Clothing for Drama...

[newtovintage]

Hello, my church is considering putting on a play, which would require making clothing similar to the clothes worn on Little House or some of the Love Comes Softly movies. I need some patterns that are very affordable and simple enough to make for a beginning/intermediate sewer.

By the way, the clothing styles I was referring to are the ones with exceptionally long skirts, ie. Miss Beadle from Little House & Marty from Love Comes Softly.

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

Is there a tentative date range for the play, or is it just a "pioneer wear in the 1800s" sort of description? For the former, you might want to be specific; for the latter, you can go hog wild and ignore historical accuracy to your heart's content, a la Little House on the Prairie. (It's easier that way...)

 

[newtovintage]

It's after the Civil War, about 1870-1880ish, definitely leaning more on the Little House clothes, mostly the clothes Laura wore after she was married, but also some of Miss Beadle's clothes as well. Or the clothing from Love Comes Softly. But definitely along those lines.

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

Having not seen much of "Little House on the Prairie", and none of "Love Comes Softly"...I'll look up a few 1870s-1880s patterns and get back to you.

I guess the biggest question is, how accurate do they want you to be?

 

[newtovintage]

I know from watching Little House that the clothing they wore was quite different from the fashions of that time. And as accurate as possible.

 

[BlancheDubois]

You might want to consider finding an appropriate blouse in a thrift shop and making a long skirt to go with it. The skirt would be much easier to make than a long sleeved blouse.

 

[texasgirl]

Here's a couple you might want to check out:

http://www.lafnmoon.com/patterns.html

http://www.pastpatterns.com/

 

[Lauren]

I've used Truly Victorian patterns a lot, and I'm very pleased with them. (I've even got a dress as a model for one of their patterns )
http://www.trulyvictorian.com

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

The ladies above beat me to some great pattern sites! They've got a great reputation if you want to go the historically accurate route.

My advice, if you're a beginner/intermediate sewer? Unless you have an awful lot of time and/or dedication, you *might* want to skip the historically accurate patterns. A number of them will require a corset to look right, just like girdles are required for certain Golden Era clothes to make the look "right". Also, you may find them too complicated at first.

If the two movies you mentioned are what the church said they're looking for, then anything approximating that should be fine. BlancheDubois' suggestion of buying a long-sleeved blouse and making a skirt is great. There are tons of skirt patterns out there; all you'd have to do is lengthen them if they're too short.

Cheap modern patterns (buy them on sale at JoAnn, Hancock's, etc.):

Simplicity "Historical & Period" costumes - 3723 for a "Little House on the Prairie"-like dress

Butterick Costumes - skirts, prairie dresses (look under "colonial" and leave off the bottom ruffle), petticoats

McCall's Costumes - fewer options here, IMHO, but still some prairie dresses and skirts

McCall's Costumes

Remember, you can get a very inaccurate modern pattern and change cosmetic details to make it look more historically correct. Don't be afraid to fake things like crazy - for instance, sewing buttons down the front of a dress that opens with a side or back zipper. Or using paint and stamps to make a "brocade" pattern on fabric. The audience won't be looking at your work up close. This can be a *huge* timesaver.

 

[newtovintage]

You might want to consider finding an appropriate blouse in a thrift shop and making a long skirt to go with it. The skirt would be much easier to make than a long sleeved blouse.

The only problem with that is that I need at least 5 blouses, most in the same style and similar colors. That's the main reason I wanted to get patterns. As far as time goes, I will have at least 3-4 months, maybe a bit more, depending upon when I get all the supplies. My mother will be able to help me with some of the sewing. Thank you everyone for all of the links, I really appreciate it.
Sarah

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

The only problem with that is that I need at least 5 blouses, most in the same style and similar colors. That's the main reason I wanted to get patterns. As far as time goes, I will have at least 3-4 months, maybe a bit more, depending upon when I get all the supplies. My mother will be able to help me with some of the sewing. Thank you everyone for all of the links, I really appreciate it.
Sarah

I'd still give the thrift store a try. As long as they don't have to be identical, you might be able to scrounge up enough similar 80s blouses (some 80s blouses, sans shoulder pads, can work well for that pseudo-Victorian-pioneer look).

Also, expect everything to take about 3 times longer than you expect. <--- voice of painful experience :eusa_doh:

 

[$ally]

I happened upon old bicentennial patterns that all the companies put out in 1976. I might still have some dresses, knickers, muffs, and sun bonnets that I made laying around. They are costumes, quick zip in the back, mostly in calico prints. None of them match though. What sizes do you need? I had children's to adult, I'd have to see what is left.

 

[newtovintage]

First, let me thank you all for your suggestions and advice. I really appreciated the links. After looking at them and studying them a little, I decided before hashing out any money to look through my Mom's patterns. It took me awhile, because she has so many. Anyhow, I found a few and would your opinions. http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp90/newtovintage/M9423.jpg?t=1232268470

IMG][/IMG]

. The Civil War petticoat I thought with the right change of fabric I could make it into an appropriate looking skirt. The prairie dress pattern is not the same one that I have, but they are both similar in cut. The blouse pattern with the most options, I thought I could tone it down a little. And the Gunne Sax pattern I thought looked very Edwardian. Any thoughts or opinions?