Civil war dress

In the early summer of 2017, I was commissioned by director Walcene Metayer and costume designer Rebecca Joy Lewis to create an authentic dress for the Civil War Era film The Fighting Road. It was …

Civil War Reenactment Costume Scottish by stitchintimedesigns

Many of us will be missing out on the usual round of holiday parties this year. It got me thinking about the sort of gowns worn by Washington City ladies...

1860s Civil War Era Dress: This dress was inspired by a number of old photographs of 1860s dresses. The style presented here better represents the clothes worn by the working class rather than the upper class. To make this dress you will need: About seven metres of fabric…

Lilac silk ballgown, circa 1860, shown with an original bertha (a wide deep cape like collar, often of lace, usually to cover up a low neckline) and fan.

If you're a first-time reenacting lady, heading for "sutler row" to buy your first outfit, you'll see them everywhere. Beautiful billowing white peasant blouses and lovely full flowered skirts. Perfect! You find a set in your size and POOF! You're a reenactress! Then you get on a reenactor online forum and you see this discussion about "the dreaded skirt and blouse combo." You read it and you're in the dumps - apparently the mismatched skirt and blouse are ALL WRONG and were never worn…

Warm weather is here and for Civil War reenactors, it's time to bring out those sheer dresses! Wait, sheer dresses, you ask? The modest Victorians actually wore outfits that you could see through? Yes indeed! After all, what was there to see? Lots of undergarments, that's what! :) At the 150th Kennesaw reenactment fashion show, I kept cool in my light weight sheer! Reenactors are often asked in the summer time whether they are hot in their 1860s outfits. The answer is, if you are wearing the…

Since I have not had any custom orders or Internet connection the past week, I have been busy making new dresses. I drafted some new patterns and have worked with some really fun fabric. Here is the first dress I made last week. I just loved this pink paisley print when I saw it at the store and knew it would make a beautiful dress. For those who have been following my blog you are probably well aware that this is one of my favorite style of civil war day dresses to sew. But for the sake of…

Civil War Era Ball Gowns | The Traveler's Companion - Visit Historic Sites

It's pretty... but NOT authentic! My first dress was a lovely solid blue polyester that looked sorta like cotton. I put black soutache trim on it and felt "perty." Later I discovered that my choices of fabric and trim were completely wrong! So, in order to save you some aggravation, I've asked the lovely Jennifer McCardell Green if I can repost her awesome Fabric Overview! So here you go - a summary of how to choose Civil War fabric! ~Heather Which Fabric To Choose? In the world of period…