Clara's 1919 School Dress

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Since today was the first day of school for my kids, I decided to post a cute little school dress from 1919.

Clara’s dress is a post World War I fashion. The war had a huge influence on fashion, as the flowing andfrivolous styles of the early 1910s gave way to more practical fashions duringthe war. Clothing became more structured, borrowing details from militaryuniforms. Hemlines gradually became shorter as material was rationed.

Thisdress reflects military styling with the cuffed sleeves, yoke details, and thebox pleats on the skirt. Patch pockets add a practical, cute detail to thedress.

Clara’s shoes are simple slip-on shoes with low heels and alittle ribbon bow. The tall socks are simple, and mostly the same style as previous decades.
Clara has a soft felt cloche hat with a wideribbon woven into the brim. A cute pom-pom adds a whimsical detail to the hat.

Hat styles were also transformed by World War I. At the beginning of the decade hats had wide, floppy brims, but by the end of the decade hats had pretty narrow brims.


To print Clara's Dress, use this PDF file:
 Clara's Dress 54 (767k)
Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.
To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file: The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

Clara's 1891 Party Dress

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Today's dress is a very frilly "princess dress" that most girls would love. Fashions in the early 1890s were very ornate, although the bustles and crinolines of previous decades were even more elaborate. Tight bodicesand drapy skirts were quite popular, and sleeves got puffier as the decade went on.

Clara’s party dress iscovered in lace and bows. The ruffles at the neck, elbows, waist, and knee arequite showy, adding enough detail to make this into a princess dress almost anygirl would love.
Clara’s hat has a wide brim and is completely covered inruffles and bows.
The party shoes worn by Clara are slippers with low heels.The shoes are covered with ruffled silk, and decorated with small bows to matchthe dress.

The original dress was light pink with a white lace collar. All the lace details and bows were black. The original hat was a straw hat with gold and white ribbons on top. The shoes were a light pink silk.


To print Clara's dress, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 55 (843k)
Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.
To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file: The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

Clara's 1990 Bridesmaid Dress

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This week, we will jump forward in time by a century from the last post, Clara's 1891 Party Dress. Although the dresses are separated by an entire century, many of the major fashion elements of the dresses are similar... the puffy sleeves, the full skirts, the tight bodices and pointed dropped waists. Even the use of lace is paralleled in the two dresses.

The more formal dresses of the late 1980s and early 90s are actually in a romantic style that borrow elements from Victorian styles of the previous century. The romantic style of dress was a sort of reaction to the ripped and sloppy looks of the early 80s.

The lace, puffy sleeves, and ruffles may have been a bit much for the fashion world, and by the end of the 1990s, most styles were pretty casual, and not very extreme.

Clara's dress this week is even more formal than some dresses might be in 1900, since it was intended to be a bridesmaid dress. The original dress is made with a layer of a gauzy peach fabric under a gauzy sheer layer of lacy white.

The original shoes were gold silk, of a shade that would clash with the peach dress. Fortunately, you can select your own colors.  Dyed silk shoes have been poplar for centuries, because they can be dyed the exact color of a dress, making a completely cohesive outfit. Nowadays, matching dyed shoes are usually only worn on very formal occasions like weddings.


To print Clara's dress, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 56 (783k)
Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.
To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file: The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

Clara's 1869 Winter Overdress

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I hear reports of snow across the country, although we certainly haven't seen any (and are very unlikely to see any here in the Arizona desert). But we did turn on our heat for the first time today, and are glad that our heater works.

So I decided to draw a nice, warm dress for Clara today -- an 1869 silk or taffeta party dress, with a matching overdress.

Have you ever seen a 1950s or 60s movie, where the movie star arrives at a party with a gorgeous cloak that matches her evening gown? Such high fashion was not a new idea... in the 1860s, it was quite the thing to have a cloak that matched your party frock. Even then, the idea of having a cloak to match your dress was not a new idea, having been a practice of the wealthy for hundreds of years.

It seems very impractical to me to have a coat you could only wear a few times. However, it sure is cute!

Clara has a little feathered bonnet to go with her dress, and some tall button-up boots to finish off her outfit.

The original dress was cranberry red. The overdress was cream colored with red trim. The bonnet was a matching red with white ostrich feathers. The boots were black.

To print Clara's dress, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 57 (783k)
Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.
To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file: The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

Clara's 1819 Regency Evening Dress

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Fashion in the early 1800s could be pretty complicated for society ladies. There were morning dresses, walking dresses, visiting dresses,  traveling dresses, riding dresses, dinner dresses, and evening dresses. There were fashion rules about how long the sleeves could be – for instance, it was not acceptable to wear short sleeves in the morning. Morning dresses were long-leeved and high-necked.

As a young lady, it would be proper for Clara to wear short sleeves in the evening. She could also have a wide neckline, but to be modest, she would need to wear ankle-length pantalettes under her gown. Bare arms were ok, but ankles! No way.

Of course, as always, high fashion was for the wealthy, so we'll have to pretend that Clara was wealthy and could afford expensive dresses.

The period in fashion from 1811 to 1820 is commonly known as the Regency Era. Dresses typically had high waists, and a simple silhouette. Layers of cloth created a flowing style. Evening dresses were typically decorated with rows of elaborate ribbons, tucks, or other decorations. Clara’s dress is a silk party dress, but not as elaborate as some evening gowns, since it is only decorated with a simple leaf detail.

A pair of thin dancing slippers with tiny bows and some tall silkstockings finish off the outfit.
Young ladies typically wore white or pastel colors in the 1810s when they dressed up for an event. The original  dress was a light, greenish tan (which may have been originally white, but turned brown with age). The leaf designs and ropes, and the neck and sleeve trim were a dull turquoise.

To print Clara's dress, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 58 (775k)
Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.
To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file: The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

Pagoda Glittens

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These are really nice and warm.  I must make some for myself.



Materials:
-4mm double pointed needles (set of 4)
-Caron Simply Soft yarn in Pagoda (1 skein)
-Yarn or tapestry needle

Gauge:
10 sts x 10 rows = 2.5 in x 1.5 in



Abbreviations:
sts- stitches
k- knit
p- purl
CO- cast on'
BO- bind off
yo- yarn over
m1- pick up and knit the bar in between the 2 sts
k2tog- knit 2 together
dpns- double-pointed needles

Glittens:
CO 27 sts.
Divide between 3 dpns.
Join in the round.
Work k1, p1 rib for 2 in.
Next round:  Needle 1:  k1, m1, k1, m1, k to end.  Needle 2:  k all sts.  Needle 3:  k to last 2 sts, m1, k1, m1, k1.
Next round:  Needle 1:  k all sts.  Needle 2:  k all sts.  Needle 3:  k all sts.
Repeat these 2 rounds once more.
On the final round, BO 2 sts at the end of needle 3.
Next round:  Needle 1:  BO 2 sts, k to end.  Needles 2 and 3:  k all sts.
Work as if you're working on straight needles for 4 more rows.
At the end of the 4th row, CO 2 sts at the end of needle 3.
Next round:  Needle 1:  CO 2 sts, k to end.  Needles 2 and 3:  k all sts.
K all sts until work measures
BO all sts.
Now, CO 15 sts onto 1 dpn.
Pick up and knit 18 sts onto another one.
Join in the round.
K all sts until work measures 7 in. from beginning of work.
Next round (Note:  For other hand, reverse all shaping.):  Needle 1:  k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.  Needle 2:  k1, k2tog, k to end.
Next round:  Needle 1:  k all sts.  Needle 2:  k all sts.
Repeat these 2 rounds 2 more times.
Next round:  Needle 1:  k1, k2tog, k to end.  Needle 2:  k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
Next round:  Needle 1:  k all sts.  Needle 2:  k all sts.
Next round:  Needle 1:  k1, k2tog, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.  Needle 2:  As needle 1.
Next round:  Needle 1:  k all sts.  Needle 2:  k all sts.
Repeat the last 2 rounds 2 more times.
BO all sts.
Thumb:
Pick up and knit 14 sts around thumb hole.
Divide between 2 dpns.
Join in the round.
Round 1:  Needle 1:  k all sts.  Needle 2:  k all sts.
Work this round until work measures 3 in. or the length of your thumb.
Cut yarn, leaving a 6 in. end.
Thread yarn through yarn (or tapestry) needle.
Thread needle through all sts.
Take out dpns.
Pull tight and weave in your ends.

Finishing:
Sew up the top of the glitten.
Weave in your ends.

Pig Doll

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This is a knitted replica of Pig from the comic strip, Pearls Before Swine.  I shall not post the pattern, for I do not want to rip off the awesome Stephan Pastis, but I will tell you that I used Red Heart Soft yarn in Dusty Rose.

This is my gorgeous friend, Taylor, holding her beloved Pig.








This is a close-up of the Pig doll, with my friend, Jo, wearing the Pagoda Glittens I gave her.

And there will also be a doll of Rat coming soon, too, although probably post-Christmas.