A Camp Dress!

I have spent the last two years of college studying, and not becoming very involved with clubs and other organizations because of that. However, this year will be the year that I join the College Company and start reenacting with a group! Obviously, that gives me an excuse to sew more clothes! So I sat down on Monday with my patterns and some fabric, and by Tuesday I had a new dress!

When I was in Arkansas I found this fabric on sale in the local Hancock's, and I immediately knew which dress I was going to make with it.

This dress is from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and was originally from West Chester, PA, sometime between 1775-1780.

For a pattern, I started by looking around at some of my favorite suppliers, but I couldn't find a pattern that resembled the original dress enough. So, I used two patterns that I already owned and drafted them together to create the dress. The stomacher and front of the bodice are from Mill Farm's Robe a l'Anglaise, and the back is from Mill Farm's Polonaise Gown. The skirt is a simple round gown skirt.

Unfortunately, I was so busy sewing that I didn't stop to take construction pictures. So, without further ado, here is the finished product! As always, if you have any questions about the construction methods or just want to talk about historical clothing, please feel free to leave a comment!