So many patterns, so little time!

[Mrs. V]

I was spelunking in the back closet trying to find a piece of fabric that I thought I would use to make a "sheer" dress, to wear when it is hellahot in the summer. Plus I thought it would be nice to have a dress, rather than a skirt and bodice..

Found several patterns hiding back there, that a freind of mine gave me, including bonnet and hair pieces. That is exciting! I found the plaid I was looking for. Too bad the checks are so small. I think I am going to turn it into a square shirt for my son.

I also found a huuuge length of fabric that was donated to the highschool for a play, and then not used. And I have no clue what it is made of. The fabric came from a local design school, so it could be silk for all I know. On the "wrong side" it has woven stripes, and on the right side it's blue, but with a color shift. Maybe a shantung? Gah! Now I'm going to have to decide what pattern I'm going to use..Butteric B5543 or Simplicity 1818...HALP!

 

[grace]

That's exciting! Good luck go with you--and extra time!

Have you tried burning a bit of the mystery fabric? Synthetic material melts into beads, wool smolders, cotton flares with smoke and silk withers away. At least, that's what I've always read. Maybe that would show what it is...

 

[LoriAnn]

I can't help you with the pattern choice. But something must be in the air ~ I just washed fabric for a dress today. And I was in the back of my closet hunting for the pattern I want to use.

(Though my dress will require considerably less fabric!)

 

[MaryDee]

Yes, do the burn test on a little scrap of fabric. Preferably outdoors.

I would avoid modern pattern companies; they are for "costumes" and don't result in period-correct garments. It's worth investing in patterns from the reproduction companies. Many of them include a nearly complete 19th century sewing manual in their instructions. Even some of them, though, can be stinkers, missing important markings and instructions. Here are some pointers:
http://www.thesewingacademy.com/2016/01/working-with-patterns-what-should-you-expect/
http://www.thesewingacademy.com/2015/08/evaluate-patterns/
And read the dress section in http://www.thesewingacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2010BetBet.pdf

Should you, like me 5 years ago, have gotten stuck with a hastily bought outfit at a cheap sutler's tent at an event, here's how to remodel it:
http://www.thesewingacademy.com/2018/02/merchant-row-make-do/
I couldn't, because when I washed it (trying to get out Gettysburg mud mixed with horse manure), the fabric shrank about a foot. The skirt went from a foot deep hem to about 3 inches. Aargh!

 

[Mrs. V]

Yes, do the burn test on a little scrap of fabric. Preferably outdoors.

I would avoid modern pattern companies; they are for "costumes" and don't result in period-correct garments. It's worth investing in patterns from the reproduction companies. Many of them include a nearly complete 19th century sewing manual in their instructions. Even some of them, though, can be stinkers, missing important markings and instructions. Here are some pointers:
http://www.thesewingacademy.com/2016/01/working-with-patterns-what-should-you-expect/
http://www.thesewingacademy.com/2015/08/evaluate-patterns/
And read the dress section in http://www.thesewingacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2010BetBet.pdf

Should you, like me 5 years ago, have gotten stuck with a hastily bought outfit at a cheap sutler's tent at an event, here's how to remodel it:
http://www.thesewingacademy.com/2018/02/merchant-row-make-do/
I couldn't, because when I washed it (trying to get out Gettysburg mud mixed with horse manure), the fabric shrank about a foot. The skirt went from a foot deep hem to about 3 inches. Aargh!

I am finding the sewingacademy to be a fine resource. My first pattern was from teh Wisconsin Historical society, which had all the "correct" sewing techniques. Good thing I did not know it was above my sewing skill set. I would never have had to guts to start it. Lol! I found that I just had to trust the instructions, as the pieces look so different from modern!

I am going to make another day dress. That way it can go into "rotation" and I have something else to wear if I am lucky enough to go to an event with mulitple days. I'm going to try a different sleeve though. I saw a lovely variation that I think I can do. Sometimes I think it is more fun to created these outfils than the modern!

 

[Mrs. V]

That's exciting! Good luck go with you--and extra time!

Have you tried burning a bit of the mystery fabric? Synthetic material melts into beads, wool smolders, cotton flares with smoke and silk withers away. At least, that's what I've always read. Maybe that would show what it is...

I did the burn test. Hard to ignite, of course we have quite the breeze today. But a decent flare, then nuthin but ash. Might be a cotton/silk blend. Anyhow, I am making a new day dress. I figure I have the fabric, it's natural and I might even have the buttons! (I never throw away buttons, and I have a nice collection of shell buttons too). I'm going to trim it very lightly.

 

[Yulie]

Mrs. V,

So little time..... Yes indeed.

I am enjoying your posts. It's wonderful to hear the excitement in your written words.

I have the 20th Anniversary of the AACWMM in July and need a day-dress with hoop. So, I regret that it's sewing time for me also. I often do this during the winter months but I lost a lot of weight and need a new corset and day dress with hoop. I am not a fan of hoops but found that I needed them for formal occasions like this anniversary and parade. I haven't made a new dress in about five years. I have two dresses that I made in the 1990s that I can now wear again but they are worn with my corded petticoat and are essentially my lay-about, down and dirty dresses for a specific interpretation. I can't make the new formal attire until I make a new corset. I will also need to order new patterns from the company that I have stuck with for ages. I find this company reliable, accurate and I love the instructions and research notes. Thank goodness I have fabric from my hording days as finding 1800s accurate cotton and silk prints now-a-days seem to be problematic. We are in the down-cycle for good prints. As for my old dresses, corsets, and outerwear (work and formal) I will put them up for sale. It will be easier to sell them as opposed to dismantling them to my new size. I hope they will find a good home. My hording days are over. Well... to a great extent. Well, maybe. Hmmmmm....

... Just rattling and thinking about all the work I need to do in the next month.

-Yulie

 

[Mrs. V]

Mrs. V,

So little time..... Yes indeed.

I am enjoying your posts. It's wonderful to hear the excitement in your written words.

I have the 20th Anniversary of the AACWMM in July and need a day-dress with hoop. So, I regret that it's sewing time for me also. I often do this during the winter months but I lost a lot of weight and need a new corset and day dress with hoop. I am not a fan of hoops but found that I needed them for formal occasions like this anniversary and parade. I haven't made a new dress in about five years. I have two dresses that I made in the 1990s that I can now wear again but they are worn with my corded petticoat and are essentially my lay-about, down and dirty dresses for a specific interpretation. I can't make the new formal attire until I make a new corset. I will also need to order new patterns from the company that I have stuck with for ages. I find this company reliable, accurate and I love the instructions and research notes. Thank goodness I have fabric from my hording days as finding 1800s accurate cotton and silk prints now-a-days seem to be problematic. We are in the down-cycle for good prints. As for my old dresses, corsets, and outerwear (work and formal) I will put them up for sale. It will be easier to sell them as opposed to dismantling them to my new size. I hope they will find a good home. My hording days are over. Well... to a great extent. Well, maybe. Hmmmmm....

... Just rattling and thinking about all the work I need to do in the next month.

-Yulie

I am just back from the fabric store! I bought a truely lovely yellow and gray and cream plaid. V. Lightweight, but with a good hand. I'm going to make it into the simple day dress, with coat sleeve for when it is too terribly hot to wear a heavier weight fabric. I bought some nice crochet trim for around the neck, and I may trim the cuffs as well. I'll see when I have the bodice put together. I'm going to use the blue for a 2 piece day dress. I may leave it untrimmed. Very undecided, and I did not see any trim that I liked at the fabric store. I need to look at some period correct trims. Anyway, as it is a fairly recognised pattern, I thought I'd make it "different" by leaving it unadorned.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

I am just back from the fabric store! I bought a truely lovely yellow and gray and cream plaid. V. Lightweight, but with a good hand. I'm going to make it into the simple day dress, with coat sleeve for when it is too terribly hot to wear a heavier weight fabric. I bought some nice crochet trim for around the neck, and I may trim the cuffs as well. I'll see when I have the bodice put together. I'm going to use the blue for a 2 piece day dress. I may leave it untrimmed. Very undecided, and I did not see any trim that I liked at the fabric store. I need to look at some period correct trims. Anyway, as it is a fairly recognised pattern, I thought I'd make it "different" by leaving it unadorned.

Have a question for you faithful recreators? Just came up on another thread, the topic of Demorest's? I know she included patterns in some publications, and ( I think ) women could order them, too? Are her magazine's patterns used or is it too tough ' translating ' them, into something a sewer can navigate, in 2018? Remember seeing ( weirdly ) Demorest patterns in Godey's too, must have collaborated.

 

[Mrs. V]

I imagine that you could use them, but figuring out how the pieces go together might be a bit of a struggle. Then again, some historic patterns I've used don't give you much instruction either. I have some patterns that were my Aunt's, and they were ordered from the newspaper. Still have the envelopes they came in!

The big thing about Demorests patterns is that they were graded. (Mulit-sized). And available from within the magazine. I do know, because I've seen them in vintage magazines, there where pictures where you could look at the shapes of the pieces you'd need for making a garment. Then you'd be on your own to figure out the size of the pieces.

 

[Yulie]

Are her magazine's patterns used or is it too tough ' translating ' them, into something a sewer can navigate, in 2018? Remember seeing ( weirdly ) Demorest patterns in Godey's too, must have collaborated.

Once upon a time, a long time ago, in different space continuum and in a different realm of reality (or lack thereof) there were very few good sources for patterns to make 1800s reproduction clothing. We now have a few good ones, plus several on-line sources for drafting patterns (ie The Sewing Academy already referenced). One has to be very good at drafting their own patterns from the Demorest and other period sources. It can be a wonderful experience for those with the skillset and are up to the challenge. However, for the novice sewer it can be a nightmare. For the novice sewer just wishing to clothes herself -- in my opinion, there is no need to go that route. Use the resources that are available. As for me and myself, my days of making patterns from scratch are by-gone. It was fun when I did it, but I am now mostly interested in clothing myself to participate at events.

A Civil War era bodice is very basic and the sewing techniques are basic. I use historical illustrations with patterns, and historical pictures just to get an idea of how to modify the patterns I purchase. The bodice is just a canvas to on which you elaborate/create your design.

I pre-date the internet. In the dark ages one had to go to workshops and museums etc to get an upfront look at originals. Additionally, I am blessed to have friends with originals and was able to get a good concept of the sewing techniques, fabrics, notions and construction techniques. Attending workshops is still an excellent opportunity. It will broaden your knowledge. Early on, I learned from a workshop to avoid the clone syndrome (aka cookie cutter). This syndrome results when everyone uses the same pattern and look the same because of failure to embellish the basic footprint of the pattern. As I've indicated, I use one pattern company and have made several dresses that are quite different just by using different pieces from each pattern. The cotton homespun dress I use to portray an enslaved person is the same pattern I used to make my hooped silk day dress worn when I portray a teacher/missionary.

-Yulie

 

[Mrs. V]

Once upon a time, a long time ago, in different space continuum and in a different realm of reality (or lack thereof) there were very few good sources for patterns to make 1800s reproduction clothing. We now have a few good ones, plus several on-line sources for drafting patterns (ie The Sewing Academy already referenced). One has to be very good at drafting their own patterns from the Demorest and other period sources. It can be a wonderful experience for those with the skillset and are up to the challenge. However, for the novice sewer it can be a nightmare. For the novice sewer just wishing to clothes herself -- in my opinion, there is no need to go that route. Use the resources that are available. As for me and myself, my days of making patterns from scratch are by-gone. It was fun when I did it, but I am now mostly interested in clothing myself to participate at events.

A Civil War era bodice is very basic and the sewing techniques are basic. I use historical illustrations with patterns, and historical pictures just to get an idea of how to modify the patterns I purchase. The bodice is just a canvas to on which you elaborate/create your design.

I pre-date the internet. In the dark ages one had to go to workshops and museums etc to get an upfront look at originals. Additionally, I am blessed to have friends with originals and was able to get a good concept of the sewing techniques, fabrics, notions and construction techniques. Attending workshops is still an excellent opportunity. It will broaden your knowledge. Early on, I learned from a workshop to avoid the clone syndrome (aka cookie cutter). This syndrome results when everyone uses the same pattern and look the same because of failure to embellish the basic footprint of the pattern. As I've indicated, I use one pattern company and have made several dresses that are quite different just by using different pieces from each pattern. The cotton homespun dress I use to portray an enslaved person is the same pattern I used to make my hooped silk day dress worn when I portray a teacher/missionary.

-Yulie

I think embellishments are what make the outfit, whether you are making modern era, vintage, or historical. Whevever I see dresses done up for the fabric store, I think, of how I would have used different fabric, or finished it so that it did not look so home-made. And I agree about the pattern making. It is in essence, not re-creating the wheel if you do not need to do so.

 

[MaryDee]

The idea is to make up your bodice in cheap muslin and fit it to your body to determine what on the pattern needs alteration, before even touching your fashion fabric. I learned this back when taking "Bishop Sewing" classes in the 1960s. Making a muslin mockup not only helps with the fit, it also gives you some practice before you make errors with your expensive fashion fabric!

When I started CW-era sewing, I immediately noticed that Elizabeth Stewart Clark is an enthusiastic supporter of this practice. http://www.thesewingacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/2010Fit.pdf In her Dressmaker's Guide, p. 207, she states: "If you do not make a muslin version of a new pattern, it is quite likely that an entire civilization will be wiped out by meteors. Plague and pestilence will cover the land. Sheep will begin to shrink up in the rain. Butter will go rancid."

Not quite that bad, but you'll feel like that if you mess up your expensive fabric because you omitted this basic step! Patterns are made for the "average" figure, whatever that is, and nobody has a figure which exactly conforms to any commercial pattern!

Once you have the basic muslin bodice that fits, you can alter your paper pattern accordingly--it's best to trace the pattern onto blank paper (newsprint works) than to mark up or cut up the original pattern. Then mark the alterations on your copy. You can play around with this (and the muslin) with a different sleeve style (such as coat sleeve instead of bishop, or vice versa) and using darts if your pattern has a gathered bodice, or vice versa. If you do this, trace a new pattern from your altered copy.

One thing I found out, which may not apply to you folks, is that if you also want to use the dress for an earlier period (1840s or 1850s), don't make a coat sleeve, which is peculiar to the 1860s. Out here in Oregon we're currently celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Oregon Trail, and my CW era dress with coat sleeves just won't work for the 1840s or 50s. I now wish I'd made it with bishop sleeves. Hopefully I can get a new dress done before the event I want to attend this fall! If not, I'll just have to be one of the many who were still traversing the trail in the 1860s!

 

[grace]

I will say that for a novice "The Dressmaker's Guide" (which I just got) is rather intimidating...

And my beautiful blue dress is made with sleeves from the early 1850s'. *exasperated sigh. No more fabric either, worse luck. Maybe my grandmother made it with me?

Well, I have two more dresses to do over properly now.

 

[Mrs. V]

I will say that for a novice "The Dressmaker's Guide" (which I just got) is rather intimidating...

And my beautiful blue dress is made with sleeves from the early 1850s'. *exasperated sigh. No more fabric either, worse luck. Maybe my grandmother made it with me?

Well, I have two more dresses to do over properly now.

Just tell them your dress is a hand me down!

 

[MaryDee]

@grace, what do the sleeves look like? The pagoda sleeves popular in the 1850s persisted into the 1860s. Lots of photos (CDVs) from the 1860s show those sleeves. Ditto for the fancy sleeve caps of the 1850s.

 

[grace]

@grace, what do the sleeves look like? The pagoda sleeves popular in the 1850s persisted into the 1860s. Lots of photos (CDVs) from the 1860s show those sleeves. Ditto for the fancy sleeve caps of the 1850s.

Oh, dear, I was wrong--they are snug bias sleeves. 1840s'! Maybe ruffles? *heavy sigh. At least it got me to my first full day event...

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Once upon a time, a long time ago, in different space continuum and in a different realm of reality (or lack thereof) there were very few good sources for patterns to make 1800s reproduction clothing. We now have a few good ones, plus several on-line sources for drafting patterns (ie The Sewing Academy already referenced). One has to be very good at drafting their own patterns from the Demorest and other period sources. It can be a wonderful experience for those with the skillset and are up to the challenge. However, for the novice sewer it can be a nightmare. For the novice sewer just wishing to clothes herself -- in my opinion, there is no need to go that route. Use the resources that are available. As for me and myself, my days of making patterns from scratch are by-gone. It was fun when I did it, but I am now mostly interested in clothing myself to participate at events.

Are they awful to follow? Big, noise at the time, with the novelty of offering patterns inside magazines. Clueless, not being anyone's idea of a seamstress. And thank you! Cannot imagine era women would have found them easier? Had an idea making one's dresses would have been passed down, on how-to, and sounds a lot like what all of you do anyway, albeit online, comparing notes and sharing knowledge.

 

[MaryDee]

Grace, there are lots of options here. Even with a hand-me-down dress, you would do little things to it to make the dress more in line with current fashion.

Does your blue dress have a turned-under hem or a faced hem? If it's turned under, you can gain some matching fabric (enough to make vertical sleeve inserts to make the sleeve just a little less snug) by converting it to a more period-correct faced hem. If the dress already has a faced hem, there should be some extra fabric in the turned-over section at the waist, although accessing this will involve re-gauging the dress, which is a pain. See pp. 265-268 of the Dressmaker's Guide for faced hem directions.

I have seen CDVs of some CW-era dresses with snug sleeves. In fact, here's a very overtrimmed example of a fairly snug bias sleeve that is supposed to be Civil War era! Since for your persona you definitely don't want this lavish trim, think of just a little bit of contrast with more practical trim at the upper arm (and none at the cuff)! The trim on the upper sleeves emphasizes her full bust and, by contrast, makes her waist look narrower.

Another possibility--think of vertical inserts of contrasting fabric (maybe white?), or of strips of trim, for the sleeves to make them just a little fuller. They don't need to be really full, just not really snug. See if you can find any such in early 1860s CDVs online. I saw a few recently but didn't bookmark them.

Re the Dressmaker's Guide, it is a bit overwhelming at the start. Don't try to read the whole book all at once; go through Ch. 1-3, especially Ch. 3. Then just look up the sections you need as you need them.

 

[grace]

@MaryDee thank you so very much! I do have some extra in the hem and I have a small bust. Thankfully, most of the events here are over or in the fall, so I have time. I'll start a folder on my laptop for pictures.

And thank you in particular for segmenting the book for me!