Portfolio de Couturier: Pioneer Days
The year was 1848 and New Territory was added to the United States of America…Oregon Territory. This new territory included the areas we now know as the states of Oregon, Montana, Washington and Idaho, but then it was one large area of land that was opened up for settlers and pioneers.
The opportunity to settle in the new land had many people excited about the possibility it could hold. People looking for new farmland, timber and a chance for a new life could find it in the Oregon Territory.
The journey was hard and long, taking at least 4 months to reach your destination. Wagons were small, thus requiring people to pack only what they would need…nothing more. With little space to pack more then just your necessities, women were required to leave their fancy hoop skirts and crinolines behind. Some ladies made working gowns and aprons to take with them, while other insisted on bringing along their costly silks and satins.
The year was 1848 and New Territory was added to the United States of America…Oregon Territory. This new territory included the areas we now know as the states of Oregon, Montana, Washington and Idaho, but then it was one large area of land that was opened up for settlers and pioneers.
The opportunity to settle in the new land had many people excited about the possibility it could hold. People looking for new farmland, timber and a chance for a new life could find it in the Oregon Territory.
The journey was hard and long, taking at least 4 months to reach your destination. Wagons were small, thus requiring people to pack only what they would need…nothing more. With little space to pack more then just your necessities, women were required to leave their fancy hoop skirts and crinolines behind. Some ladies made working gowns and aprons to take with them, while other insisted on bringing along their costly silks and satins.
A new life in Oregon meant making do with what you had and also learning new ways to sew garments. Without access to ready made gowns, silk fabrics and dress shops ladies on the frontier learned to make their own fabrics.
One of the most important items a pioneer lady or girl could own was the Sunbonnet.
With the hot sun, and harsh weather conditions the sunbonnet was their do it all fashion accessory. Some of the early sunbonnet styles were made with casing in the brim of the sunbonnet, so that wooden slats could be inserted into it to hold the brim of the bonnet out to shield the face.
One of the most important items a pioneer lady or girl could own was the Sunbonnet.
With the hot sun, and harsh weather conditions the sunbonnet was their do it all fashion accessory. Some of the early sunbonnet styles were made with casing in the brim of the sunbonnet, so that wooden slats could be inserted into it to hold the brim of the bonnet out to shield the face.
Many styles of the Sunbonnets were made, fancy versions for church and social occasions, sturdy homespun bonnets for doing farm chores and warm wool bonnets for the harsh and cold winters on the prairie.
Straw bonnets were popular because straw was so readably available. Girls and ladies found braiding bonnets to be an enjoyable pastime and it also gave them something to do when walking those long dusty trails on the way to Oregon.
What did Girls and Ladies in Pioneer Days wear?
Straw bonnets were popular because straw was so readably available. Girls and ladies found braiding bonnets to be an enjoyable pastime and it also gave them something to do when walking those long dusty trails on the way to Oregon.
What did Girls and Ladies in Pioneer Days wear?
Many of the garments that girls and ladies wore were made to be practical and wear well. Aprons and pinafores were a must when working or doing chores in the kitchen. Dresses were simple styles with long full skirts and long sleeves that could be rolled up for working or fancier sleeve styles were made for Sunday Dresses.
The styles for fancy dresses or Sunday Dresses were kept relatively simple in design, perhaps accented with hand made lace or some pretty pieces of silk on the neckline or sleeves. For winter time, girls and ladies wore warm wool coats and knitted or crocheted scarves, shawls and hats or bonnets.
A Petticoat was a must have item in any girls or ladies wardrobe. Made of a pretty white cotton or linen a lady always tried her best to keep them snowy white even on the dusty prairie. Petticoats were also a place that girls could practice their lace making skills and embroidery work. Girls and ladies would often have a couple petticoats, one for everyday, another for Sunday best and finally a heavy flannel or wool on for winter. If you wanted to look especially stylish you could layer on more then one petticoat for a full skirted effect.
The styles for fancy dresses or Sunday Dresses were kept relatively simple in design, perhaps accented with hand made lace or some pretty pieces of silk on the neckline or sleeves. For winter time, girls and ladies wore warm wool coats and knitted or crocheted scarves, shawls and hats or bonnets.
A Petticoat was a must have item in any girls or ladies wardrobe. Made of a pretty white cotton or linen a lady always tried her best to keep them snowy white even on the dusty prairie. Petticoats were also a place that girls could practice their lace making skills and embroidery work. Girls and ladies would often have a couple petticoats, one for everyday, another for Sunday best and finally a heavy flannel or wool on for winter. If you wanted to look especially stylish you could layer on more then one petticoat for a full skirted effect.
Pioneer girls and ladies would wear jewelry to dress up many of their outfits. Pins, Cameos and brooches of all kinds were popular to wear on blouses, dresses and shawls.Earrings or earbobs, as they were called in the 1800’s, necklaces, lockets and bracelets were still worn just as they are today. Ladies were also fond of wearing pin watches; these were delicate little watch faces attached to a pin and were put on upside down so that the wearer could reach down and look at the face of the watch and it would be the right side to her.
Fun Fashion Facts:
Pioneer Ladies learned to make their own fabrics with homespun fibers and colored the cloth with home made dyes. Vegetables were the most popular items used for dying colors as well as store bought pigments.
Interested in trying your hand at a little Pioneer Fabric Dyeing?
I would recommend starting with tea dying. This process is quite easy and requires little supplies….here is recipe to get your started. Tea Dying gives fabrics an aged or antiqued appearance and looks great on a variety of things.
--- Pioneer Tea Dying ---
What fabrics to dye: Cottons, linens, flannel, denim and cotton lace.
Ideas of what to dye: Fabric, skirts, blouses, curtains, quilts…etc.
What kind of Tea to use: I have found that Regular Lipton teas works the best, but any kind of regular tea (not herbs, or berry) will do just fine.
The more tea you have in the kettle, the darker the tea dye will be.
---Tea Dying Recipe---
You will need about 5 to 8 bags of tea per batch
Large cooking kettle or pot
Wooden spoon or stirring spoon
Fill the kettle with water until about half full or full enough to submerge your fabric completely. (Do not put fabric in yet) Put on Medium heat and let simmer.
Open your tea bags and remove the little paper tags from the ends of the strings. Next put all your tea bags into the kettle and let them steep for about 5min or until the water looks like a big pot of tea. Turn the stove heat to medium low. Remove the tea bags and place your fabric into the water, stir with the spoon and continue to stir your fabric until desired color is reached.
Once you are pleased with the color, rinse your fabric in cold water…wring it out then put it on the clothesline (or in the dryer works too). You now have a custom tea dyed fabric!
What fabrics to dye: Cottons, linens, flannel, denim and cotton lace.
Ideas of what to dye: Fabric, skirts, blouses, curtains, quilts…etc.
What kind of Tea to use: I have found that Regular Lipton teas works the best, but any kind of regular tea (not herbs, or berry) will do just fine.
The more tea you have in the kettle, the darker the tea dye will be.
---Tea Dying Recipe---
You will need about 5 to 8 bags of tea per batch
Large cooking kettle or pot
Wooden spoon or stirring spoon
Fill the kettle with water until about half full or full enough to submerge your fabric completely. (Do not put fabric in yet) Put on Medium heat and let simmer.
Open your tea bags and remove the little paper tags from the ends of the strings. Next put all your tea bags into the kettle and let them steep for about 5min or until the water looks like a big pot of tea. Turn the stove heat to medium low. Remove the tea bags and place your fabric into the water, stir with the spoon and continue to stir your fabric until desired color is reached.
Once you are pleased with the color, rinse your fabric in cold water…wring it out then put it on the clothesline (or in the dryer works too). You now have a custom tea dyed fabric!
Sincerely,
Miss Brielle
Portfolio de La Vie : Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born in 1867 on February 7th near the town of Pepin, Wisconsin. She was born to Charles and Caroline Ingalls, and her father's parental grandmother was from the famed family of Delano, who was descendants of the Mayflower passenger Richard Warren. Laura had one older sister, Mary Amelia, who became blinded after having scarlet fever. Laura also had a younger sister Caroline Celestia, whom they called Carrie. She also had a young brother, Charles, who died at the age of nine months, and then a sister named Grace Pearl.You may already know quite a bit about Laura Ingalls because you grew up watching or reading "Little House" books. My older sister and I did. It was one of my sister's favourite TV series, and one worth watching. Laura Ingalls lived a truly remarkable life as a pioneer. When Laura was still a young girl her father bought a homestead on what was called the Indian Territory, but only after two years of living in Independence, Kansas, the Ingalls family
moved back to their home in the "Big Woods".When Pa got restless in the Big Woods, he moved the family, various times, to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, South Troy, Minnesota, and Burr Oak, Iowa. The family finally settled down in De Smet, Dakota Territory on a homestead claim, and the next spring Pa got a job working on the railroad in 1879. From the winter of 1879 to 1880 the Ingalls watched De Smet rise from the prairie plains. The next winter, as Laura recorded in her book The Long Winter, was one of the worst winters in the Dakotas. When everything was settled for the Ingalls Laura began to attend the school, and there she met another homesteader Almanzo Wilder.
When Laura was fifteen she took a position as a teacher, and over the next three years she managed her time so she could teach and attend school herself in De Smet. Laura never really said if she liked teaching or not, but she had felt it was her responsibility to earn wages to help her family. On August 25th, 1885, Laura quit her teaching and married Almanzo, who had accomplished a degree of prosperity on his homestead claim, because the rain had been in his favour. Laura went with Almanzo to his new claim and determined to help him make it a success. In 1886 on December 5th, Laura gave birth to her first child, Rose Wilder, and then three years later; Laura gave birth to an unnamed son, who died soon after his birth.
For the first few years of the Wilder's marriage, there were many trails for which they had to face, including the complications of the bout of diphtheria that Almanzo had, which left him partially paralyzed. Though he did recover, he had to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. This and many other roadblocks led to a series of disasters in the Wilder's life. Those include the death of their son, the destruction of their home and barn, which caught fire, and they were unable to earn a living from the 320 acres of prairie land on which they owned. These trails are recorded in The First Four Years, which was a manuscript that was found after the death of Rose Wilder Lane, and was published in 1971.
In 1890, the Wilders went from their home in South Dakota to spend a year with Almanzo's parents in Minnesota, on their prosperous farm, before they went to live, briefly, in Westville, Florida. They went to Florida, thinking it would improve Almanzo's health, but it only wilted Laura, who was used to the dry plains, and not the heat and humidity. So in 1892, the Wilder's soon returned to De Smet and purchased a small house. The Wilder's got special permission to put Rose, who was precocious, which means she was unusually advanced or mature in development, in the school. Almanzo took a job as a day laborer and Laura as a seamstress so they could save up enough money to start a farm again.
In 1894, the couple moved for the finally time to Mansfield, Missouri, using their savings to place a payment on a piece of undelvopled land, which they named Rock Ridge Farm. It began as 40 acres of thickly-wooded stone-covered hillside, with a windowless cabin, but over the next 20 years the Wilder's turned it into to a 200 acre prosperous poultry, dairy, and fruit farm. They also replaced the little cabin with an impressive and unique ten-room farmhouse, complete with outbuildings. The Wilder's acquired financial security very slowly. The only income Almanzo
brought was from selling wagonloads of firewood at 50 cents, which was the result of backbreaking work that worked towards the clearing of trees and the stones from land that eventually evolved into fertile fields and pastures. The apple trees that were there took seven years to bare fruit. Unfortunately the Wilder's were barely able to make it on their new farmland, and decided to move to Mansfield in the late 1890s and rent a small house. Almanzo then took a job as an oil salesman and general delivery man. Laura took on boarders and served meals at the local railroads. Any free time the couple had was spent improving the farm and looking to a better future.During this period in the Wilder's life, Almanzo's parents came for a visit and presented Almanzo and Laura with a gift. The deed to the house they were renting, which was a boost for them so that they could eventually sell the Mansfield house and move back Rocky Ridge permanently and expanded their land. The house they had built there still stands today and is a testament to their labors. Laura was always involved in various clubs and associations, which was recognized as an authority in poultry farming and country living. Because of this, Laura was invited to speak in front of groups around the region. She also followed Roses as she developed a writing career, which also inspired her to write herself. She was given the opportunity to submit an article to the Missouri Ruralist in 1911, which led her to a permanent position as a columnist as well as an editor with the publication.
When Laura's "Little House" series began to receive notoriety the Wilder's wealth was stabilized, but even before then Laura's writing and working at a Farm Loan Association was enough for the family to live on and put them into the middle class. Rose encouraged her mother to use her writing career in national magazines, she as she had done. Laura was unsure of herself, and didn't want to go from something like the Missouri Ruralist to these well-known magazines. When she submitted anything it was heavily edited by Rose and placed through Rose's connections. For much of the 1920s and 1930s Rose's career continued to flourish and so she stayed with her parents at Rocky Ridge.As Almanzo was in his 70s, help was hired to take care of the remaining farm work, which Almanzo could no longer manage. Everything seemed to be going well for the Wilder's, until the Stock Market crashed in 1929 and wiped out their investments. Rose was faced with the very gloomy choice of having to sell enough writing to maintain financial responsibility. Almanzo and Laura became dependent of Rose.
Much controversy surrounds how much of a part Rose played in the writing and publishing of her Mother's "Little House" series. Some think she was only there for support, while others think that Roses took Laura's manuscripts and turned them into the stories we have today. No one is certain. Though two of Rose's most successful novels, Let the Hurricane Roar (1932) and Free Land (1938), were written up during the time the "Little House" books were have many confused. Rose didn't take interest in writing "juvenile" books as she called them, but still it's not certain what part she had in the writing of the series.
At any rate the "Little House" series has remained one of the most loved stories of all times and is still being printed today. We have a few of the "Little House" series books around our house and at one time or another we've had them all from the library here. They truly are a treasure. The series has also been translated into many languages. By the mid-1930s the series had reached the earnings the Wilder couple had made over the past 50 years of marriage. Various honours and huge amounts of fan mail was given to Laura for this series. Her name received top billing on the covers of magazines where her fiction articles appeared.
In the late 1930s Rose left Rocky Ridge farm and established a home in Harlingen, Texas, and also in Connecticut. During these years Almanzo and Laura were often at home by themselves at the farm. Most of the surrounding property was sold, but them kept some to farm animals and tend to their flower and vegetable gardens. Almost daily carloads of fans would stop by to meet "Laura". The Wilder's lived independently without any financial worries until Almanzo died in 1949, at the age of 92. Laura was very grieved by the death of her beloved, but determined to live at Rocky Ridge, despite Rose's request for her mother to come live with her. During the next eight years Laura lived alone, and was looked after by a circle of friends and neighbors, most found it hard to believe that this was "Laura Ingalls Wilder". During these years Laura continued to correspond with many of her editors, fans, and friends.
Throughout the 1950s Rose came to spend the winters with her mother, and once Laura went with Rose to Connecticut by airplane. When Rose came to visit for Thanksgiving in 1956, she found her mother, who was now at the age of 89, very ill from undiagnosed diabetes and a weak heart. Several weeks at the hospital seemed to do Laura good and she was able to return home after Christmas. However she was old and very ill, and her health only declined. She had always remarked that she wanted to live until she was ninety as "Almanzo had", and she succeeded for three days after her ninetieth birthday, Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder died in her sleep at her beloved Mansfield home.
Rose left Mansfield for good shortly after Mother's death, but she did donate Rocky Ridge Farm and most all it's contents to the Laura Ingalls Wilder-Rose Wilder Lane Home Association, which continues to received thousands of annual visitors and is considered a National Historic Landmark.
In 2006 Laura was honoured on the Missouri Walk of Farm, and an Ingalls' cousin Reverend David Ingalls accepted the star in her place. The start is located in Marshfield, Missouri.
Miss Jocelyn, GGM Sr. Exec. Market- Manager, is a senior homeschool student with a passion for writing truth. She blogs from her heart at A Pondering Heart, designs blogs at A Pondering Heart Boutique, and owns and operates Feelin' Feminine.
At any rate the "Little House" series has remained one of the most loved stories of all times and is still being printed today. We have a few of the "Little House" series books around our house and at one time or another we've had them all from the library here. They truly are a treasure. The series has also been translated into many languages. By the mid-1930s the series had reached the earnings the Wilder couple had made over the past 50 years of marriage. Various honours and huge amounts of fan mail was given to Laura for this series. Her name received top billing on the covers of magazines where her fiction articles appeared.
In the late 1930s Rose left Rocky Ridge farm and established a home in Harlingen, Texas, and also in Connecticut. During these years Almanzo and Laura were often at home by themselves at the farm. Most of the surrounding property was sold, but them kept some to farm animals and tend to their flower and vegetable gardens. Almost daily carloads of fans would stop by to meet "Laura". The Wilder's lived independently without any financial worries until Almanzo died in 1949, at the age of 92. Laura was very grieved by the death of her beloved, but determined to live at Rocky Ridge, despite Rose's request for her mother to come live with her. During the next eight years Laura lived alone, and was looked after by a circle of friends and neighbors, most found it hard to believe that this was "Laura Ingalls Wilder". During these years Laura continued to correspond with many of her editors, fans, and friends.
Throughout the 1950s Rose came to spend the winters with her mother, and once Laura went with Rose to Connecticut by airplane. When Rose came to visit for Thanksgiving in 1956, she found her mother, who was now at the age of 89, very ill from undiagnosed diabetes and a weak heart. Several weeks at the hospital seemed to do Laura good and she was able to return home after Christmas. However she was old and very ill, and her health only declined. She had always remarked that she wanted to live until she was ninety as "Almanzo had", and she succeeded for three days after her ninetieth birthday, Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder died in her sleep at her beloved Mansfield home.
Rose left Mansfield for good shortly after Mother's death, but she did donate Rocky Ridge Farm and most all it's contents to the Laura Ingalls Wilder-Rose Wilder Lane Home Association, which continues to received thousands of annual visitors and is considered a National Historic Landmark.
In 2006 Laura was honoured on the Missouri Walk of Farm, and an Ingalls' cousin Reverend David Ingalls accepted the star in her place. The start is located in Marshfield, Missouri.
Miss Jocelyn, GGM Sr. Exec. Market- Manager, is a senior homeschool student with a passion for writing truth. She blogs from her heart at A Pondering Heart, designs blogs at A Pondering Heart Boutique, and owns and operates Feelin' Feminine.
2 Comment(s)! Please Leave A Comment!:
Great articles, you two. Good history lesson as well. LOL!
You did a simply LOVELY job on your pioneer fashion Brielle! I love it. I bet you and Rose had fun taking those pictures. They turned out beautifully!
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