Victorian Times

A Long Overdue Update!

2010-02-19T15:23:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we are almost through the first two months of 2010! So much has happened since my last posting, there's no way I'll be able to write all that has taken place. But I will say our year started off with a bang! January is a special month in our household, namely because we have 3 birthdays to celebrate. My oldest son is a New Year's Day baby, my birthday is in the middle of the month, and my youngest son is the last day of the month. My daughter was due in February, but decided to come a little early, and now I share my birthday with my sweet little girl!

I have not dresses her up in Civil War, Victorian Era Clothing yet, but my husband did snap this cute picture in the hospital, which I later changed to sepia, to give it an old look. I have a few original Civil War Era dresses I can't wait to try on her. Most of them are for older girls so I have to wait until she gets a bit bigger before I have a fashion show.

Here is another shot of the sleeping angel. I think this was taken when she was 2 days old.

Fall was a very busy time for me. I've never had so many dress orders than I had this year. I made many Civil War, Regency, and Dickens clothing and even a few Steampunk.

Below is my favorite outfit. The lady needed an outfit for Nancy in the book Oliver Twist. With some research I discovered the dress Nancy would have worn would have been in the Romantic Era, which is sandwiched in between the Regency Era and the Victorian Era. This is the first dress I made in the Romantic Era and I had a lot of fun researching the fashion of that time.

The transition from Regency to Victorian is quite fascinating, and elements of both Regency and Victorian can be seen in the Romantic Era clothing. The dresses were not quite as full as the Victorian era and still feature the narrow sleeves of the Regency Era. The dresses were not worn over a hoop but a corded petticoat or multiple ruffled petticoats to give the dress a bell shaped look which later grew fuller as the Victorian Era approached.

Here is my original sketch for the dress.

I already have a few dress orders lined up for this year and I'm looking forward to more! I hope to post more of my work before things get busy again this Fall.

Etsy Trade-A-Holic $5 Sale!

2009-09-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just letting my blog friends know that I'm participating in the Trade-A-Holic $5 sale September 18th-20th. The Trade-A-Holic team is where Etsy sellers have a good time trading items of interest among it's members. The team also works together to promote sales among the members of the team.

This is the first $5 sale put on by the Trade-A-Holic Team. Over 80 members have lowered prices of over 1000 items to $5. To find a list of those items just click here.

Below are a few of my items I marked down to $5. On Monday they go back to regular price!

Civil War Haversack made out of ticking. Great for a Confederate Impression!

Pink Eyelet Half Apron

Blue Calico Pinner Apron

To see more $5 items from my Victorian Times Store just click here.

2009-09-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

The past few week have been very busy ones for me. For those who have been following my blog, I'm happy to announce we are having a little girl! With two very active boys it fun knowing that I'll have someone to share my love of sewing.

There has been a lot of sewing going on over here. I've had a number of custom orders to fill, in addition to creating (or redrafting) a new line of dresses for my Etsy Store Victorian Times.

The pink dress is one of my new creations. It's a ready made dress that I will be offering as a custom order soon.

Here is the back of the dress.

And below is a close up of the fabric.

These Black Victorian Style Wrist Warmer Cuffs are perfect for keeping you in style and warm!

During the Victorian Era detachable cuffs served several purposes. They protected the sleeves of nice day dresses, gave the dress a little flare and kept the wrist warm.

This is my version of the Victorian Era cuff. It was a lot of fun to make and I hope to be adding some more fun things to my line of Victorian Era Inspired clothing soon.

New For Fall

2009-08-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

Wow! This has really been a busy time for me. My dress orders are getting completed and I'm looking forward to getting some new ones. I enjoy "meeting" new ladies as I work on their Victorian gowns!

Here is my new design I promised to show everyone. This dress I call Plum Wheat because of the small wheat design on the fabric. I'm offering this dress for sale in my Victorian Times Etsy store. I will be offering this style as a custom order dress as well.

The bell shaped Pagoda sleeves make this style dress very charming! I added under sleeves and a matching collar to complete the look.

Here is a view of the back.

I drafted this pattern and designed it loosely after a dress featured on In the Swan's Shadow that was worn by Mary Todd Lincoln. Some day I would like to recreated the dresses exactly the way it was worn by Mary Todd, but for now it gives me inspiration to create dresses of my own. Check out In the Swan's Shadow to see pictures of the beautiful velvet dress worn by one of our First Ladies.

I'm Back!

2009-08-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hi friends and sorry for the long delay in posts. A few months ago I found out I was expecting our third child and as exciting as the news of a new baby is, it came with some much undesired morning (all day) sickness. I am now in second trimester and feel much better as my family anticipates the arrival of our new little one.

I am also back to sewing. With peek sewing season just starting I already have 7 dress orders to be filled in the next couple of weeks! (Things must be getting better for our American economy!)

During my off sewing season I played around with some new dress ideas. (Well I should say I recreated some dresses, drafting some new patterns from civil war era pictures and original dresses.) I will be showing you some of my new designs in the upcoming weeks as well as some of my custom order dresses I'm working on.

For now I want to share with you a new item I've added to my Etsy Victorian Times Store. Pictured is my Black Pantaloon and Chemise Set. I had a couple of special request for a Pantaloon and Chemise Set made in black this past year and I have decided to offer it in my store. Some of the women who ordered the set said they wanted to use it to go with their civil war mourning outfit. During the civil war and Victorian Era those who lost loved ones and family members would wear black as a symbol of their grief.

Pink Paisley Civil War Day Dress

2009-05-15T12:21:00.001-07:00

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 variety I have drafted some new patterns for civil war era dresses and I will be featuring some new dress made with the patterns in the next couple of weeks.

Making a Civil War Dress Part 3

2009-05-05T16:21:00.001-07:00

So here it is the finished civil war day dress with collar and belt. The sleeves are full gathered bishop sleeves that gather into the armhole as well as into a cuff.

Here is another angle of the dress. The belt and the collar are detachable and add to the look of the dress.

Here is an up close look at the belt and the fabric. I went with an embrodered white fabric for the belt. I thought it brought out the paisleys in the civil war day dress.

Sorry for leaving everyone hanging on the last part "Making a Civil War Dress". We are change internet providers and I have not had internet connection the last couple of days. I should be back up and running next week with some more Victorian Era Blog post. Thanks so much for following.

Making a Civil War Dress ~ Part 2

2009-04-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

My latest custom order civil war dress is finished and on its way to its new owner. Now for part 2 of Making a Civil War Dress.

Here is an up close shot of the fabric I promised. The little swirls are called paisleys. Paisley fabric was popular during the Civil War era.

This is the front, back, and side back of the bodice cut out and ready to be sewn. All bodices were lined during the civil war era so I have two layers of fabric for each piece. For civil war era dress the lining fabric and the fashion fabric where based together before sewing the pieces together. Today the lining fabric is sewn separate as well as the fashion fabric then they are sewn together. All the seams are show in the civil war era dress which made the dresses easy to alter whereas modern day dresses the seams would be in between the two layers of fabric and not accessible.

Here are the bodice pieces stitched together and ready to be connected. The front bodice which are the two pieces on the top have two darts on each side. It is often referred to as double darted.

Here is the bodice on my dress form all ready to have the sleeves added.

The final part of Making a Civil War Dress, I will show the finished dress as well as the detailing.

Making a Civil War Dress Part 1

2009-04-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

I finally got my camera out while making a dress. The dress that I'm working on is a Custom Order Civil War Day Dress like the one I sell in my Etsy store Victorian Times. I plan to post the Making a Civil War Dress in three parts. So please make sure you come back to see the next two post.

I like to use a dress form. I can watch the dress take shape while I'm sewing. Although the lady who order the dress did not order any of my civil war undergarments I still like to put those on my dress form before I begin sewing. In the above picture you can see my corset and corded petticoat. My corded petticoat need a good starching to hold the cords out better. Women wore corded petticoats rather than hoops when they needed to work. The corded petticoat gives the dress a bell like shape without the bulkiness caused by the hoops. As reenactors, women where corded petticoats under their "Camp" Dress / Work dress. When cooking by the fire you need to be able to get close and a corded petticoat make that possible. When I'm sewing a Civil War Day dress I usually put my hoop on the dress form instead of the corded petticoat. Unfortunately, my hoop is still pack and I can't seem to find it! Hopefully, I be about to find it for the final picture of the dress.

In the picture above I have my petticoat over the corded petticoat. This will give the skirt more fullness. My petticoat can also fit over a four bone hoop.

Above is picture of the fabric I am using for the dress. It is a soft blue with a white paisley design. I'll post a close up picture in part two. In this picture I'm getting ready to cut out the panels for the skirt. I use four panels for a Day Dress, it gives the dress 180" in circumference.

Next, I sew the panels together and pleat the waist. The picture above is the skirt. I like to make the skirt first because I makes me feel as if the dress is mostly finished, even though I still have a lot of work to do. This skirt is wide enough to fit over a four, five, or six bone hoop! In part three I'll post a picture with the dress over a hoop. Part two will focus on the bodice and sleeves. Part three will be on the finishing of the dress.

Cameos and More

2009-04-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to feature another Etsy Store as well as a Blog that I follow, and that is The Ebon Swan. At The Ebon Swan you can find beautiful cameos. Pictured below are examples of cameos currently listed in The Ebon Swan store. I love cameos. Probably because it was the jewelry my Grandmother gave to me as my inheritance. (I will be posting pictures of my Grandmothers cameos in a later post). Cameos are a nice accent to any living history impression.

Sarah's Memory Hand Beaded Black and Ivory Cameo

Bacchante Classical Berry Red and White Cameo Set With Pink Rose Quartz

If you are not up for Cameos, the Ebon Swan also sells beautiful earrings and other jewelry. I just love the earrings below!

Shards of Shadow Simple Black Glass Point Earrings

Feeling creative? You can pick up cameo and other jewelry supplies at the Swan's Nest, another The Ebon Swan store.

Carnelian and Cream Profile Cameos

Single Goldplate Decorated Locket with Bail

To find out more about The Ebon Swan as well as some wonderful information on Civil War reenacting you can read The Ebon Swan's blog In the Swan's Shadow. Pictures are owned by The Ebon Swan and where used with permission. To go to The Ebon Swan Etsy store just click on any of the above pictures.

I'm On Twitter!

2009-04-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

I just got on Twitter. It looks like a great way to keep up with all my customers as well as blog friends. You can find me at https://twitter.com/VictorianTimes .

Here are some more pictures of my new house.

This is a before shot of our dinning room.

We darkened the green and accented with brown. We will be decorating with a somewhat primitive theme so the colors suit better than what was their. We love antiques so they will find a welcome place in our home!

My husband added this T.V. cabinet. Our HDTV fits nicely inside. The doors slide in when opened. We have two civil war reproduction candle lanterns on each side of the plant. With the TV room in the basement we wanted to brighten it up with a dusty yellow color for the walls.

This is one of my favorite additions to the house. It was just a hole in the wall where the previous owners stripped out the fireplace when they moved. There was a lot of damage to the drywall that my husband repaired before putting our new fireplace in. I love to decorate with books. On top of the fireplace you will find some of my pre civil war (1830s) books on the left as well as a civil war Bible and CDV Album. Although the fire place is gas only I still like the looks of the brass log holder and fireplace tools.

Now you may begin to see why I've been so busy to post the last couple of months. I hope now that we have finished most of the work on our house that I can get back into a regular posting schedule. Thank you for all the kind comments and encouragement!

A Look Back In Time

2009-04-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

It is a lot of fun dressing up my little boys in their Civil War reenactment clothing. It is even more fun watching them play with all the civil war period (reproduction) items laying around. It really sets the mood when we are civil war camping. My oldest boy gets a lot of photos taken of him when we our out on the field. When we are not too busy we get a couple of shots of him as well. These are two of my favorite photos of him. The photo on the left I call "Collecting Water" and the photo on the Right I call "A Look Back In Time"

The outfits my son is wearing I made for him. The shirt on the left was copied from an original in my collection. The outfit he has on in the right picture is a miniature outfit that matches his dad's. That's Dad's hat on of course!

Children wore dresses or long gowns during the civil war until they were potty trained. And it was not unusual to see a four year old boy or even older in a gown! Boy, haven't times changed. Both of my baby boys looked more like boys in their clothing rather than babies when they were newborn! Their outfits where complete with baby baseball caps, and even soft sold tennis shoes. Yet when we start pulling out our reenactment gear my three year old waits in eager expectation for his turn to play dress up!

Back To Work

2009-04-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

It's been so hard to get back into the work mode. But I do love to sew and create as well as make a little money that I've decided to offer custom order dresses for this month. I posted a listing in my Victorian Times Etsy store as well as on eBay. We will see if I have any takers. In the mean time I intend to unpack my sewing machine and make a few ready made dresses.

I'm keeping my eye open for some 100% cotton organdy. I'd love to make some sheer dresses this year. Below is a picture of an original CDV of a lady with a sheer dress on. I always wondered how the women survived the heat of the summer months in all their layers of clothing, but when I learned that some of the dresses were made with sheer fabric it made more since to me. I think I can bear the heat of summer with a sheer dress, seeing how I wore a flannel dress to an August reenactment event!! Boy was that hot!

The following pictures are a before and after shot of our library in our new house. It is amazing what a little paint can do.

Before

After

I love having a library in our house. The built in book shelves where a very nice feature! When I post next, I show another before and after shot, as well as one of my newly inherited treasures. (The horse drawing on the wall in my library was drawn by my very talented sister in law who has an Etsy store called Pintogirl. She plans to stock her store with her artwork as well as western wear that she designs and creates.

Happy Spring & And Update!

2009-03-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, sorry for the long interlude! But I'm about ready to get back into my regular posting! We've just about got our new house to our liking. I've posted some photos of the outside of the house. We got about 10 inches of snow on the first of March! It was so beautiful. It's so hard to believe today is the first day of Spring.

Here is a side shot of our house.

And here are our beautiful Pines which did not fair well!

Here is the front shot of our house.

And here is another shot after it stopped snowing.

In the next couple of days I'll post some before and after shots of the inside of the house. I can't believe how much it has transformed the last 7 weeks.

It you live in the Roanoke, Virginia area and are in need of a great realtor make sure you look up Al Hardy. (You can click on his name to be taken to his web page.) Mr. Hardy was the best in helping us find the perfect house in a couple of weeks time! And he help us with all the paper work and inspections and thing up to closing. I highly recommend him!

In regards to my Victorian Era post, I will be getting back to them very soon. I inherited a few fun Victorian items that I want to post about as well so some very fun thrift shopping finds. This week I am making a Renaissance Style Wedding dress. Then in about a month I'll get back into making more Civil War Era dress and start posting more pictures of my creations.

Thank you everyone for your encouraging comments! I look forward to checking out my fellow bloggers' posts and leaving a few comments my self. Take Care, and check back in a couple of days for my next post.

Our New House

2009-01-15T06:35:00.000-08:00

We hope to close on our new house today! I can't believe what a long drawn out process this has been. The main floor has a Victorian feel to it. The outside of the house is not at all Victorian but Contemporary. Although I love the looks of the Victorian Style decor, my husband and I decided to go with a Primitive decor look to our new house. All of our Civil war items and old books will still look great in a Primitive setting.

If we close on our house today we hope to paint the basement on Saturday. The previous owners painted it a dark orange!

I will be another couple of months before we are fully settled into our new home. We have quite a bit of work. We are putting new cabinets in the kitchen and we have a lot of painting to do as well as a number of other things.

I've already bought some fun things for the new house. A great place to find some fun decorations is on Etsy. There are some great vintage finds as well as some wonderful handmade item.

One of my favorite soap shops is Grizzly Mountain Soap, on Etsy. They have some of the best buffalo soaps. I ordered a bar of soap for each one of the bathrooms in my new house. The fragrance from Grizzly Mountain Soap fills the room even better than a candle!

Win a $1000 Shopping Spree! Fun Etsy Contest!!

2008-12-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

We move Monday!! So lots of packing this weekend. I just wanted to pass along this fun Etsy Contest to all my readers.

WhatsInTheBox's Shop Announcement
welcome to our $1000 give-a-way!!!! This is a collection of feature shops that will be included in a $1000 give away prize!!!!! Absolutely no purchase necessary!

Do you like to MEET NEW PEOPLE, play GAMES, and win FABULOUS PRIZES like $1000 worth of GIFT CERTIFICATES from the shops you see listed here??? then come chat with us herehttp://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5936605

Each reply will be counted as an entry in the drawing! Come say hi, self promote, meet the artists, or shop in some of the stores listed here and let people know what you would put in YOUR ultimate mystery box! We play a lot of games and there are prizes as we go. And there are some AMAZING specials that are only available to those who are "in the know" on the thread.and sellers, if you want to be a part of this exciting experience, gain more exposure and drive more business to your store, then conversation us! we'd love to add you to our list of FEATURED SELLERS and include you in our next big drawing!!!! all it takes is one $20 gift certificate donation per store and a one time fee of $1 to cover the cost of your listing. Once we have 51 items listed here we will draw a winner and start all over again!

You dont have to donate to play. and if you do donate... you can still WIN!THIS ROUND'S FEATURE SELLERS INCLUDE:

1. frommyhandstoyours.etsy.com DESTASH, jewelry, scarves, shredded t's

2. Vidia2be.etsy.com

3. VictorianTimes.etsy.com (vintage & Reproduction items)

4. Sarahinflorida.etsy.com

5. DesignsbyEricaKortz.etsy.com

6. SouthernCreations.etsy.com-jewelry,photography,floral

7. JewelrybyJenn.etsy.com

8. HippyKlippyKlopShop.etsy.com A lil bit of everything

9. Junquete.etsy.com

10. HavenDawnDesigns.etsy.com

11. ClearLakeCreations.etsy.com

12. Desera21.etsy.com Hair Bows & Accessories

13. HammelmanArt.etsy.com

14. Sunnfox.etsy.com vintage treasures

15. Sheltie19.etsy.com

16. MoleHillTreasures.etsy.com

17. Krishenka.etsy.com

18. BeadWired8.etsy.com

19. ILoveHelloKitty.etsy.com

20. FlightFancy.etsy.com

21. Lyndee495.etsy.com

22. Lilesj.etsy.com-handmade chainmaille & metal jewelry

23. SarahNWonderland.etsy.com

24. Buppins.etsy.com vintage finds

25. IvyRoad.etsy.com

26. LizardQueenJewelry.etsy.com - One of a Kind & Custom Jewelry

27. CocosCreations.etsy.com-paper quilled items!!!

28. ShaShaAnn.etsy.com Art, Children's Art, ACEOs

29. JodayCraf.etsy.com

30. LoveStamp.etsy.com

31. LadyFarrah.etsy.com

There are some wonderful shops giving away $20 gift certificates and there will be 20 more shops added before the contest winner is drawn. Pop over to this link herehttp://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5936605 and just say hi for your chance to win.

Moving

2008-11-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Just letting everyone know that I am in the process of moving! Postings will be slow until the first of the year. At that time I will resume my normal weekly posting! Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

My New Dress!

2008-10-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

I just finished this new ball gown! I post some more pictures later and give some information about the dress!

Just For Fun

2008-10-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

I just had to give it a try! This is an ACEO or Artist Trading Card. It measures 2.5" x 3.5". Talk about tiny works of art! I've seen so many ACEOs on Etsy, I've been itching to make one. My ACEO is called "Shall We Dance" and it has a wine colored silk background glued to cardstock. The Dress and trim is also made of silk.

I hope to make more of these to put in my Victorian Times store, but for now this one is just for fun! Now I've got to get back to work!

A New Dress - One Custom Order Finished!

2008-09-30T11:12:00.001-07:00

Here is my latest Custom order dress. This was a ready made dress that I made some changes to to suit my customer! It's going in the mail today and I can't wait until she gets it. So that is one custom order and three to go! Hopefully there are more on the way. I just love this time of year.

This is an underpinning set. I have it for sell as a custom order in my Etsy Victorian Times store now. This is for a muslin set. I plan on listing it as a flannel set as well. Dickens people and civil war reenactors can get very cold while attending fairs and reenactments!

This is just the Chemise. It tucks in to the pantaloons. I am working on one of these today. I traded this for a very pretty necklace from another seller on Etsy.

I've got to get back to sewing. I thought I would update everyone with my new finished projects.

A Great Place for Cameos!

2008-09-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

This is my busiest time of the year. I love working on all my custom orders and making new friends as I work on their dresses! But I don't get a whole lot of time for other things such as writing on my blog. I currently have three dress orders and more coming, but today I'm taking the day off! (I've got to get my house back in order before I start on another project!)

I've posted several wonderful Victorian Shops on Etsy the last couple of months, but now I'd like to post a new one I've found. I just love Cameos. My Grandma gave me all of her cameos before she past away, and I think they are so pretty. Cameos can be rather expensive, so when I found the following shop on Etsy I was pleasantly surprise to see how affordable the cameos from Conscientias Cameo. Here are a few of my favorites:

All is Golden Ring

Blush Necklace

Free Love Brooch

Hook Earrings w/ Black and Grey Cameos

(These are my favorite! Any of my family reading my blog this would make a great Christmas present! Hint, Hint!)

Conscientias Cameos can be found on Etsy as well as on blogspot. Just click on any of the pictures or the highlight words to take you directly to Conscientias Cameos or blog. Thank you Conscientias Cameos for letting me feature you on my blog!

I will try to post when I can. And I'll try to post some photos of my custom made dresses in the upcoming days.

Warm and Cosy

2008-09-17T04:30:00.000-07:00

Here is my new dress. This dress is made out of soft and warm cotton flannel. It gets cold at some of the fall and winter reenactment events. When I bought the fabric for this dress I had the Dickens Christmas Fairs in mind. October is my big month for making Dickens dresses. The style of the dresses are the same as my civil war dresses only the colors are different. Most ladies I sew for ask for gem colored fabric (ruby, sapphire, and emerald) or dark Christmas colors (wine red and hunter green).

This dress is more of a ruby and sapphire colored dress. I have it listed in my store Victorian Times and I can't wait to see who buys it. This time of year it could be a civil war reenactor, a Dickens Fair reenactor, or even a Halloween shopper. Who ever buys it will stay nice and warm!

Here is a picture of the whole dress. It still needs to be hemmed. But I will hem it to the new owners measurements. Some people wear five and six bone hoops while I only have the dress on a four bone hoop. The bigger the hoop the longer the dress needs to be.

In the next few days I plan to feature some more Etsy sellers and some more wonderful Victorian items they sell.

An Update

2008-09-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hannah's Handwork silk dress for 18"doll.

Just to let you know, I've been busy sewing some new dresses. I hoping to put some more items in my Victorian Times store. I'll post my new dresses just as soon as I get them finished. In the meantime I would like to inform you that Hannah's Handwork , an Etsy seller I featured last month has added some new items to her shop. The two pictures of the doll dress from Hannah's Handwork is the same beautiful silk fabric of the ball gown in my shop.

Here is a close up of the doll dress.

Here is ball gown that is featured in my Victorian Times store.

You can click on the pictures to take you to the shops mentioned. I think Hannah has some wonderful items in her shop. I love to see what is new! She is now selling hand bound journals and address books that are just beautiful!

O.K. So it's Not Quite Victorian

2008-09-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

I just could not help myself. I think the Regency Dresses made popular by the Jane Austen novels are just lovely. I bought this blue fabric with the intention of making a Civil War Ball Gown, but the longer it sat the more I thought it would make a gorgeous Regency Gown. So here it is the dress I've been working on this week. The rest of the week I plan to go back to making Civil War dresses!

Side View

Back View

Front View With Sash

Back View With Sash

More of My Favorites!

2008-09-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

Here are two more CDVs that I plan on keeping! The first one is a picture of a young couple. They are either newly weds or a courting couple! Look at the way they are holding hands! When my husband and I were newly married we went to Civil War reenactments together. We were given a lot of grief for holding hands and public and where told that only courting couples hold hands, and not at all the way we hold hands now. I have not had a chance to research the art of holding hands during the Civil War era but now that I got this CDV it is a good reminder to want to know more!

The second CDV is of a civil war family. Wow! Six girls and only one boy! I wonder if they ever had any more. The image has faded with time but it is still a wonderful treasure. I just love large families. I know back then that it was normal to have a big family but now it's just not so common. My husband is the 2nd of 9 children, and I just love his family. It is fun to get together now that the family is getting bigger with Grandchildren!

When studying my family genealogy I found that most of my civil war ancestors had big families. And being from the south, all the boys of fighting age and sometimes even the fathers fought in the civil war. A couple families in my genealogy had all the boys fighting in the same civil war unit! (Of course it made my research a little easier!)

I hope you like these CDVs. I have some listed for sale in my Victorian Times store and plan to be listing more later.

An Interesting Find

2008-09-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a CDV album, from the civil war era, filled with CDVs. Some of the CDVs I plan to sell in my Etsy store Victorian Times, while others I intend to keep for my own collection. When I decide to keep a CDV it is because of something unique in the photo. While looking through the CDV album I came across the first picture shown. This picture of the older woman has an article of clothing that is not usually shown in photos, and that is a pinner apron.

Pinner aprons are aprons that have a bibbed front that is pined to the dress hence the name pinner apron. The aprons where worn to protect the dress while doing housework and such. Rarely where pinner aprons worn to take a nice picture.

The second picture is of a pinner apron and a work dress that I made a few years back. I have some pinner aprons made and I hope to be listing them in my Victorian Times store soon.

I am making some new dresses this week and I can't wait to post them for you all to see! Everyone has been so encouraging and kind in your comments!

Victorian Silhouettes

2008-09-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

On Monday I went to a Church Rummage Sale. The sale started on Saturday so I did not expect to find any extraordinary treasures. However, much to my surprise I found the black and white framed silhouette of the Victorian Gentleman and Lady. It was in the bottom of a box of Christmas decorations. I don't believe the silhouette is hand cut. It looks like it could be painted.

I bought the silhouette and when I got home I got out my craft paper and made a few silhouettes of my own. Only my silouettes are hand cut! Pictured is my first silhouette I have listed in my Etsy Store, Victorian Times. I titled it "Victorian Bride". The silhouette remind me of a Bride holding her flowers as she is about to get married. Although my silhouette is not quite as detailed, I like the way it turned out. And with more practice I hope to make more detailed silhouettes in the future.

Civil War Inspired Art

2008-08-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce a new seller on Etsy, Alissa Studio. Alissa set up shop last week and I just love her art work. I found out about her site after I wrote my last post. This is what she says of herself on her Profile:

"While working on my family tree, I became interested in those family members of whom I had no photos. I had piles of records, but no image of what they looked like. I began trying to create a visual reference for them in my paintings. Some of my paintings are inspired by these distant relatives of mine..." (Alissa Studio's Profile)

Joy

This is my favorite paint sold by Alissa Studio. I love the way Alissa captures the civil war look!

Here is an up-close view of Joy.

Caroline

This painting by Alissa Studio was inspired by an old photograph of Alissa's great great great grandmother, Caroline.

Here is the whole painting of Caroline.

Frontier Woman in Blue

Here is another painting that I like from Alissa Studio. If you like these panitngs you should check to see what Alissa's other paintings! Alissa paints pictures portraits from several different eras.

Thank you Alissa for letting me feature you on my blog! (This pictures were used with permission from Alissa Studio)

The Past at Your Fingertips

2008-08-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I sold out of CDV's in my Etsy Victorian Times store. A couple of ladies wore browsing "Civil War" and came across my original Civil War CDVs. So today I am listing some new ones. While looking at the faces of the women in the photos it made me look back in time for a while. What were these women thinking as they were having their pictures made. Was the terrible war just starting and they wanted to give their loved one something to remember them by? Or had the war just ended and now was the time to celebrate!

The photo with the woman with her hair pulled back has chevron strips on her sleeves. The sleeves are called a two piece coat sleeve and resembles the sleeves worn on military jackets. Chevrons are what the officers wore to denote rank. Women during the civil war mimic military marking and designs in their own dresses. It was fashionable to do so. Was this woman's sweetheart or son an officer in the army? Her eyes are so deep and serious.

These things we will never know. There are no names written on the back and no way of finding out who they are. They are now just artifacts, relics of our nations (the United States) most horrendous war. I'm sure these women had no idea their image will become collectors item. The very photo they held in their own hands now out lives them over a hundred years. Their pictures have seen things that were beyond their own comprehension. I'm sure they did not think there picture would be posted on line for all the world to see. And yet here they are. I know they did not think these things. When was the last time we wondered where our pictures will be 150 years from now while the photo was being taken?

Civil War Doll Dress

2008-08-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

I am back from the wedding and ready to start blogging again! Today I want to share with you another Etsy seller, Hannah's Handwork. Hannah is a new seller on Etsy but I think she will become very popular especially as the Christmas season approaches. Take a look at these cute civil war doll dresses she makes. They are just darling. What little girl would not want one of these!

This dress is a 3 piece set that includes the dress, a hoopskirt and a petticoat. That is a really good deal for $25! The dress will fit an 18 inch doll such as the American Girl dolls.

Here is an up close look at the petticoat!

Here's another three piece set!

This is my favorite! It is a 5 piece set that includes a bodice, skirt w/underbodice, hoop skirt, petticoat and bonnet. I just love the bonnet!

Here is an up close photo of the detail on the dress.

Check out Hannah's Handwork on Etsy. She has some more dresses as well as other items. Hannah's Handwork is a new shop so more items will be listed soon. (These photos were used with permission from Hannah's Handwork.)

I hope you enjoy looking at these beautiful civil war doll dresses as much as I do! If you would like more information about the dresses just click on the photos and it will take you to Hannah's Handwork.

Off To a Wedding!

2008-08-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not been posting much. A lot has been going on here getting ready for my brother-in-laws wedding. My family will fly out to Omaha Thursday, but there is still so much to do to get ready.

I don't have much time to post much, so since I'm on a wedding theme I'd like to post this beautiful Civil War Bride!

Victorian Dolls on Etsy

2008-08-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce to you Uneek Doll Designs. See your favorite literary and historical characters come to life! All miniature dolls are made by Uneek Doll Designs and are made without a pattern. Each doll is indeed one of a kind! Fell free to look at all the dolls at Uneek Dolls Designs on Etsy. Bellow are a few of my favorite dolls.

Ah! What is the civil war era without Scarlet O' Hara

and of course you can't have Scarlet without the handsome Rhett Butler!

Here's a couple I was surprised as well as delighted to see! Jefferson and Varina Davis

The lovable Queen Victoria Herself!

My favorite literary characters The Little Women: Jo, Amy, Meg, Beth, and Marmee.

These are just a few of the dolls offered by Uneek Doll Designs! Just click on the pictures to learn more about each doll.

Victorian Items on Etsy

2008-08-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

This week I plan to feature several people who sell Victorian Items on Etsy. If you like handmade or vintage items, Etsy is a great place to look for them.

Today I want to feature an item for sale by Lilly Queen. Lilly Queen has been selling on Etsy for three years come August 13th. You can find a wonderful assortment of jewelry in Lilly Queen's store. One of my favorite items for sale is the ring pictured. Lilly Queen calls the ring Victorian Marcasite and Mother of Pearl Ring. Rings were very popular during the civil war. This ring would be great for a living history impression or for a reenactor. It is very lovely.

Lilly Queen offers Internet parties that anyone can host. You can contact Lilly Queen for more information by going to Lilly Queen's Etsy store. You can also check out Lilly Queen on her blog Lilly Queen Jewelry.

Lilly Queen : http://lillyqueen.etsy.com/

Polka Dot Fun!

2008-08-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

Polka dots were very fashionable during the civil war and Victorian era, as was the Polka Dance. Here is an original picture of a civil war photo (CDV) of a lady in a polka dot dress. Also pictured is my newly made civil war day dress.

The polka dot dress comes with a paisley apron. Paisley was another design that was also popular during the civil war. I think polka dots are fun and make a simple yet elegant dress. I've had the CDV for years and wanted to make a dress with polka dots. When I saw the fabric I had to buy it. I knew it would make a pretty dress.

I am selling the dress in my Etsy store at http://victoriantimes.etsy.com/. While making the dress my two year old told me I was making a dress to go dancing! (He loves civil war balls!)

Civil War Ancestors

2008-08-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

I love to study and to learn about my civil war ancestors. Although I have many ancestor that fought in the war, I'm more curious about the ones who did not fight, the women and children. What a difficult time it must have been for the women and children to watch their husbands, fathers and brothers go off to fight.

Although I don't know to much about her, my favorite civil war ancestor is Sallie Winnie Wyatt. (I think I just love the name!) Her father Payton Wyatt was the first civil war soldier that I learned about. Sallie was born in 1861, in Virginia. at the start of the civil war. He father Payton enlisted with the 57th Virginia Infantry and was placed in Company F. Sallie's father died of disease a little over a year later of disease at Drewry's Bluff. Sallie grew up only hearing stories of her father. Sallie also had three uncles on her dad's side that also fought in the war, Silas, Robert and John. From what I can tell from my research, Sallie's uncle Robert was the only survivor of the war.

In 1879 Sallie married William Henry Altice who was born in 1858 in Franklin Co. Virginia. William's father, Abraham Altick also fought in the war. He fought in the 42th Virginia Infantry Company K. Although wounded several times Abraham lived through the war and died in Franklin Co. in 1900. He fought at 2nd Mananas, Harper's Ferry, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Ceder Creek, Cold Harbor and many other bloody battles.

William and Sallie Winnie had several children one was a daughter Eva Mae Altice. She was my Grandma's Grandma. My Grandma passed away in December, and there is still so much I want to know about her family. But the stories she did tell are now very priceless to me. Grandma gave me a picture of her Sallie Winnie when she was very old. Grandma did not have a picture of her in her younger age. But I will take what I can get and treasure it. (Sallie is the lady on the right.)

Victorian Recipe - Maccaroni Cheese

2008-08-02T04:19:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this recipe while looking though my 1861 Godey's Woman's Book. In our reenactment group we like to try to cook food that would have been served during the civil war. So I was pretty excited to find a receipt for Macaroni and Cheese! Often times spectators will ask if what we are cooking is from the Civil War Era. It is nice to be able to say with certainty, "Yes, it was made back then!"

Maccaroni Cheese.- Wash six ounces of maccaroni, put it in plenty of boiling water and a good deal of salt, let it boil half an hour, drain it in a colander; grate a quarter of a pound of rich cheese, place the maccaroni and cheese in alternate layers, in a shallow quart pie dish, letting the cheese come on the top; fill the dish with milk, in which a little butter has been melted 9but the milk must scarcely be seen in the dish), and upon this again place some small bits of butter; it should be placed in a very hot oven, where it will bake at the top and bottom equally in half an hour.

Now in order to make Civil War era macaroni and cheese you can't buy it in the cute Craft Boxes! But it must be made the old fashion way. I have not had macaroni made like this in a long time!

Please not the difference in spelling of macaroni and maccaroni. In my Godey's book it was spelled with two c's we now spell it with one c. So not only does it take less time to make now it also takes less time to spell!

Civil War CdV (Cartes de Visite)

2008-07-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

CdV's, or Cartes de Visite which means business card or calling card in French, were very popular during the civil war. Patented in 1854 by Andre Disdéri a Parisian photographer, CdVs were inexpensive to make and people could purchase portraits of themselves in large quantities to pass out to family and friends. The CdV's measured approximately 4 1/2 x 2 1/2" which made them easy to collect.

Popularity of the CdV's peaked between 1863 and 1876. Abraham Lincoln, General Grant, and General Robert E. Lee are some of the more collectible CdV's today as well as civil war soldiers. I on the other hand love to collect portraits of the women. They give me a first hand look at the dresses of the time.

Pictured is one of my favorite CdV's. The lady in the picture has on some rather large cameo earrings! The dress is just beautiful. The style of the dress is a Victorian Era Day Dress. I love to buy, sell, collect, and trade CdVs. This one is listed in my Etsy store along with some others.

1860's Work Dress

2008-07-30T06:20:00.001-07:00

When we think of the civil war era most often we think of hoop dresses and silk ball gowns. Yet not all women could afford the nice dresses. For the working class or farm women, they needed to wear something a little more practical than a bulky hoop.

Work dress resembled day dresses only the skirts were not as full. Under their skirts they would wear a corded petticoat or a couple layers of regular petticoats. The sleeves would be made to roll up such as the full gathered bishop sleeve. Women who did not have servants needed to be able to scrub their own laundry, weed the garden, beat the rugs and so much more.

Women were thrifty so they still wanted to protect their work dresses as best as they could so they wore pinner aprons. Pinner aprons covered the front of the dress and consisted of a bib that covered the bodice of the dress and a half skirt that covered the front skirt. It tied at the waist. Two straight pins held the bib up, hence the name, pinner aprons. Pinner aprons were easy to make and took less fabric than the dress.

For civil war reenacting and living histories the work dress is often called a camp dress. Women reenactors wear this style dress while they are cooking over the fire in the civil war camps.

My civil war ancestors were all Virginia farmers. They did not own slaves and had to do their own work. They were hard workers. So when doing living histories I love to portray a farm woman in tribute to them.

1861 Victorian Civil War Wrapper

2008-07-28T14:24:00.001-07:00

The dress pictured is from my 1861 Godey's book and features a dress known as a wrapper. I love the trim work on this dress. Notice how the dress buttons all the way down the front? By buttoning down the front it made it easier for women to put it on. They could wrap the dress around themselves hence the name wrapper.

Many women wore wrappers in the early morning hours before visitors would come by. Much like we may wear a robe today. Wrappers were also very common among pregnant women and nursing mamas.

The dress in the picture is nicer than a basic wrapper and could be worn as a visiting or calling dress.

2008-07-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have been out of town this weekend and have not be able to add to my blog. Starting Monday I'll be adding some content on different styles of civil war dresses. So please check back to see what I add. Here is just an introduction!

As civil war reenactors, we are always trying to find new ways to make our impressions more authentic and believable. So many people will tell us that this or that fabric would not have been worn, or a woman would not be caught with out her hoop. But in times of war, sometime fashion just goes out the door. Julia Johnson Fisher, a woman of the civil war stated in a journal entry, "For three long years the world has been comparatively lost to us. We know nothing of the changes that have taken place during that time. In dress we are just where we were in 1860 - for fashion, but rags and wrinkles are more plentiful." Just what exactly did the women wear during the civil war, and what can we wear to help our impression?

To be continued!

The Art of Reading Aloud

2008-07-23T06:34:00.001-07:00

I love to read, but I also love to collect old books. Victorian era books were beautifully bound and make very pretty decorations. My two year old already loves books and enjoys being read to. But I have to admit that reading out loud is indeed a lost art. The following article was taken out of an 1861 Godey's Lady's Book.

"Reading aloud is one of those exercises which combine mental and muscular effort, and hence has a double advantage.

To read aloud well, a person should not only understand the subject, but should hear his own voice, and feel within him that every syllable was distinctly enunciated, while there is an instinct presiding which modulates the voice to the number and distance of the hearers. Every public speaker ought to be able to tell whether he is distinctly heard by the farthest auditor in the room; if he is not, it is from a want of proper judgment and observation.

Reading aloud helps to develop the lungs just as singing does, if properly performed. The effect is to induce the drawing of a long breath every once in a while, oftener and deeper than of reading without enunciating. these deep inhalations never fail to develop the capacity of the lungs in direct proportion to their practice.

Common consumption begins uniformly with imperfect, insufficient breathing; it is the characteristic of the disease that the breath becomes shorter and shorter through weary months, down to the close of life, and whatever counteracts that short breathing, whatever promotes deeper inspirations is curative to that extent, inevitably and under all circumstances. Let any person make the experiment by reading this page aloud, and in less than three minutes the instinct of a long breath will show itself. This reading aloud develops a weak voice and makes it sonorous.. it has great efficiency, also, in making the tones clear and distinct, freeing them from that annoying hoarseness which the unaccustomed reader exhibits before he has gone over half a page, when he has to stop and clear away, to the confusion of himself as much as that of the subject.

This loud reading when properly done, has a great agency in inducing vocal power, on the same principle that muscles are strengthened by exercise; those of voice-making organs being no exception to the general rule. Hence, in many cases, absolute silence diminishes the vocal power, just as the protracted non-use of the arm of the Hindoo devotee at length paralyzes it forever. the general plan, in appropriate cases, is to read aloud in a conversational tone, thrice a day, for a minute, or two, or three at a time, increasing a minute every other day, until half an hour is thus spent at a time, thrice a day, which is to be continued until the desired object is accomplished. Managed thus, there is safety and efficiency as a uniform result.

As a means, then, of health, of averting consumption, of being social and entertaining in any company, as a means of showing the quality of the mind, let reading aloud be considered an accomplishment far more indispensable than that of smattering French, or lisping Italian, or dancing cotillions, gallopades, polkas, and quadrilles." Godey's Lady's Book and Magazine February 1861

My Victorian Children

2008-07-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Living History Reenacting with children can be quite an adventure! My first son started reenacting with my husband and me when he was five months old, and my second son started when he was three months old. There are a lot of challenges to reenacting with children especially when camping over night! However it can be a lot of fun as well. Both of my boys love to dress up. And we are constantly being asked by photographers and spectators if they can take the boys pictures. But how can you resist!

Here is my two year old. He's an old pro at reenacting!
He even knows how not to smile at the camera!

I love to take my two year old's picture when he doesn't know I'm taking pictures.

The Shirt my son is wearing was drafted after an original boys shirt that I have in my collection!

Here's me and my three month old! Yes ALL Babies wore dresses!
Technically my two year old should still be in a dress but it does not go over very well even in the reenactment circle.

And here is my precious little boy!

White Garden Lily - Knitted Artificial Flowers

2008-07-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here are knitting instructions form Godey's Lady's Book and Magazine March 1861. You are welcome to use these instructions however way you like. I have not made this myself, so if anyone makes it, feel free to live a comment about the difficultly of the instructions.

Six petals, six stamens, one pistil, are required to form each flower; two knitting-needles, NO. 19, and a skein of superfine white Shetland wool.

Cast on four stitches.
1st row. - Slip one, purl two, knit one
2d. - Make one, purl one, knit two, purl one.
3d. - Make one, knit one, purl two, knit two.
4th. - Make one, purl two, knit two, purl two.
5th - Make one, knit two, purl two, knit two, purl one.
6th - Make one, knit one, purl two, knit two, purl two, knit one.
7th - make one, purl one, knit two, and purl two alternately to the end of the row.
8th.- make one, knit two, purl two alternately to the end of the row.
9th.- Make one, purl two, knit two to end of row; knit last stitch plain.
10th- Make one, purl two, knit two to end of row; purl the last stitch.
11th - make one, knit one, knit and purl two alternately to the end of row.

You will now have fourteen inches, making seven ribs: continue these seven ribs until you have knitted a length of three inches from the beginning of the work. Break off the wool leaving a bit long enough to thread a rug needle with; with this needle take up seven stitches, which you must fasten off; then the other seven, and fasten in the same way, which completes one petal. Take a piece of fine wire sufficiently long to leave a small bit at the end for a stalk, and sew it neatly round the edge of the petal with white wood, which will make it in form.

Pistil. - cut a length of wire of about eight inches, fold a bit of green Berlin wool in six and split in two another bit of the same wool; place this lengthwise with the other wool, and place the wire across the wool, fold the wire down, and twist it as tightly as possible, thus in closing the wool; turn down the shortest end of the split wool, and twist the longest round it and the wire, so as to cover them evenly; fasten the wool with a slip-knot at the end of the stem. Cut off a part of the green wool at the top, so as to leave merely a neat little tuft of wool at the end of the wire.

Stamens are made in the same way as the pistil, merely using yellow Berlin wool instead of green, and covering the stem with white instead of green. Place one stamen with every petal, twisting the wires of both together. the pistil is to be placed in the centre of the flowers when made up. Sew the petals together, leaving them open about an inch at the top, as neatly as possible, and draw them close at the bottom, twisting the stems together.

Buds.- several buds are required; the large ones are of a very pale shade of green, the smaller ones of rather deeper color. they look best in double knitting, and should be done in different sizes from twelve to twenty stitches. Knit about an inch of these different widths, and open them like a little bag. Take a piece of coarse wire, double some common wool about the thickness of your finger, put it across the wire, which must be folded down and twisted very tight; put this wool into the little bag, and gather the stitches of the bud at the top, catching the wire with your needle to fasten it. this will form the shape of the bud; fasten the stitches also at the bottom, and cover the stem with green wool split in two.

Leaves- Different shades and sizes are required. Begin them all at the top, casting on four stitches; they look best in double knitting, without putting the wool twice round the needle; increase one stitch every second or third row, till you have eight stitches for the smallest, and sixteen for the largest size. Continue to knit without increase, till the leaf is the required length. The longest should be about a finger length, the smaller in proportion. the longest must be placed at the bottom of the stem when making up.

To finish a leaf, pull your needle out, and thread a rug needle with the wool, and pass it through the stitches so as to form a little bag, into which you must insert a bit of double wire; catch this at the top or sides to fix it, and it will keep the leaf in shape. Draw the wool tight on the while the stitches are threaded, and twist the wool at bottom round the little stem.

The next operation consists in mounting the branch. Begin at the top with the smallest bud, round the stem of which some green wire must be twisted. fix it at the top of a piece of bonnet wire, the length required for the long stem; continue to twist the wool round, and thus fasten the second bud, and the rest in the same way, at very small intervals. the flowers are fastened in a similar manner, according to taste, adding the leaves as needed.

Six buds, three flowers, and eight or ten leaves, form a beautiful branch.

Although the petals of the lily can be made up with the wool as it is, they look much better if, after being knitted, they are washed with a little blue in the water, and quickly dried, before the wire is put round them.

"Gen. Robert E. Lee" Cake

2008-07-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a recipe from Housekeeping in Old Virginia published in 1876!

10 eggs

1 pound sugar

1/2 pound flour

Rind of 1 lemon, and juice of 1/2 lemon

Make exactly like sponge cake, and bake in jelly-cake tins. Then take the whites of two eggs beat to a froth, and add one pound sugar, the grated rind and juice of one orange, or juice of half a lemon. Spread it on the cakes before they are perfectly cold, and place one layer on another. this quantity makes two cakes. - Mrs. I.H. (Mrs. Isabella Harrison)

I love Housekeeping in Old Virginia. The title page has the bible verse, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies... she looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Prov. 31, 10,27

Christmas in July!

2008-07-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

I make a lot of Dickens Christmas Dresses! In November and December a lot of people attend Christmas Dickens Fairs. At those fairs Ladies dress up in gem colored or Christmas colored hoop dresses, and men sport top hats, white gloves, and look very handsome in their Victorian suits. For onlookers, Dickens Fairs look like The Christmas Carol has come to life. Tiny Tim or even Scrooge himself might be around the corner!

This year I am taking Dickens Dress orders beginning July! I enjoy working with ladies as they share their idea of the perfect dress and then watch the dress take shape on my dress form. Some ladies like their dresses to be simple yet elegant. While other ladies like their dress to be very eye catching. The picture is one of the dresses I made last year as a custom order.

I am offering custom made dresses in my Etsy story. If you mention this blog I will discount the custom order 10%. Just type in Victorian Blog in the message to seller and I will refund you the 10% or send you a new invoice.

http://victoriantimes.etsy.com/

Civil War Fashion - Right or Left?

2008-07-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Civil War was a time of turmoil and distress in our nation, but it was also a time of beauty and elegance in women's clothing. While studying original garments, pictures, and fashion magazines of the era, I have come to find out some very interesting information on the construction of these beautiful dresses.
In our day and time women shirt's are buttoned right over left and men's left over right. Did you ever wonder how that got started? One day while finishing up a custom order dress I noticed that I had sewn the dress to button left over right. At first I was greatly troubled and thought I would have to start all over on the order. Then I decided to do a some research on the issue. I pulled out my CdV's (civil war photos), and my Godey's Lady Book to see if there was a right way to close the front of the dress during the civil war. Half of the CdV's in my collection were buttoned right over left, while the other was buttoned left over right.
I posted my discovery on on one of the civil war message boards, and asked if anyone knew any information on button preference. One person said that it depends on whether the lady was right handed or left handed and which way would be easier for her to button and unbutton. Another person said that it depended on whether the lady had a maid servant, who dressed her. My favorite answer was the following. Though out history men and women had a distinction in their clothing. There is a verse in the Bible that states a woman is not to dress like a man. During the civil war and after women's shirts started to become popular. To make a difference between men's shirts and women's the right over left and the left over right started to become the norm. So no in our time men wear their shirts left over right and women wear their shirts right over left.
I still don't know which answer is correct, but I do know there was not a preference during the civil war era. So if you want to add a little to you civil war impression think about having your next dress made to button left over right. And when someone tells you that your dress is buttoned wrong, you have a little piece of history to impart to them.

The dress pictured is one of my creations! You can see more of my dresses on Etsy

http://victoriantimes.etsy.com/