A Petal Dress with Pixie Hood

I fell in love with Twig and Tale patterns this summer and bought their Animal Coat pattern to make coats for the younger children. Last week I finished up their Halloween costumes using that pattern and I will be sharing those shortly! I LOVE how they came out!

  But my first project using a Twig and Tale pattern was a little Petal Dress that I made for Rose right before fall started. I didn't intend to make her another dress right now (good heavens, that girl has more dresses than she can ever possibly wear. . .) but when I was at the fabric store getting denim for my upcoming jeans project (still not started yet) Rosie picked out a beautiful blue floral cotton and brought it up to the fabric counter and plopped it on top, so, of course, I had to get it! I helped her select a nicely coordinating print and knew right away that it would become a Petal Dress.

I love the fabric Rose picked out. I could not have improved upon the selection! It is so her, and the butterflies, flowers and floating dandelion seeds are exactly right for her sparkly, sensitive-to-beauty, nature-loving personality.

I admit, I wondered if the work of printing out and taping together this pattern would be worth it. The design is deceptively simple and is a pattern even necessary for such a garment? Well, all my doubts were soon put to rest as this pattern is carefully and superbly drafted with a wonderful, roomy fit and a beautiful drape that comes from the buttons anchoring the fronts on the chest.

Since we were going into cool weather I added a hood - the delightful Pixie hood that is included with the Animal Coat. This is another beautifully drafted piece with subtle curves producing a really fantastic shape that fits and flatters and frames the face.

I lined the dress in some very soft cotton from my stash, bought earlier this year to make a sundress for myself that, obviously, never was made. 😉 I made the hood in the yellow feather print and added some lace trim around the edges per Rosie's request. To accentuate the pretty curves of the fronts I piped with the yellow all around the edges of the dress.

I closed the inside with a plastic button and for the visible button, Rose chose a silver button from my button drawer that is molded with a Scottish thistle.

One of the best features is the big, conveniently placed pocket! She gathered quite a collection of little shells from the creek and acorns from the grass that came home with her.

Oh! And I added sleeves. I traced sleeves from one of her hoodies and used that to make a pattern. I made them up in a knit ribbing from my stash and stitched them into the armholes instead of leaving them plain or finishing them with a short ruffled sleeve. This way she can wear it all autumn without having to wear a long sleeved shirt underneath.

She has already worn this dress a lot and thanks to the sizing, I think it will fit her for a long time. I can't wait to show you the Animal Coats we made and look forward to trying out the brand-new Wings pattern very soon. The Wings bundle of all sizes and styles is on sale til midnight tonight!

Love,
Sarah

An Embroidered Jacket for a Civil War Walkabout

I didn't think I would have any more opportunities to do a Civil War event this year but a few weeks ago a friend decided to organize a causal get together to walk around at his towns annual fall festival, to engage the public and talk with people about our impressions; "Reenactor Awareness", if you will. 😉 I was thrilled to be able to participate and had a good time visiting and strolling through the festival with our small group.

While I didn't get any pictures at the actual festival, I did stop and take some pictures at a historic site just outside of the town where the festival was held. This lovely stone house dates from the first decade of the 19th century and after driving past it so many times, it was fun to finally take the time to stop and look at it and enjoy the site. 

I haven't made many new 1860's projects this year. One, I have felt a little apathetic about it this year and two, I've been so busy with so many other things. I felt like I should take this chance to make at least one new thing from this era and after thinking about, I decided that a little jacket for Anne would be good to make. Jackets are quick and don't take much material and she has outgrown the one I made for her early last year. 

I didn't get to actually start her jacket til a few days before the walkabout. These jackets generally don't take much time so I thought I'd fancy it up a bit with some braidwork. I don't have braid but you can use tiny chainstitch embroidery to carry out the design on your fabric. It looks like braid and I have read from trusted sources that this was also done in period.

Anne wasn't thrilled about my choice of fabric (a rather plain and sober greenish-grey) so she selected a bright purple floss from my stash for the braid design. I cut out the front and back of the jacket from my main fabric and after drawing a few ideas for braidwork, at last settled on a fairly simple motif taken from a more complicated one. I couldn't figure out how to trace the design onto my fabric so in the end I freehanded it and eyeballed it and although my motifs are not at all exactly the same, the end effect is pleasing and, I think, looks like originals - which often were full of "mistakes". In fact, it seems non-perfect designs are far more common than "perfect" examples!

Even the simple embroidery took FOR-EV-ER and my hand cramped up by the time it was done but the jacket was finished in time for Anne to wear it Saturday. It is interlined with natural colored cotton/linen and lined in a tightly woven, slick, silky feeling cotton plaid. The sleeves are lined with the same cotton and slip stitched to cover the seam allowances at the armscyes, so there are no exposed seams. The jacket is faced all around and the sleeves are faced a few inches up at the cuff. To close the jacket, a single brass hook fastens at the neck, to bring the edges of the jacket together. 

She wore it with the new dress I made for her in June and the colors worked together very well, even though we did not plan it that way! Rosie wore her beloved "star dress" with Benjamins blue jacket from last year and Benjamin was warm enough in his long sleeved tunic and his green twill trousers. It was a cool day, but not at all too cold for comfort, and we had a great time representing the 1860's! 

It's only been a few months since I made this and already it barely
buttons around her waist and she's gotten a lot taller!

I wore my green plaid dress I made from a sheet last year. I decided to wear my small hoop with it since I always feel uncomfortable NOT wearing a hoop, unless I am specifically doing a very working class, rural impression (and even then, hoops were probably the norm. . .) This made the skirts pretty darn short but choosing between a longer skirt length with no hoop or a shorter skirt with a hoop, I decided to go with the hoop. My only new things were the necklace and earrings I got at a garage sale a few weeks ago (one dollar! Amazing deal!) and I was thrilled that the earrings didn't bother my ears. Normally I can't wear jewelry since it ends up irritating me and even nickel free earrings drive me crazy after an hour or two. But these were just fine, and really helped me feel like I was truly dressed up to go to town. I wore my black silk belt and my black bonnet and a red wool shawl. 

My absolute most favorite thing about my outfit though was - my shoes! Oh my gosh. A few weeks ago a friend was selling her Robert Land boots on a Facebook trade group and I was thrilled to be able to get them from her. They came just in time for the event and it was truly a magical moment to open the box and see these lace up leather boots in there. They are a perfect fit with plenty of room for thick stockings and are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. I will keep my old Fugawee Victoria's for events when I'm doing a more working class thing or if there is bad weather but - oh my goodness. I never thought I'd be able to get Robert Land boots! These fulfill all my wildest Victorian shoe fantasies. 😄 I was a little nervous about getting these without trying them on since it seems people either love or hate Robert Land shoes, as far as fit and comfort, but I am glad to say I am on the side that finds them extremely comfortable and - you really cannot improve upon the look, the quality or the construction. These check all the boxes. They are as close to originals as you can get without actually wearing antique shoes. I truly was almost in tears when I put these on!

And now, unless anything else comes up, we are done with living history for the season. I am a little sad, but excited about the new season next year, going to new places and having good experiences with old friends and making a lot of new ones! I have met so many great people this year, some of whom have become almost like family to me. 

Over the winter I have a few plans for things I want to make for myself. I will probably wait til very early spring before I start making things for the children, as I have no idea how much they will grow between then and now and what hand-me-downs will work and what won't. For myself, I'd like to make up my black wool, lavender and grey plaid sheer cotton and my green-blue silk. Winter always seems like plenty of time to work on things but it does go by so fast - so I hope to start soon! 

For now, though, I have a very impatient little 3 year old tugging my sleeves and telling me it's time to go sew her Halloween costume! 😂 We have our first Halloween party of the year in less than 2 weeks and I've got a lot to do!

She wouldn't be satisfied until I let her wear my bonnet and veil.
She loved it!

Happy October!

Love,

Sarah

A Kaftan Top

Happy fall! Today is the first day of autumn and the overcast skies and 60 degree temperature certainly is appropriate to welcome in this new season. I put this shirt on this morning and realized I had lost most of my pictures of it. Last week I was at the lake with Malachi and when I pulled out my phone to take a picture of a fish he caught, my phone dropped forever into the dark water below the dock and so, most of my pictures were lost! Including the ones of this shirt, and the process of making it. 😑 A huge thank you to Judah for taking new pictures today. I don't have any of the construction process, but since there is no shaping except a neckhole, it's pretty darn straightforward!

So this spring I got a few yards of black knit fabric from Wal Mart and used some of it to make a cropped t shirt. I discovered that this thin, drapey material did not work well for a t-shirt and put the rest of the yardage up, waiting for inspiration to strike. It took a few months but at last I was inspired to make a rectangular kaftan top, after finding one at Goodwill that I loved and wore to death. I used the dimensions from that Goodwill shirt to cut this one. It's basically just a big rectangle with the 6" around the edges cut into a fringe, and a neckline cut and bound in the middle of the rectangle. To keep the sides together, I sewed up about 5" from the waistline towards the armpit on each side. That's it!

While the rectangle was laid out on my floor in my sewing room, it looked very plain. I had recently been reading about reverse tie-dye and decided to try to pretty up my fabric with some designs using bleach. I had no idea how it would work, or even if it would work but if it failed I was only out a few dollars worth of fabric. I figured I'd at least try!

To make the designs on the shirt I used a fork and a cotton ball, dipped in bleach. It took a few minutes but I was thrilled to see the black fabric start to turn a peachy pink beneath the dye and soon I had gone a little over board decorating my fabric. 😂 Still, when the sides were sewn up and I was able to try it on I was ridiculously thrilled with the result! This loose, drapey, airy shirt has been a favorite since I made it. 

60 degrees is a little cool for it today, but it still works. When it gets cooler I can wear it with a long sleeved t shirt underneath. I was so happy to find something to make with my black material. although I do still have some left. No idea what to make with it - I guess I'll need to wait for inspiration to strike again! 

 

I hope you all have a blessed first day of autumn. It the most magical time of year, the most beautiful, the most filled with deep joy. Love to you all!

Love,

Sarah

18th Century Childrens Dresses

September is whirling by! The mornings are quite cool now and one day this week we woke up to the lawn littered with golden leaves. Rosie goes out to collect large bouquets of them and brings them in to put into a big ceramic mug as decoration. No matter that each day the leaves become brittle and dry - each morning there are more to collect! It is truly a wonderful time of year; the prettiest season of all!

Lately I have been outside with the two littlest as much as I can. Not much sewing has been done lately but I sure do have plans! Just need to find the time. . .😏 Before autumn gets too well underway I want to make coats for the babies using the Twig and Tale Animal Coat pattern, and yesterday I got some 10 oz indigo denim to make the Persephone Pants as my first attempt at anything like jeans.

But first, I really need to get some of my past projects blogged about. Last weekend I moved everything out of my sewing room so I could paint it, and after finding them folded up on my ironing board I realized I never did iron and put away the dresses I made for Benjamin and Anne to wear to the Battle of Blue Licks.

These dresses were fun to make, although, due to not having a lot of time to make them I wasn't able to hand sew them as I ought to have. I resorted to my long-used method of sewing everything visible by hand and using the machine to sew all the hidden seams. Normally this works out ok, but the construction just IS NOT the same, especially after what I learned making my own 18th century dress. But for little kids who don't hold still long enough to examine any element of their clothing very closely, these will be fine. Plus, I used cotton for both gowns, pulled from my stash, and since that isn't the most accurate fiber choice in the first place I felt less bad about sewing them in a not-very-period-correct manner.

It was a little difficult to find many examples of extant childrens dresses to go off of. There are two patterns that I know of for childrens and girls dresses; the Mills Farm Child & Girls 18th Century Gown and the Larkin & Smith 18th Century Girls Gown. I have neither pattern and did not have time to order one and wait for it to arrive before the event we went to. So I looked at some images of original dresses, like this one from the Met Museum: (circa 1740, so a little early for my target range)

I opted to leave off the leading strings on my gowns. 

You can see here that the point is not attached at the front but kinda floats over the skirt. 

There were also some extant examples of gowns made without a front point; constructed with a round waist. This one from the National Trust Collections is circa 1770, closer to my target range, and has tucks, back lacing, and a round, straight waist.

The children's section of the 18th Century Notebook was also very helpful to me as I looked at as many originals as I could. 

The bodices all appear to be very similar to women's bodices, fitted with the shaping in the side seams, narrow shoulder straps, and elbow length sleeves fitted to the arm and with minimal fullness at the head. Children's dresses differ from women's in that they lace up the back, rather than opening at the front. 

With that in mind, I had Anne stand for a draping session and though she complained and wiggled and shifted her shoulders and hopped on one foot constantly, at last we managed to eek out a decent enough pattern for a basic bodice. It came out a little big, but I was hoping it would since she grows like a weed and I want this dress to fit next spring when we will have more events to attend! We ended up with a 3 piece pattern: a front bodice, a back bodice and a shoulder strap. Later, I made a pattern for a basic sleeve based on her measurements, rather than draping. 

For her dress, I used a length of green-blue striped cotton that I got at a fabric sale earlier this spring. Actually, the sale I went to was giving away all wool and "homespun" cotton lengths, so this fabric was basically free! I used about 2.5 yards for this dress. Going off of the image of a childs open robe as illustrated in Costume in Detail, I decided to make Anne's dress as an open robe with a matching petticoat. 

The Fruit Barrow, 1779

For Benjamin's dress, I used a remnant of blue and white check cotton from my stash. To make his a little different from Annes dress I made the waist straight. His skirt had to be pieced to make the little bit of fabric I had work for the style, but it's not very noticeable in the finished garment. I used the same pattern that I had draped for Anne as they are nearly the same size in the torso, but I squared out the waist a bit instead of making it narrower at the waistline. It just barely fit him, but next spring I can make him "big boy" clothes since he will be 5, and Rosie will be big enough to wear this blue dress. I didn't take the pictures of his dress until just a few days ago, so there is a mend in the skirt where he stepped on it and tore it. It did NOT have the mend originally. . .but I kind of like how it looks! It adds to an authentic, this-really-is-worn-for-everyday-life sort of feel.

So there are the first proper 18th century childrens dresses I've made! If you don't count the Boone Frocks, but those are basically glorified shifts. 😝

I hope you all are enjoying this last bit of summer!

Love,

Sarah