Ladies' Gowns & Dresses
How to Achieve the Period Look
For
those who haven't heard it before I will now enlighten you as to the true meaning
of the KISS principle: Keep It Simple and Straightforward!
Don't make your first dress too fancy. No matter what station in life
your character may aspire to, everyone needs a nice, simple day dress.
Don't get too involved, too fancy or too ambitious with your first outing into
the world of dress construction. Even if your greatest reenactment desire is
to flounce around in hoop skirted, high fashion as a lovely part of the scenery,
you will at some time need a plain dress. The fancy dress will be time consuming
to make. Save it for your second project.
Even if you are a splendid seamstress, keep your ambitions in
check. Construction techniques of the period were quite different than
techniques used today, it will take some experience to get the knack.
Save your grand designs until you've had some practice. Most gowns did
not have extensive trim details--don't pile miles of trim upon your gowns until
you have spent some time studying the types and practices of embellishments
done to frocks.
Since
women were united in their goal of accomplishing the
look of the period, garments were constructed in a similar manner.
Most garments were constructed of two pieces - a bodice and a skirt, then the
two were basted together. Bodices and skirts were generally made
of the same fabric. Occasionally you see period images of a skirt
and bodice in different fabrics, or a white blouse with contrasting or patterned
skirt. This look was the exception, rather than the norm and were usually
worn by young ladies and teens.
Note: there is no such thing as a "camp dress".
The ubiquitous white blouse and calico skirt worn by so many reenactresses has
no basis in fact. It is a quick way to outfit new folks in mass-produced separates
available from sutlers, but is NOT a period correct look. Please move on to
a matching bodice and skirt as soon as possible.
Skirts were fashioned to be very full, and that meant a lot of fabric must
somehow be gathered up into the waist band with minimal bulk. Plain gathering
as done today was rarely used--it is just too bulky. Generally, knife
pleats or box pleats of various widths, from 1/2 inch to 2 or 3 inches wide
were used. Knife pleats were usually directional to the front. That
means the top of the pleat folded inward, with the folded edge pointing to ward
the center front where they formed an inverted box pleat. These pleats
were set into a tight-fitting, wide waistband that fastened with sturdy hooks
& eyes.
Bodices
were also standardized in form. Jewel necklines and center front openings
were universal. They fastened in the front with hooks & eyes or button
closures. The body of the bodice was usually fitted into a waistband by
pleats or darts, sometimes they were gathered. Fashionable bodices fitted
very tightly to the midriff. Shoulder seams were placed WAY down the arm,
and armscyes fitted tightly up under the armpit. Sleeves were full, with
exaggerated fullness at the elbow. Sleeves were usually a two piece coat-type
sleeve, or a wide tube gathered at the shoulder and at the wrist into a cuff.
Although bodices and skirts were basted together into one garment, women also
had garments in which the bodice and skirt were gathered into a single waistband.
This was a useful and functional dress, generally worn for getting some serious
work done.
Women who will be lounging about their parlor may want to consider a fashionable
wrapper as part of her morning dress. Poor, working
or frontier women may want to adopt a humble wrapper
for their working garment. The one-piece wrapper is made with less fabric than
fashion dresses and is an economical choice.
Machine vs. Hand
Sewing
The
sad truth: Sewing machines had been invented and built by the time of the Civil
War, but unfortunately, they were not widely available. Sewing machines were
mostly used for commercial construction of cheap men's clothing or uniforms.
Machines were not affordable for home use by the average citizen, thus most
gowns & clothing were seamed entirely by hand.
Fanny's rule of garment construction: If the seam does not show, sew it by
machine, for goodness sake! How else will you have time to make a garment while
keeping your job and taking care of the kids?
Please hand sew seams that will show on the outside of the garment, especially
topstitching and buttonholes. Sew trim on by hand, it will look nicer and be
more period correct. Be prepared: when a reenactment visitor examines your hand
sewn buttonholes, and asks "Did you sew this dress entirely by hand?"
Reply, "Yes, of course I did, how else would one sew a gown?"
Adapting Today's Fabrics
and Notions
Authenticity
has it's price, my dear and it seems that we must embrace discomfort to achieve
the look. Wool was the most widely used fabric of the day. Personally, I abhor
wool-I am sensitive to it and in the heat I break out in a exquisite, mottled
rash. These days, wool is also MUCH more expensive than cotton and cotton blend
fabrics.
Since most reenactments occur during the (hot!) summer months, be kind to yourself
and fashion your garments out of cotton fabrics. They are light and they breath.
Health and safety are the number one concern, plan some cooling comfort into
your garments.
Bright colors are fine; purple, vivid green, and yellows were common dress
colors. The Victorians loved color and were not as concerned about "matching"
colors as we are today. Avoid really bright or busy patterns. Most photographs
featured ladies in dark, solid colors.
Plaids
were popular with the fashionable--a large plaid pattern flaunted your wealth,
as much fabric was needed to match the patterns on garments. Queen Victoria
fostered the fashion for plaids with her Balmoral tartan gowns. Period calico
was a simple check, gingham, windowpane plaid, or simple floral printed in two
or three colors-not like the colorful calicoes of today that are so favored
by quilters.
Every woman of means had a good black dress. Black was not exclusively used
by mourning women--the accessories worn with a gown indicated mourning more
than the color. Dark or somber colors were the rule for older and married women.
Brighter colors and prints graced the "plumage" of young unmarried
girls, who wanted to attract the attention of likely beaus.
Buttons If your fabric store does not have shell buttons, you can purchase
them at most antique and thrift stores. This same sales source is also a good
place to find metal buttons. When in doubt, you can't go wrong with self-fabric
covered buttons--available at any fabric store and ever so period correct.
The Big No No. Don't even THINK about using a zipper on your dress!
Even if you think it won't show, it will. It is painfully obvious, regardless
of your use of a centered or lapped application. Even the most mundane visitor
at an event can spot a zipper from a quarter mile away, and will say something
to you about it.
NO Velcro anywhere, on any garment. Fie upon thee for even considering it!
Ready made garments are available on the Internet or from sutlers,
in the price range of $100 to $700 dollars. I hope you can sew, or have
a dear friend who will sew for you. This look has not been in style for
135 year or so, and you will not find one in a thrift shop. You are just
going to have to make one.
We have gladly provided tips for shortcuts on undergarments to
make your gown appear period correct, but you just can't take any shortcuts
with your dresses. This is the part of your garb that shows the most in public
so put your best effort into making your gowns as period correct as possible.
DON'T PANIC!
YOU CAN DO THIS!
We
will assume that this is your first garment and you need it fast for an upcoming
reenactment. To make this as painless as possible, plan to construct
a simply designed, functional dress or wrapper. This should be a
utilitarian dress in one or two pieces--nice, but not fancy. Every woman
needs one of these in her campaign trunk, so start with it since it will be
the quickest to construct.
Some women create a dual purpose garment - a skirt with two
bodices. One bodice is plain for day use. The other bodice, more fancy,
for balls or parties. This saves money on fabric, as the skirt uses about 5
yards of fabric.
Make your garment in a solid color fabric. Or at
least a simple plaid or stripe. Be really safe and choose black or basic,
somber colors. It will take some time and research to learn what
types of prints and patterned fabrics were available during the period.
Don't run out and spend money on patterned fabrics until you are sure they are
period correct. Just because you saw it at a sutler or worn by other reenactors
doesn't mean it is period correct.
Always wash and dry your fabric before you cut out the dress.
Cotton will shrink--avoid making alterations later by using preshrunk fabric.
Do
not plan on adding any lace, braid, or trim. This is very time consuming.
Wait until you learn more about what types of trims were used and where to find
facsimiles. You can always add trim later when you have more leisure.
If you like, dress up your garment by adding a collar and a nice self-fabric
belt.
Omit piping the armscyes of the dress as instructed
in most patterns. This particular construction technique is a real pain
in the pancreas to get right. Wait for your next project when you've had
more practice. Just set in the sleeve, it will look fine--piping was omitted
on period dresses, as well.
Boning To save time when sewing, don't bother with
creating casings for boning. I purchase boning already covered (I use
Nylobone) and just tack the edges to the inside seams. Miss Sharon suggests
that to create a casing for the stays, just overcast the seam allowance to the
lining and use it for a casing--an excellent time saver.
If you are in a real hurry and will do a working impression,
make a wrapper--it's a lot faster and easier!
Purchase a pattern for the bodice before you begin your
garment. You can get patterns from the sutlers at a reenactment or on
the Internet. Patterns for period and reproduction clothing can
be expensive but they are worth every penny. Construction & cutting
techniques of the period are so vastly different from modern sewing norms that
you will need this guide. Once you see the convoluted forms of each pattern
piece, you will understand.
Miss
Sharon recommends that you make a bodice out of muslin or some old fabric first.
Baste the seams together then try it on and make any adjustments necessary.
Once you get it the right size, remove the basting stitches and use your muslin
pattern pieces for future garments. This is especially helpful on a fitted
bodice as they have to be just right.
Miss Sharon adds that bodice patterns can be altered, such as
adding a peplum type bottom, a nice collar, or make the sleeves longer with
cuffs. This tip is generally for those with some garment construction
knowledge, but it helps to know that you don't have to buy a different pattern
for every garment. Sharon states "I have used one bodice pattern for all my tops,
including Zouave jacket and ball gown bodice."
Line Bodices with extra fabric. This really is
necessary-it gives the bodice enough body to fit well and hold it's shape. It takes no more
time to sew two layers of fabric than one, and only a little extra time to cut
out.
When lining bodices, be sure to do the way it was done in
the period. Modern techniques use lining to hide seams. Period
lining was used to add body. The Fashion fabric and lining fabric were
sandwiched together and seamed as one piece. The exposed seams make it a lot easier to mend and
make adjustments for changes in size.
Pockets. OK, this will take a little extra time,
but constructing side seam pockets is your dress can be a life saver!
It is wonderful to have pockets handy for stashing important items like money,
car keys, lip balm, medicine or glasses. You can't lug your modern purse
around with you at reenactments, so you need someplace to stash your needful
items. Every garment I've made have pockets, even the ball gowns!
Be patient. You are making a great, big dress. It
will take some time. More than one
weekend will be involved in the process, my dear. Just keep at it.
Get
your fabric on sale, the big fabric shops will occasionally offer 100% cotton
solids & prints for $1.99 a yard. It is $2.99 - $3.99 a yard at regular
price. I have seen marvelous garments made from thrift shop bed
sheets in solid colors or stripes. Shop with your persona in mind.
When Miss Vera was the company cook, she made her work dress from a dark printed
cotton that had been someone's curtains. A yard sale find, 10 yards for $1.00.
Best of all, it had the lovely faded and worn look of a work dress that had
been worn hard everyday for 2 years.
Buy white, 100% cotton sheets at yard sales and thrift
stores for use as lining on bodices. They also make dandy, comfortable
undergarments.
Use Hook and Eye Tape Buy it off a spool at the
larger fabric stores if possible, the packaged tape is more expensive. This tape has hooks
and eyes already sewn to the tape at 2 inch intervals, and saves you from
having to individually align and sew dozens of hooks and eyes. You just
sew the edges of the tape to the inside of your garment. Dandy stuff.
Reenactors can purchase bodice patterns in many styles, however
there is no pattern available for a skirt. Even experienced seamstresses
can benefit by the experience of others, so we offer to our dear friends a guide
for making your reenactment skirt. Mrs. Sharon Roberts has kindly
offered her time-tested method. Her unique waist-opening treatment also
eliminates a frequent problem seen at reenactments, an unsightly gap which reveals
your (gasp!) undergarments.
This skirt requires 4 - 5 yards of fashion fabric, plus sturdy
interfacing for use on the waistband.
Measure the length from your waist to the top of your shoe
and add 4" (more if you wear big hoops). This is the length
you will cut your skirt panels.
Cut 3 or 4 lengths as long as this measurement from your
fabric--usually just 3 which gives a final width of about 120". (Fanny's
note: larger ladies, like myself should use 4 lengths of fabric)
Side Seams: Sew up the seams of these lengths on
the selvages--this eliminates raveling. Leave about 10" of one seam
open at the top.
Back Closure: Cut two pear shaped pockets with one
straight side about 10" long. Sew one to each side of the opening.
Then sew the bottom of the pear pocket and up the side a ways to create a
pocket. Press on the seam line to put the front of the pocket behind the
front of the skirt and the back of the pocket is pressed out.
Waistband: Cut a waistband about 4" longer
than your waist. Gather or pleat the skirt into the waistband leaving the
back of the pocket extending beyond the actual waist measurement and some extra
waistband that is used to lap under the back closure.
Hem Be sure to wear whatever undergarments
(petticoats or hoops) you plan to use with this skirt before pinning up the
hem. Pin the hem so that it does not drag on the floor. Hem your
skirt, and add hem tape if desired.
Images this page from the collection of Fanny & Vera