Reconstruction Era Fashions: 350 Sewing, Needlework, and Millinery Patterns 1867-1868

Reconstruction Era Fashions contains a comprehensive selection of women’s styles from the years immediately following the American Civil War. The 350 patterns and 609 illustrations are drawn from a rare complete bound volume of the first issues of Harper’s Bazar, from November 1867 through December 1868.

Reconstruction Era Fashions provides sewing patterns for day dresses, evening dresses, accessories, outer wear, lingerie, corsets, crinolines, bridal wear, and clothes for riding and bathing. Instructions for enlarging, fitting, and using the patterns are included. Patterns for garment trimmings use such techniques as heirloom sewing, embroidery, crocheting, knitting, tatting, and ribbon work. Millinery patterns include bonnets, hats, and evening headdresses. Additional articles give instructions for authentic dressmaking, corset making, millinery, hairdressing, crocheted tatting, and netting. Selections from fashion columns describe materials, colors, shoes, jewelry, trousseaux, and mourning. In short, this book contains all the information needed to create a complete outfit—or many.

Reconstruction Era Fashions is a rich pattern source for sewers and needleworkers who recreate period costumes for the theater, living history, bridal wear, or dolls. It’s a valuable identification and dating tool for costume historians and vintage clothing collectors. And it will delight anyone interested in Victoriana.