The Industrious Lady

Sewing Box According to Beadle's Dime book Beadle and Dimes Guide to Dress-Making and Millinery, a multitude of chapters exist for helping any woman become her own seamstress. Think of it as the 1860's equivalent of a Dummy's Guide book series, it was meant to briefly touch on each topic without going super into depth, for each subject would be worthy of a book each, rather than a mere few paragraphs.  Of the many topics discussed in the book, one of the most practical is the Work-woman's Materials and Implements, the book discusses to as follows. The years have changed little to what a true industrious lady needs in her sewing box. The passage reads as follows        "A work-woman is not half prepared for her business ho is not  properly proceeded with tools and materials. It is embarrassing to to her to find herself without some essential but trifling article, at the moment she requires it for service;and it frequently causes not only the los...

Pattern for  a Pinner Apron Cost: $10-$12 Two yards of cotton/wool fabric $8-$10 spool of thread $2 Pieces: 60" x 4" 60" x 36 12" x 26" Step one, cut out one strip of fabric around 4' wide.  Double this fabric over and sew the long side with the two edges Take the strip and turn it inside out so the seams are on the inside. Flip the two ends inside out and iron. Next step cut out the bib piece. 12" by 26" (or 13" in my case) fold over the fabric the long way making a box. Sew up the sides perpendicular to the folded side. Gather the raw edge to between 6"-8" The folded edge will serve as the top of your bib and the raw edge will be   sewn into the waistband. Based on how much coverage you want, the top side should measure around 12" wide.  Cut out another piece 60" by 36". When this piece is mounted, roughly the  horizontal side is 60...

Civil War Era Hair Pieces and Waterfalls How much hair is enough? For special occasions or the crinoline era lady who needed a little extra fullness, hair pieces came to the rescue. Some of the many forms include curls, braids/plaits, and waterfalls.  Waterfalls were especially useful in the construction of the Grecian hairstyles that came about around the middle of the era. It consisted of the hair being parted down the middle, and curls at the nape of the neck. Princess Louise can be seen sporting the style. This was a transition style, which retained it's popularity as it was adapted with high crown adornments that became more popular later on in the decade. The pictures below show an early waterfall vs a waterfall towards the middle of the decade. One periodical story states tells the story of ... "A lady of most expensive exterior was gliding gracefully up the street, when the networks containing the bunch of hair, at the back of her head, became som...

Hair Rats "Whilst walking up and down the floor, hushing her in my arms, my unslippered feet trod on something soft, which I declared to Sadie to be a snake, and sprang into bed, not even baby’s shrill cries tempting me out again… In the morning I discovered my “snake” to be the roll used for my front hair, fashionably called rats." (Godey's January, 1866) While humorous as it may seem, use a roll or hair rat was all the rage for a lady of the mid crinoline era. The beautiful hourglass silhouette not only referred to the torso of a woman, but an hourglass formed from head to toe. The hoop skirt or cage and starched petticoats took care of the toe part, and the hair and headwear continued the illusion to the very peak of a lady's body. One of the tricks of the trade of creating the beautiful round and full face was the hair rat, with its lesser known and smaller cousin the hair mouse, although we will focus on the rat due to its more documented status. A rat...

Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi) was the Angelina Jolie of her day, if people magazine had existed in the mid 19th century, she would have been on every cover. Her fans were spread out all over the world, and she was a style icon. Among one of Sissi's most beautiful and well known features was her floor length locks. According to legend, it took three hours a day to bath, brush, and style the Empresses tresses. She was the epitome of Victorian beauty, perhaps more influential on the fashion and beauty than the namesake of the era, Queen Victoria.  Victorians attributed an almost mythical and romanticized view of hair, and often when describing a women's beauty, hair is mentioned.  For example in Godey's volume 51, page 233, a story is shown of a pair of young people. The young man is in love with the lady, who is betrothed to another man. He asks the lady for a portrait, but none satisfactorily relay her beauty so he asks for another gift instead......