My first few attempts to make civil war era dresses.

Swipe to the end to see the corded skirt I made that really doesn't do its job. Lol!

Yes, I know they aren't very accurate but in my defense, it was hard to find the information I needed back pre 2010. I managed to find a pattern with several variations included for the bodice and then just instructions for making your own skirt pattern.

The cool thing about the skirt pattern is it's designed to waste hardly any fabric. That's why I still use that pattern whenever I can.

I made the boned bodice first. It was the first time I used grommets and boning. I made the second bodice and white wool skirt a year later. The second bodice was a total rush job and it shows.

I think that my criteria for "fit" has changed over the years so I may have intentionally made them a tad big.

I definitely want to try my hand at this era again.

I'm curious, would you have worn a historically inspired dress to a formal event as a teen?