McCall's M4548 (2004)

I'll keep this short since I'm not in a very good mood right now. Nothing specific; I'm just still a bit stuffy, and I haven't had time to work on the pioneer dress that I really, really, do need, and I'm about ready to give up on the entire concept of dating.

I've been wearing the same dress for reenacting since I was fourteen. Theoretically I'm not old enough to be squeamish about my age, so I'll say it: 1991. Since 1991. I think 20 years is enough for just about any piece of clothing.

It wasn't an official Civil War dress when we started; it was just a late-1980's oversized post-Prairie thing with a long skirt and a dropped waist that wasn't too noticeable when I had a big apron on. We made it out of dark brown plaid brushed cotton, and it actually looked OK. I'm sure there were accurate 19th century dress patterns available at the time, but this was aeons before we had Internet access and we would have had no idea where to find any.

This isn't it, but it's very similar, ankle length, minus the waist tie, the tucks and ruffly trim stuff on the front, and with a Mandarin collar.

Anyway, the buttons are coming off, the speed-lacers on my boots have ripped the hem out a few times too many, and it shrank in the wash so the sleeves are too short. And it's still really, really, inaccurate.

I'm not quite up to totally accurate but I'm at least going to try to strike a balance between less-conspicuously-inaccurate and something that I can finish by November 11. I also don't want to buy any more fabric if I can help it. I have too much that needs to be used, and I don't want to spend the money. I've settled on McCall's M4548 (2004). I used to own this and made the chemise ages ago, but chucked the rest of the pattern.

Who needs a pattern for a half-apron, anyway? Especially an absurdly skimpy one like that.

Here is McCall's in-vivo shot:

Mine won't be electric blue plaid, and I can see that I'm going to have to do some test-fitting even if I weren't contemplating some alterations. For one, that embarrassing collar is gone. Sheesh. It makes her look like Olive Oyl's grandmother. And a Civil War era dress really should have a separate collar, anyway, basted on, so it could be changed when it got dirty. Attached collars on work dresses are one of my pet peeves even in modern clothing.

Here it is in real life.

And again, though heavily altered.

I think the skirt probably needs to be more full but I doubt I'll be able to manage it with the fabric I plan to use, because I don't think I'll have enough. I love the tucks but I think I'll probably have to leave them out to make my yardage go far enough. We'll see.

The bodice is no great shakes but, if nothing else, I think I need to drop the shoulder seams more. I'm tempted to take the sleeves in a bit to make it easier to play the guitar, but, stylistically, I should probably leave them alone.

I'm using the lemon-lime pinstripe that Sheila gave me:

Except it's been overdyed green:

(That's 1 bottle Rit Teal, 1 box Rit Dark Green, and 1 box Rit Irish Green, FYI. It came out a really nice color.)

Hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze in a new slat bonnet, too.