Pinafores, Stays, bonnets, and treasures

Lydia's mid 1800's Pinafore

(for our Civil War Reenacting)

I absolutely love the white pinafore that I made Lydia to go over her brown dress, but I was afraid that she would continue to get grass stains and dirt on it. Mom and Dad suggested that I save it as an heirloom. So I had to make her another on to wear. Girls never wore their dress without a pinafore unless they were in a formal setting. It's like an apron kind of. To keep their dress from becoming soiled. They were worn about an inch or two above the bottom of their dress, which for Lydia's age group that is right around the knee. I didn't have a pattern so yesterday afternoon I measured Lydia and went for it. It only took five hours. It's getting easier to make up patterns now that I can vision it. It reminds me of doing hair. Someone brings in a a picture of a hairstyle they want and I have to figure out how to create it.

I put four pleats in the front which you can't see unless you double click on the picture. Pleats were fashionable and also trimmings (lace)

Stay

Here is Lydia's Stay I made. Little girls wore them from the beginning under their dresses. They had two purposes. The first reason for it was to prepare them for a corset when they become of age (16yrs). They had no boning in them, so they were soft and quilted. The second reason was to keep their petticoats up because we all know how little kids have no hips/figure quite yet. Just a cute pudgy belly and therfore their slips and petticoats would fall below their tummy and show beneath their dresses which was a no-no. They had buttons to hold the slips and petticoats up on the Stay.

They were always done up in the back.

My first Bonnet

I needed a white bonnet. I didn't have a form and I didn't want to pay $ to have one sent just so I could stick some bird on it, so I made this one. It's not the exact shape I like, but it will have to do till I can get a pattern. FYI-in the mid 1800's the more "junk" or decorations and lace you had on your bonnet the more fashionable you were. This is about as far as I go. I am not a lacy person, so it takes a lot to have that bow on the side by the feathers and that crotchet tie. They actually wore fake birds with birds nest on their hats and bonnets. I laugh at this because I swore I would NEVER go there. Well, I made the first step. I was in Roberts and crafts. I pass by the wedding section. I notice I am all alone. I start laughing to myself, because the thought of wearing a bird/nest on my head is ridiculous! Well, I circled around the store and then right before I checked out I said, "Oh what the heck" and I went and purchased three birds and one nest. I came home, made my bonnet, and they told myself NEVER!!!!!!!!!!

1800's picture case

My Dad found this old photo case frame in an antique store. They are very rare and hard to find in such good condition. There was a picture of a young kid in it already.

Dad kept the picture of the young kid and put pictures of him and and I. This is something I will treasure forever! Thanks Dad!!!!!

Dad didn't know how old this photo case was until he tool the picture of the young kid (around 18 yrs old) and found his name and date. How amazing is that??? Picture of that below

Inscription below:

November 30, 1861

George W.

Conn

Lanterns! I love them. I have no idea why? Maybe because I think it's romantic. Either way, I love them. The three small ones I got for my kids. Lets just pray they don't burn a battle field down at night.

This is for my Mother (to help set the scene) and any members of the 9Th Heber Ward that missed this fantastic new fashion I wore on Sunday. I have many different birds to choose from if any would like to borrow one. Extra charge for the nest.

I have a....

Regular brown bird

A white dove

AND, a quail.

Lydia's 1860's Day Dress with a Pinafore

I finally finished it. I made a "pinafore" to go over Lydia's dress. It's like a child apron that goes over the dress. A little girl never went outside without a pinafore to protect her dress. Although I love the pinafore more than I do the dress, so I am hoping she doesn't soil it while playing at the reenactment.

1860's Chemise Underpinnings

These are part of her "Underpinnings" that I made this afternoon. The top is like a slip, but longer with sleeves. It is to be a wide scooped neck (almost off the shoulders) and the length is right around her knees. Her petticoat that I made the day before will go over this. They usually fastened the petticoat to a soft corset that the little girls wore over the chemise (in training for a animal boned corset when they are of age), but we are skipping that part for now because I will be lucky enough to tie her down before a Civil War Reenactment and get a dress on , let alone all the "period correct" layers.

Doing a little dance of some sort

After 5 minutes of wearing her new underpinnings, SHE'S DONE!

Poor Mark has been put on the back burner for months now. This is a blanket that his Mom made him before his Mission has (over the past year) started coming un raveled on every side. As soon as he realized this past fall that I was sewing now (Civil War clothing) he has begged me to fix his "Special Blanket" (as he calls it). So one morning William and Lydia helped me fix Daddy's "Special Blanket". It took three hours of pinning and three broken needles. Funny thing is, Mark called that afternoon and asked what I had been doing that day so far. I told him"Sewing". He said, "You didn't by any chance fix my special blanket? And I said, "Yup". You could have heard a pin drop followed by, "Are you serious?" He rewarded me by going to the grocery store for me. It was all worth it.

Lydia was such a sweet heart to stay by me the entire time. I would randomly find needles in the blanket as I was sewing. Hope they made it all out.

Getting Ready! It's that time of year.

It's that time of year where we start our Civil War Reenacting. Spring is in the air, snow is melting, and sewing is at its peak to get ready! Thomas already tried his outfit on the other night, so it was William's turn. He was such a good sport. He had three shirts to try on. I still have to take off every button except the top two and sew the shirt closed in front starting from the bottom up, but other than that I think his outfit turned out great.

This is his summer shirt. Notice there is no flap over the collar? It's officially period correct!

I have to make his neck tie thicker and wider, but all I had for the picture is a thin black ribbon.

He was sweet after wards when I asked him to get changed. He asked if he could stay in it and "Play Civil War with Thomas". Thomas was excited and wanted to get back into his outfit, but I could just see them rough housing and ruining them before our first event. William wanted to know who was the bad guys and who were the good guys. I told him the South was the good guys and the North was the bad. He asked me how I knew and the first thing that came out of my mouth without thinking was, "Because Grandpa Bowman said so." I guess I could have gone into detail, but his little mind is not quite old enough to handle all the politics that go into it so when he is a few years older I give him the low down. But as far as right now we portray Southerners and he can question it later;)

Making Lydia's 1860's petticoat

I picked up this $2.00 bed skirt at a second hand store. Lydia has her dresses already to wear but no petticoat to go under them. Girls her age wore layers and layers of under pinnings, but I thought with how non-feminine she is, putting her is layers and layers of frilly things was not going to be easy so I am easing her into all this with one big petticoat (and she will also wear her pantaloons..or as she calls them "pants" which makes it much easier to get on her).
Two Hours Later and a cookie bri

Lydia's petticoat I made out of a bed skirt.

(under her dress)

Here is the dress over her new petticoat. I asked her to smile. It was a forced smile, but I'll take it.

Barley hanging on emotionally..

(With a clinched fist) "I DONE MOM...I DONE!" The ribbon is what did her in. I learned real fast that that was the wrong thing to put on her.

Please feel free to wish me luck at our first Civil War Reenactment coming up in a few weeks. Lydia may be the only girl dressed as a boy because I have simply given up. We'll see.