Colonial Costumes

We are up to the point in our Living History Day planning where we need to make some decisions about apparel on the day of the event (Oct 13).

A grandparent generously offered to share a colonial-inspired dress pattern with us!

Just to be clear, NO parent should be furiously working at home to make a Colonial America costume for their child. This is the children's responsibility.

I just realized that because our event is happening mid-October, it is technically possible for someone to buy a "colonial kid" Halloween costume for their child and just use that... but our intention is for everything to be zero cost, creatively sourced / repurposed, or handmade (by the children).

One of the first things we needed to look at was whether each profession they chose had a specific gender associated with it in Colonial times.

- Apothecary

- Blacksmith

- Carpenter

- Cook

- Dressmaker

- Gunsmith

We decided to focus on HATS and APRONS and just wear solid colors underneath them.

Topping It Off - Late 18th Century Hats
blog post with photos from Colonial Williamsburg

I'm guessing that the children don't know how straw hats are made. We could always read a short excerpt from Little House in the Big Woods.

Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, pp.212-214

I have been thinking about things I have here and things that would be simple to do:

leather shoes (or going barefoot if it is a warm day)

my kitchen apron collection (solid colors or tiny floral prints)

my linen teaching smock collection (I have 5 in solid colors)
Linen pinafore apron/square cross linen apron/japanese style apron

my heavy quilted cloak (which I wore as a winter coat in college)

"Puritan" hats (someone donated six matching ones)

straw hats

sewing simple mobcaps - cotton muslin

knitting basic caps - wool yarn (not crochet... that came later)

knitting basic scarves - wool yarn

If we do decide to sew or knit, here are some patterns I've found. I welcome other ideas for this brainstorm!

No-Sew Mob Cap

nice for children to practice measuring!

Pocket

Projects About Colonial Life (Hands-On History)
by Marian Broida
Sewing a Pocket, pp.40-42

"In colonial times women's skirts had no pockets. Instead, girls and women wore separate pockets on cords around their waists. They reached into them through slits in the sides of their skirts."

Simple K2 P2 Ribbed Scarf

Cast on 40 stitches
Ribbing: *(K2, P2), repeat * till end
Continue till scarf measures 72"
Bind off

Monmouth Cap

Monmouth Cap (PDF)
I would like to try this pattern to see if it's too difficult, uses DPNs
it appears that sometimes these were felted after they were knitted

For years and years I've thought that -- if I ever had time for a hobby -- I would want to be a reenactor. Now that I know that historybounding is a thing... and have found out where you can buy beautiful historically accurate shoes... I may just start to wear historical clothes for fun in my "real life"!

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