Sometimes I wonder what it must have been like sewing all those beautiful dresses in the Civil War era. All those yards and yards of fabrics, the miles of trims along with buttons galore must have been a dressmaker’s dream. They must have had lots of table space to spread those long skirts on and embellish them.
I tried to put myself in the place of those dressmakers and wondered if I would have been your average, run-of-the-mill seamstress or if I would have “colored outside the lines” with my dress ideas…
Perhaps something like this might have been the talk of the town (in a not-so- good way) or… maybe I would have had to order a few extra bolts of tulle. Who knows?
I decided to give Rebecca a pretty ruffled RED petticoat to wear under her Christmas dress. It is such a pretty piece to wear… Rebecca loves it! Why have white when you can have red!
I love how the black sash makes the American Girl dolls look like they have a waist instead of the “boxy” figure they actually do have. It’s a heavily embroidered piece of scalloped trim I’ve had for many, many years and looks very flattering on the dolls.
I’m really glad I fixed those sleeves now that I see these pictures.
I made a simple black hair bow that is attached to a snap clip. It can be put it wherever you want.
You can “fluff” up the ribbon by using your fingers to spread the layers apart…
There you go… my version of a pretty feminine Civil War dress!
Thanks everyone,
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Rebecca’s dress is just beautiful. I was wondering what you were using for the belt, and you did say it was an embroidered trim, so now we know!
Oh, yes, I do love the red petticoat, too! If she takes a spin on the dance floor, I’m sure it will peek out just a little bit, for a flash of color!
I love the red petticoat! It reminds me of the pink one I had when I graduated from 8th grade, and no, not during the Civil War!! 😊 what a sjrprise to see that flash of red u der her dress when she swishes around!
The who outfit is just beautiful, Jeanne, but zi was wondering how it would look with a row of tiny black buttons down the front? It really doesn’t NEED anything, but I just wondered about how that might look.
The lace piece trim around the waist is just perfect! I see that you pieced it together, and was wondering if it already came that way. She looks so grown up with a waist, compared to a lot of other dresses for the dolls!
The hair bow is just what is needed to showcase the beautiful dress! She is all ready for pouring tea at the Christmas party!
This is another lovely ensemble. I like the new sleeve design especially.
I think that if you lived during the Civil War, you would still be you, red petticoats and all. I once heard, “What one generation tolerates, the next generation embraces.” I’m sure your dresses would get a little side-eye from the establishment from time to time, but the young and young-at-heart would rush to Jeanne’s Dressmaking and Millinery looking for something with a little more personality. ; )
I worked as a university costumer for many years. During my time, I costumed two productions of Little Women, a play and a musical. The dresses usually called for 8-10 yards of fabric. I have a 3’X6′ cutting mat and another 3’X3′ mat. I would move all the furniture in the living room in the morning, lay out the mats side by side on the floor for cutting, and work until dinner. I loved it while I was doing it, and I started sewing for dolls because I missed it after I retired. I still miss the interaction with the students and seeing my creations come to life. I do not miss the weeks of 10+ hours a day of solitary sewing leading up to a production. Sewing for dolls and seeing what others are sewing for dolls is a delight. I appreciate the time you put into your blog, Jeanne. I know it is a commitment, and we are grateful. : )
Speaking of “sewing for dolls”–Joy, did I see three of your handsome boys in a recent Ruby Red fashion video on YouTube? I thought I recognized the porch (and then saw the photo was sent in by Joy Rose).
What an exciting career, Sasha. Loved hearing about it.
And yes, that was my pic of the boys. 🙂
Dear Sasha, I loved hearing about your career. If you are still wishing to sew for “big people,” I am betting that some of the local theater companies would welcome your skills.
You experienced what would have been my dream career. I always wanted to be a dress designer but I didn’t so much want to design clothes as costumes. Life had other plans for me but no matter what I always sewed, usually my own clothes. Even to this day I consider myself a frustrated wardrobe mistress since I love messing with clothing. I love sewing for dolls because I can do more in less time but I always made my daughter’s dresses for Christmas and Easter and other events. How nice it would have been to have it as a career. I thought now that I’m retired I can make all those pretty dresses for little girls and sell them but it appears these days very few dress their daughters in the kind of dresses I like to make and mother’s absolutely (and I’ve heard this from many) do not want to have to mess with their children’s clothes more than they have too so ironing is out and most of what I like to make requires some upkeep. I never found it a problem but then it was fun for me. For others, including my daughter-in-law, not so much.
Sasha, what an amazing job you had. I have had to dress my students for plays, but nothing like you did, a lot of it was paper! I had to do an alligator once on a fifth grader and used a green baseball cap to color it like an alligator, LOL. I also made costumes for 2 Hobbit plays, 2 different years and grades. Making the dragon one was really interesting!
Jeanne, the dress is gorgeous, the change in the sleeves, the belt, and the red slip, also the black bow, love it all. The red slip brought back a fun memory when Clark Gable gave Hattie McDaniel the red petticoat in Gone With the Wind. She loved it and was swishing it all around.
Yesterday and today we listen to bumping all day as our new roof is being put on. Just hope the shingles will stay on next time we have a storm.
Glad you’re getting a new roof, but the installation can be tiring for sure. 🙂
The first thought that came to my mind was Mammy’s red petticoat given to her by Rhett Butler in “Gone With the Wind”. How funny you thought of it too. How nice you are getting a new roof. I know how I felt when we finally got ours done a couple years ago. It was getting so bad that we had roofers stopping and giving us their cards because it was so obvious. It had a 30 year guarantee and we went over that by two years. But putting on a new roof is so expensive but fortunately doesn’t need to be done often.
Our roof was a 30 year one, but, living here on the coast and on the water and hurricanes, it has to go at 24 years old. Shingles kept flying off the last couple of storms, so that is that.
We kept hoping for “the storm” that would allow us to use our insurance to replace the roof but what was happening was smaller storms blowing off shingles a little at a time. After awhile that kind of equals a major event, but the insurance company didn’t see it that way.
Remember that drawing you had years ago for a package of remnants of fabric? I won and made two dresses, one for Kit and one for Molly. The one for Molly was like the red dress I thought up that my Mother made for me for the prom! She didn’t have the readymade gathered red net, so she cut and sewed it herself! I’m sending pictures along of Molly and Kit. I used every bit of the fabric to make the two dresses. So glad to have won the drawing.
Your latest creation is wonderful! However, if you had been a seamstress during the Civil War Era, you would have been a Black slave woman working for a wealthy plantation owner from patterns or pictures of Paris fashions. She worked a minimum of 16 hours a day for no pay and lived in deplorable conditions. Thankfully that era no longer exists.
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Jeanne, if you were a dress maker in the civil war… you would be widely renowned and busy busy busy 🥳🥳🥳. Live models can get kind of bothersome too. Our dolls deserve the best service.
This dress is a beauty. …. now, what are your plans for the shoooz?
Happy Wednesday every one
I have a long list of must do chores today but I will be in the sewing room later
The dress looks so sweet on Rebecca. I’m with Linda on adding black buttons down the front. And a little disappointed that the belt wasn’t pleated black satin, but the overall look is great. The red slip is fabulous. If, it had red waist elastic, I would say add a net ruffled top and Rebecca, could wear it to the Christmas ball. It really is a lovely addition. 🙂
As to those early dressmakers of which my great great grandmother was one, I have great admiration. My great great was an English dressmaker. When her husband was killed in a buggy wreck outside of Rockville, Iowa, when the horse yoke broke, there was an inventory of possessions on their farm. Included, was a sewing machine and that was in 1878. So she was very lucky surviving the wreck, owning a sewing machine, raising her children alone, and living into her 90’s. 🙂
I have another delivery this week. Wish me luck trying to get this one inside as it will be in a dolly box. 🙂
Your family does have some amazing history and you know so much about it. Thanks for sharing. You should write a book even if just for future generations of your family
Oh, yeah, a book. Maybe in my spare time. 🙂 We’re back to working on the deck. More painting.
Dear Jeanne, the dress is lovely. I love the petticoat.
Building on what Susette mentioned, I wanted to share information about Elizabeth Keckley. She was a formerly enslaved woman who became a celebrated seamstress in Washington, DC. One of her clients was Mary Todd Lincoln.
https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1863-keckley-striped-evening-dress/
Look what resulted from one sentence in my Comment! Dorothy has forwarded a wonderful, comprehensive article about Mary Keckley, a former slave who forged a marvelous career following emancipation! Thank you, Dorothy, for your wonderful contribution to Jeanne’s blog! 🥰
Dear Susette, you are welcome. I love that here on Jeanne’s sofa we can share what we learn.
What an amazing article! Thanks so much Dorothy. I’ve been reading a lot lately about people who life has given lemons and they made wonderful lemonade. One was Sue Thomas who was deaf but learned to read lips and was hired by the FBI for surveillance. Another was the woman, Deanne Bray, who played the part in the TV show “Sue Thomas FB Eye” and is also deaf. She and her husband, also deaf, have done wonders to expand opportunities in both acting and otherwise for those who are hearing impaired. Another is an actor in the new Magnum PI TV show named Christopher Thornton. He had a successful acting career but sustained a serious injury while rock climbing that left him a paraplegic. He still has an amazing acting career. Now I can add Elizabeth Keckley to my list of people who have risen above expectations to do wonderful things. Talent should always be embraced and encouraged no matter who it is or what the conditions. I find these people and others like them so inspirational.
Dear Barbara, thanks for adding to the list of extraordinary people.
Lovely outfit. I was wondering what it would look like if the sash pointed up in the front. I also thought immediately of Mammy being so excited and proud of her red petticoat when Rhett Butler gave it to her. When Queen Victoria spent so much time in Scotland and Balmoral castle she made popular the colored woolen petticoat. Red flannel with 2 or 3 stripes sewn around the hem were popular. They became known as Balmoral Petticoats . Her love of Scotland inspired so many dolls dressed in Scottish clothing including all those kilts as I understand.
Love when sofa sisters share different things they’ve done. So many so talented.
Joy thank you for sharing your great great’s history. Shows how ingenious the women in your family are. Can’t wait to hear about your next ingenious way of hustling a dolly box inside.
I’m absolutely with you on the sash. I think it should be pointed up not down at her stomach. This is a great idea. 🙂
I’ll need to read through all the comments later.
The petticoat is lovely. Tulle, or bobbinet started in the UK in 1806 so Rebecca certainly could wear it. I really love the way the sleeves are done. I wish this style could be in style today.
I love Rebecca’s dress. It is so beautiful, especially with the lovely sleeves and belt. I like the bow in her hair too. A reticule? Shoes or boots? I’m sure there is more to come.
Interesting discussion today with so many threads (!) being contributed!
Sasha, West of Denver ~ it was so fun to hear of your Costuming career. My granddaughter is a sophomore Theater major. This semester she went from sewing a pillow to designing and sewing herself a jacket! I told her it’s a valuable skill she will have for the rest of her life!
Joy in Northern CA ~ How cool to know the story of your Great-Great Grandmother. Being able to sew garments was a highly valued profession. We also have stories of ancestors hand sewing abilities. I
Linda and Joy ~ I also saw black buttons coming down the front of this lovely dress!
Dorothy in PA and the World ~ Thanks for the link to the article on Mary Lincoln and the dress designed by Elizabeth Keckley. It was so interesting to read. Jennifer Chiaverini wrote a historical novel called “Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker” that tells the story of Elizabeth Keckley.
Back to baking cookies! Thanks all for the coffee break!
Dear Linda, you are welcome. I love to hear stories about people using the talents they have been given, especially in adverse situations.