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Undersleeves & Cuffs Project instructions!
This
was a must - have item for Civil War era dresses. Collars gave a neat
appearance and preserved the cleanliness of the garment. The collar was
separate from the dress and was basted to the inside of the garment neckline.
Collars could then be removed for frequent bleaching and laundering.
Collars were usually simple items made of cotton or linen. They were generally narrow and were accented at the front of the dress with a brooch or ribbon tie. Lace or crocheted collars are a tiny minority in the period photographs I've seen, although they dominate the scenery at reenactments. Try to adopt the dainty cotton or linen collar for an authentic look.
Undersleeves
were widely worn with many different styles of sleeves. This item preserved
garment cleanliness, gave a tailored appearance at the cuff and preserved modesty
with large pagoda-style sleeves. A full, starched undersleeve will also
give body and shape to full sleeves of all styles.
Removable cuffs were sometimes basted to the sleeve hem of dresses. The cuff was then folded back over the outside of the sleeve.
Scour the blouse section of your local thrift store for a white cotton or linen blouse with nice, full sleeves and a band cuff. Cut off the sleeve just at the armscye. Fold under the cut edge and sew a narrow hem to control fraying. Iron your new undersleeve with fabric sizing or starch and attach to the inside of your sleeve with safety pins. Pinning into an interior seam insures the pin will not show through your sleeve. Be sure to replace any plastic buttons on the cuff with period correct buttons.
No lady would consider leaving the house without a hanky tucked into her sleeve or pocket. It was ever so useful: a lady could blot a shiny nose, dab at a melancholy tear, douse it with her favorite cologne to mask unpleasant airs, or drop it conveniently near intriguing gentlemen. The modern reenactress will find it indispensable as well, if even for such mundane uses as catching sneezes and mopping runny noses.
Many
pages have been written about the use of a lady's fan. While it is a marvelous
item with which to gesture and play the coquette, the fan's true purpose was
much more mundane, and that was to provide a lady with a cooling breeze.
Fans were available in many designs, shapes and sizes. They were woven of palmetto into round or spade shapes. Folding fans were made of wood, ivory, ebony, tortoise shell, silk or paper in regular or circular shapes. Fans with leaf shaped blades made of silk or paper were quite popular.
Fans could be doused with your favorite cologne, to provide you with a scented breeze when exposed to unpleasant airs. A ribbon or chain was sometimes attached to the fan, then pinned at the waistline of a dress to keep a fan handy at all times. When not in use, the fan hung from the ribbon and rested in the folds of a lady's dress, ready for her need.
Newsflash!!! Fannie reveals the REAL TRUTH behind the popularity of fans!!!
It is really very simple, dear and gentle readers. A lady was never without the cooling benefits of her fan because Hormone Replacement Therapy had not yet been invented. Being a "woman of a certain age", I can guarantee to you, with no reservations, that this little item can become absolutely indispensable when encountering the dreaded "hot flash". As our ancestors did not have the benefit of HRT, a fan was essential to combat those unexpected attacks of the "vapors". Don't leave home without it!
Parasols
came in a variety of sizes and styles, but were predominantly designed to provide
shade from the sun or shelter from the rain. They were generally fashioned
of silk fabrics. Sizes ranged from nice, large parasols to provide
substantial shade to tiny little affectations that would hardly shade the face.
These tiny parasols were made fun of in period cartoons and humorous articles.
Some parasols had a folding handle to reduce their awkward length and were termed
"carriage parasols" as they could more easily fit into small spaces
when folded.
Umbrellas were much larger and were considered an essential accessory for protection from rain. Generally made of black silk they provided shelter from the elements but little in the way of fancy style.
Jewelry
was worn conservatively during this era. This was a time when citizens
often contributed much of their time and property to war and relief efforts.
Southern women, in particular, patriotically divested themselves of all but
a few cherished baubles to help the cause. Many only held back their wedding
ring or a few family heirlooms too precious to give up.
It was also a time of economic hardship, and many ladies sold or pawned valuables to make ends meet. It seems that the conspicuous wearing of valuables was out of fashion for a time, as it might indicate a lack of patriotism.
Brooches were probably the most common type of jewelry worn by ladies. Almost every photograph features a brooch pinned at the center front of the neckline.
Watches were widely worn by ladies. The were worn on long, fine watch chains and were tucked into the belt, waistband, or a pocket at the waist. Some watches were worn on very long chains around the neck, long enough to tuck the watch into the waistband.
Ear
Bobs were available in a variety of style and were often suspended upon
"French" or "fishhook" types of wires. Post types
of earrings are not well documented to the period. Hoops were sometimes
worn, but ear bobs were more stylish. Interestingly, the majority of period
images do not show any earrings at all.
Necklaces were reserved for wear with ball gowns. The broad expanse of (gasp!) neck and bosom exposed by the décolleté gowns called for a bauble to distract men's eyes up from where they would focus naturally.
Bracelets were very popular, particularly with younger ladies. Bracelet styles were surprisingly large and bold. Bracelets were crafted of metals, shell, wood & hair. A popular fashion with young ladies was to wear a matching bracelet on each wrist.
Civil War jewelry styles cannot begin to be covered in the space of a brief web page. PLEASE be sure to search your local library to learn what designs were popular during this era. Books on this subject abound, and have lovely pictures of period pieces.
