work so well; I need to be able to stick pins into the carpet below the paper!) Then I begin to carefully spread out the garment, making sure the grain stays straight, and pin it directly to the paper and the carpet below the paper by sticking in pins along the seams, like this:

After one section has been pinned (in this case, the front gore), it is easy to pull out the pins and remove the garment from the paper. The little holes left by the pins are the lines of the pattern! After that, it is a process of connecting the dots:

And adding seam allowance:

I then double check measurements such as seam length, hem circumference, etc. Where anything is "off" I smooth it out. For pieces that are symmetrical (like the front gore and back gore and the flounce) I only pattern one half of the piece, so the center line can be placed on the fold when cutting out fabric for the reproduction. It's hard to see the lines, but here is what the finished pattern looked like before cutting it out.

And the pattern pieces all cut out and ready to go! (forgive the matchbox cars - but the paper wanted to curl and the cars were handy and so. . .I used them.

To make my reproduction petticoat (and I use the term lightly. . .this is not an exact copy of anything but the pattern!) I used some light weight white fabric David brought home from the thrift store a few weeks ago. He thought it was 100% cotton but I will confess to you, having now worked with it, I believe it is a piece cut from a large sheet and I really think there is some poly content. It is nice fabric, but it "slides" like poly/cotton is wont to do. But it was 50 cents and there was just enough fabric for this petticoat so, I used it.

I cut out all my pieces. One front gore, two side gores, and one back gore. Two flounces. Due to the width of the fabric I had to cut my back gore in 2 pieces, making a center back seam.

I sewed all the main body pieces together using small french seams. I decided to not try the interesting seaming method of the original because my fabric wasn't behaving. (this is why 100% natural fabrics are best! I'd love to try this petticoat pattern out in a lovely cotton lawn sometime.)

I sewed the two flounce pieces together using french seams.

At that point I wasn't sure how to proceed. The original petticoat has the flounce attached to the petticoat via insertion, and the whole flounce is intersected and crossed by lace insertion. I didn't have any lace on hand to do any insertion with and honestly, just sewing the flounce to the main body looked bad (I pinned it to see.) Many undergarments of this era were highly decorated. No lace. . .what about embroidery?

I am *not* an embroiderer at all so I decided to try out machine stitching in place of hand embroidery. I know ready made trims at this time in history could be machined, so I was not too concerned about the authenticity/lack thereof.

Now, my machine is super basic. It is the cheapest Singer model you can get at Jo Anns. Nothing special. But it works great for what I need, which is mostly basic straight stitch. It does have a few other decorative stitches though that I hadn't really tried to understand before, such as a scallop. I remember using this stitch the dolly boots I made for Anne's doll back at Christmastime. I wondered if it would work as an embroidering stitch. I decided to try it.

I overlapped the raw hem of the main body onto the flounce by about 3/8". I set my stitch length and width and started chugging along.

It worked!

Now granted, the scallops came out a bit puckery. I think this is due to the fact that my only needles at present are "heavy duty" needles and they are ill suited to piercing the tight weave of this poly/cotton sheet fabric. But I was still happy with how it looked. It looked decorated.

Because just one line of scallops weren't enough to make much a visual impact, I added a few more. Then I scalloped in several rows around the bottom hem of the flounce, to match. Then I scalloped down the sides of each gore. Then it took a long time to carefully clip away the fabric below the bottom line of scallops on both the flounce hem, and the hem of the main body. But finally it all was done.

And so here is the petticoat so far!

And the back:

The lines of scallops don't align perfectly with each other. I think this is because the hems are shaped - not straight lines. But from a distance it looks good and it feels more 19-teens-era-decorated-undies to me now than simple-quick-and-plain-costumers-make-do.

I still need to put in the back placket and sew on the waistband. But it will be done for the challenge tomorrow, I promise!

And oh! In other news, I have put my pattern blog back online again. It's been offline while I updated it and rearranged it. I still have lots to add to it but for now, it's back!  I added a new costume gallery and lots of my favorite links and my friend Christina is working on something for the blog that I think will be pretty awesome when its done!

Love,
Sarah