I didn't have time to finish anything for my husband, though I don't think he minded, I'm still talking him into this whole reenactment thing. When we left and I asked my little girl if she wanted to do it again she said, "Yes, and Daddy do it too." Let's see him say no to her, haha!
And now, the dress. I literally finished it Friday, the day before. I sewed on the collar at 10pm, much too close for comfort. I decided to sew it all by hand, which is why it took longer than I had expected. It is completely hand sewn except for two of the skirt seams which I had to machine sew for time's sake. I used the Simplicity 4551 pattern and had to do more adjustments than I expected as well. Since the fabric I was using was a sheer cotton, I ended up cutting the neckline on the under bodice much deeper so that it just covered the chemise, as was common. Also, I piped the neckline and armsycles, which both had to be adjusted. Part of the problem was that the pattern only went down to an 8 and I usually go with a size 6 for historical garments, since the 2 inch ease built into most modern patterns is not historically accurate. I had to reshape the sleeves and front bodice gathers as well, as the pattern pieces were just not shaped right. I also modified the front closure so that the under bodice closed separately of the bodice front, as was shown in several of the bodices I've researched. I did plan on using buttons for the front closure, but ended up using hook and eyes as I didn't have enough time to hand sew eleven button holes. The good news was that I ended up liking that closure better! And I even had an antique locket pin that was my great-grandmothers to wear at the neckline, which looked pretty accurate.
The skirt is cartridge pleated to a cotton twill waistband and then sewn to the bodice. It uses a dogleg closure on the left front, which actually didn't take me as long as I thought it would to figure out. I was so happy with the final result! It would have been nice to have a hoop to wear with it, but the corded and regular petticoats I wore under it added a decent amount of fullness, and were historically accurate. Here are a couple more shots of the dress.
The bright pink water bottle really is the finishing touch don't you think? heehee. I was very glad I brought my pinner apron along as well, since we ended up eating lunch there and it started raining just before we left.
And a shot of the good Confederate boys in their garb. My little boy kept trying to run off and join them! I was so happy that I was able to finish a little outfit for him as well! The shirt is a cotton gingham and the trousers are made from a brown, striped linen, with bone and shell buttons. The shirt buttons up the front and to the trousers at the waist band.
So, now on to the next adventure! I have a couple of things that I would like to get started on. One is for the June Sew Monthly Challenge, a 1930's dress for my sister; and the second is a Tudor gown. I did mean to post some pics of the 1860's dress at various levels of construction, but never found the time, so I'll try to be better about that with the next projects!
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