A Cranberry Paletote and Pumpkin Muff

Yes, those are extremely long sausage curls.

I worked very hard to get these done before the Harper's Ferry event last December! The cranberry wool paletote was draped entirely by me (I love draping, it's so much fun!). Because of fabric restrictions, I had to make it mid-length instead of full-length and the two back side panels are actually a slightly different shade of wool! But I don't think you can tell unless in bright light. I based it on several fashion plates I had found along with some input from the recipient. ;)

The paletote is interlined with wool and cotton flannel scraps and lined with a silky purple mystery fabric--found at the thrift store ages ago. I trimmed the whole thing in black soutache braid to make it a bit fancier.

. 

lining

The pumpkin muff was drafted up precisely to match the pumpkin bonnet--lined with white silk moire, tied with pale blue ribbons at the ends. I don't think fabric muffs are accurate to the era but in this one instance I don't care. :P

See the mismatched side panels? *cringe*

A White Waist and Skirt, Plus Bonus Cage Crinoline

A new Civil War outfit for a little girl who has outgrown her winter dress--something a bit fancier, a bit more grown-up.

An outfit like this would have been worn by an upper or upper-middle class little girl, one whose family was in tune with all the fashions. 

Eventually I hope to add trim to the skirt, like this one!

It would not have been made in a thick cotton or calico print, but rather a fine white batiste (or sheer cotton) for the blouse and a silky, fancy dress fabric for the skirt.

I looked at several fashion plates, CDVs and read lots of threads at the Sewing Academy before designing the white waist. It's made from a thin cotton batiste (which was a simply enormous white tiered skirt that I thrifted some time ago) and the bodice is lined with plain cotton.

I used the HMP 250 dress bodice as a pattern, changing it up only slightly. It has the standard stand-up collar and button-front placket, plus the front and back bodices are gathered to a waistband. Knowing this particular little girl's tastes and fancies, I trimmed it with lace wherever I could.

The design of the sleeves was a bit of an accident. Originally I was going to make two sets of sleeves--a long, full bishop sleeve and a short puffed sleeve, to be interchangeable for different occasions. Unfortunately I ran out of fabric after cutting out the short sleeves and there was no way I could cut out two large bishop sleeves without piecing them.

So I decided on this: use the short puffed sleeve at the top, end it with a band of lace (like a cuff) and simply cut the bottom part of the sleeve as a bishop sleeve which can be tacked on or taken off as needed. Does that make sense? It's kind of hard to explain. Suffice to say, the bottom of the sleeves are detachable to make short sleeves when wanted and I believe that is a period-correct technique.

The skirt is merely pleated to a waistband--made very full, to fit over the tiny cage crinoline and starched petticoat. This fabric was actually my very first "Civil War" style dress which I made---oh, about four or five years ago! That was before I got into living history and learned what was accurate styling and what was not. Glad it can be used for something. ;) As soon as I get time I'm going to make a matching plaid jacket and hopefully trim the jacket and skirt.

On the cage crinoline: I made it completely from scratch, after looking at a lot of homemade ones on the internet. It's deceptively simple: I merely bought a pack of the longest zip ties (cable ties) you can find and duct-taped them into circles of differing sizes. (I believe the bottom rung's circumference is about 60".)

\

Then I covered the circles with white bias tape and made several long white strips (the vertical ones in the photo) that are handsewn to the waistband and each of the circles in turn. No biggie :) It doesn't look very big in the photo but once you put a starched petticoat and a skirt over it, you can really see the difference. It's also fun to bounce around in when dancing the polka. ;)

With starched (but wrinkled) petticoat over top--see how much it poofs out?

Little Girl's Striped Civil War Dress

This fabric started out as a farby-styled reenactor dress that my grandma found and gave to me. It's actually a really nice, heavier woven cotton, very warm, and since there wasn't enough fabric to restyle it for myself, I thought it would make a lovely winter dress for a little girl.

I decided to play around with the stripes as much as possible. The skirt and bodice are pleated to highlight the blue stripes, and the sleeves are long coat sleeves cut to highlight the bias detail at the wrists. Undersleeves can be added accurately for extra growth if the sleeves become too short.

I sewed a little band of blue stripe and a button at each wrist. The waistband is cut on the bias and there are three growth tucks on the skirt. Dress buttons up the back. The neckline, waistband and sleeve seams are all piped. Very basic, warm day dress, suitable for cooler weather and a wide variety of activities.

Samantha's Birthday Party Dress for Girls

Based on Samantha's Birthday Party Dress for girls from American Girl (below). Unfortunately, they do not sell the girl-sized version any more, but you can find it on eBay.

courtesy curtdanhauser

The dress has large balloon sleeves trimmed in lace, a high collar, a 'pouter pigeon' style bodice (very popular in 1904), and full gathered skirt. It buttons up the back. The pinafore has horizontal tucks down the center, lace-trimmed bretelles, and a sash that ties in a big bow.

I preferred the design of the doll's dress rather than the girl's and so made my version based on that. The dress is made simply from a piece of pink-and-white striped cotton (thank you, Bethany!) and for the pinafore, a sheer voile curtain from the thrift store! I trimmed it all with lace from the stash.

Skirts for Little Girls

This was a fun project. :) The owl print fabric is from JoAnn's and is a nice lightweight twill weave. I didn't use a pattern, just the little girl's measurements, and accented it with a pretty pink ribbon at the waist.

The skirt is box pleated to a wide waistband in front; the back features three rows of elastic. I used this tutorial to achieve that half-elastic waistband style. It was my first time attempting it and it went pretty well, considering. It seems a lot more confusing than it really is. ;)
 

The other skirt is a pretty cotton paisley print, also from JoAnn's.  This was made up in the simplest of styles (good for beginner lessons!), with an elastic waistband. Very quick, it took only an hour. :) The multicolored prints hide stains and expand the wardrobe to go with a variety of blouses, and the skirts can be worn with or without the flannel slip, prolonging the outfit's use.

Matching doll-sized versions...

 And of course, one must do something with all that scrap fabric...

...and girl-and-doll purses!

Matching Girl-and-Doll Flannel Slips

A smaller version of the flannel slip for little girls! This one is gathered to a comfy elastic waistband and trimmed with pretty pink and cream lace.

It can be worn under skirts and dresses or as a skirt-and-legging combo itself, as the flannel is quite thick. And of course, no young lady's ensemble would be complete without the matching doll version!

Pink Tulip Print Dress

My first Civil War dress for a little girl! Made from a thrifted cotton print which is very similar to this extant dress.

I based the style on a very typical little girl's dress: wide open neckline, short gathered sleeves, gathered bodice, back buttons, and full (90") skirt. Unfortunately there was a limited amount of fabric so there isn't a lot of room for growth in this dress.

The piping on top of the waistband is really wonky; you are looking at the first seam I ever piped!

I used self-bias binding to gather the neckline and piped the waistband and sleeve hems. It works well as a spring or summer everyday dress.

Back buttons, made of china. The fabric was already faded when I bought it. I thought it added a nice well-worn touch. ;)

Pumpkin Bonnet

Pumpkin bonnets were rather funny mid-nineteenth century headgear, worn strictly for warmth--rather than the decorated fashion bonnets so prevalent in the day. Pumpkin bonnets could be worn by ladies, children and infants. My version is for a little girl.

I used Past Reflections PRP009, which comes in all sizes (from infant to adult). It was very easy to make up, I really enjoyed making this bonnet. :) The outer layer is a lightweight plaid wool and it's lined with some white silk moire-type fabric I found in the scrap bin. The instructions say to line with a cotton or perhaps polished cotton, but that seemed odd to me so I changed it. The "poofiness" is lent by batting drawn up with cording. It fastens under the chin with a pale blue ribbon. Extremely warm, cute, and easy to make! Certain to keep little heads warm during chilly living history events.

A 1950s Valentine Dress...for a Valen-tiny Girl!

 I made this dress for a little girl who loves pink. It's based on this 1950s pattern (below), which I only had a photo of. I used an old girl's dress pattern (out of print) for the bodice front & back, a drafted sleeve pattern, and made a circle skirt from these instructions. Put it all together and voila!



I based it on a combination of the two white dresses, except I forgot to dart the bodice! The belt snaps in the back. The buttons are all different vintage buttons from my stash. None of them have matches.



The dress fabric is actually an old pink cotton sheet that my mother no longer wanted, and the red pocket and belt are some scraps of silk taffeta from the stash. The lace was given to me by an older lady who no longer sews and the belt buckle is from my grandma. All in all, a $0 project!



Doesn't it go fab with the red gloves and sweet little sweater? Oh-so-fifties. There's a little petticoat under there too, to make the skirts stand out just right.





xoxo