The Kirsten Project | Kirsten Saves the Day

Grab your foraged berries, sit down and join me for the latest installment of The Kirsten Project. For this edition, we’re going into the woods to recreate Kirsten’s summertime ensemble based on her story Kirsten Saves the Day.

For much of this book, Kirsten spends her time in the woods near her family farm, collecting berries, fishing in the creek and getting into trouble with her younger brother. For my costume, I’ve chosen to take most of my design decisions from the American Girl catalog and the styling of the doll in her straw hat, blue and white striped dress, bird whistle and red boots - all with an eye to period correct silhouettes. Let’s break down each piece with more detail on my artistic choices with the historical references I used to create my look.

Wide Brim Straw Hat

Like Kirsten, I’m wearing a wide brim straw hat, trimmed with traditional petersham ribbon and adorned with a bunch of bright red faux cherries. I chose to use the same style of straw hood (a milliner’s term for a dome shape hat base) as my doll’s hat. After wetting the straw, I blocked it on a wooden crown and brim mold, pinned and tied it into place and then allowed it to dry. Afterwards I simply tacked the ribbon and berries into place and added a few green leaves made from raw silk ribbon.

Alternatively (and more historically accurate), a straw hat could be made by braiding the straw into long ribbon like pieces, sewing them around and around onto themselves to form the shape of the crown and then outward to the brim. This is definitely a technique I want to try one day! Here’s a great clip from Edwardian Farm where Ruth Goodman doing just this!

Summer Work Dress

For summer, Kirsten wears a lightweight cotton work dress. Creating this piece was a fun way to combine the character’s dress (which I believe was inspired by this painting) with a historically accurate adult silhouette. As I breakdown each portion of the dress, I’ll assign it to one of three categories - matches doll AND historically accurate, matches doll but without historical research and upgraded for historical accuracy.

Let’s start with the bodice of the dress. Kirsten has a squared neckline but I chose to do a more rounded shape, which I believe to be a historical upgrade. Sure, there are examples of square necklines in the 19th century, but they are often deeper (like the 1870s) or constructed by way of shoulder straps as was done in the 18th century and early 19th. Neither of those examples result in the high neckline that was used in work dresses of the 1850s - thus I opted for a round neck.

To fit the bust line of a woman’s dress (my chest is rather large and a ten year old girl wouldn’t have developed in that area yet) I used a pair of darts on each side. This is a historical upgrade based on countless examples from the era.

To capture the look of the shorter sleeve doll’s dress, I created a two piece sleeve to mirror examples I found in my research. This style of sleeve, composed of a short upper sleeve and a fuller under sleeve, was common during the 1840s-1850s. Like the doll dress, I added piping details to the upper sleeve along with a bias detail which was purely my own design decision. Adult women would have always worn long sleeves for daytime in the 19th century. For a laboring woman, sleeves provided a layer of protection - from the sun or other elements. A woman in higher society would have also shielded herself from the sun, AND from the eyes of others outside her social class. In private evening functions, it would have been acceptable to reveal the arms, shoulders and décoletté, but never in the daytime hours.

Other bodice elements like the dropped shoulders, center front buttons and cross grain waistband are both historically accurate and used in the doll’s dress.

To achieve the fullness I wanted for my skirt, I created cartridge pleats, which I hand sewed to my waistband. The doll’s dress doesn’t have the same fullness to fit into the waistband, so hers is simply gathered.

Finally, I opted to incorporate Kirsten’s growth stripes at the hem of the skirt - something absolutely used for younger girls in the 1850s, but not something you see as often on women’s skirts. I’m ok with veering from accuracy here because I feel this helps my costume capture the essence of Kirsten’s summer look.

Blue and White Striped Fabric

The blue and white stripe of the fabric is something I believe was popular in the 1980s when the Kirsten doll was designed and found it’s way into her summer look. Historically I’ve found more examples of similar stripes in late 19th/early 20th than the 1850s (again, I think this is the influence of Carl Larsson), although that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist then too, I just couldn’t find concrete examples like I have in my previous editions of The Kirsten Project. Thus, this is a portion of my costume where I’ve opted to copy the doll without extant dresses or historical images to work from.

View fullsize

Cotton yarn dyed fabric such as this was sold in general stores across the country (I’ve found dozens of newspaper advertisements from this time period, like the one here from March of 1854 in Plymouth, Indiana) and likely made in the US. If it came from a Southern mill, it came from cotton that was grown, harvested and woven by enslaved labor. Many mills (in both the North and South), used child labor for their small size and tiny hands. If that sounds awful (it is!), please consider that textile and garment production in 2020 still happens elsewhere in the world under conditions most of us would never willingly endure. Just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean there’s not a human cost. If that feels icky to you, consider shopping second hand, sewing your own clothing, upcycling or repurposing what you already have or seeking out fair trade clothing made under ethical conditions.

Bird Necklace and Boots

To round out my Kirsten Saves the Day costume, I’m wearing a wooden bird necklace and pair of red leather lace up boots. In Kirsten’s summer book she has a bird whistle, which is something I believe was designed for parity alongside the other original dolls (Samantha and Molly) who also have whistles in their summer stories. I have found bird whistles which weren’t necklaces or wooden whistles that weren’t in the shape of birds. I settled for shape of a bird that didn’t have a whistle function and found a small wooden bird via a cute etsy store. I drilled a small hole in the eye area and threaded some waxed cotton string through, tied in a simple knot a trimmed. My kids are already fighting on who gets to wear the necklace each day.

My boots (pictured above) were a secondhand find on eBay, but were originally a taupe color. I dyed them myself into a rich vivid red and the process was pretty easy (if you’re a neat and tidy kind of DIY person). You can see me wearing them with Kirsten’s birthday dress here.

That’s a wrap for my summer edition of The Kirsten Project - I hope you’ve enjoyed! You can see my previous costumes by clicking the links for Meet Kirsten, Kirsten’s Surprise, Happy Birthday Kirsten and Changes for Kirsten.

The Kirsten Project | Wide Brim Straw Hats

When I think of the 1850s and headwear, my first thoughts lean towards bonnets of all kinds - soft corded bonnets like I wore for my Meet Kirsten costume, or the straw or silk varieties seen in countless daguerrotypes or museums. Yet, when I looked hard enough I found plenty of examples of wide brim straw hats, like the one Kirsten receives at the end of Kirsten Saves the Day.

Above: Various Daguerrotypes, mid 19th century, Straw Hat with Black Ribbon, 1863, Les Arts Décoratifs, Sketch, Bloomer Costume July 1851, Sketch, Godey’s Lady’s Book, March 1853

I’ve taken a bit of a break from social media and blogging, but I hope I can conjure up the energy to put the finishing touches on this costume and to photograph it before the summer ends! I hope you’re all well and taking care of yourselves and each other.

The Kirsten Project | Revisiting the Art of Carl Larsson

Above: Ingrid E, Watercolor, 1908, Esbjörn, 1900 and Children of Carpenter Helberg 1906, Little Lie-A-Bed’s Sad Breakfast, 1900, (The date is confusing, but the museum holding this piece gives 1900 as the date. Based on his daughter’s ages, this was probably Brita or Kersti), Kersti’s Friend Comes Visiting, 1905

When I started The Kirsten Project in 2019, I was pointed toward the work of Swedish artist Carl Larsson by Kirsten series illustrator Renée Graef. Renée told me his work was very influential in the early days at Pleasant Company. I’ve had a lot of fun reviewing all of Larsson’s work and finding elements that I believe inspired both Renée and Pleasant Compant as a whole. Last year, I posted his work featuring farm scenes and the striped fölkläde (apron) that may have inspired Kirsten’s world, but today I’d like to call your attention to another textile that shows up a lot in Carl’s work - narrow blue and white striped fabric.

I have a strong feeling that Kirsten’s summer outfit - a blue and white striped dress with straw hat and black band was based on the watercolor painting Ingrid E in 1908 (top image). It doesn’t end here! There are many examples of Larsson’s wife, sons, daughters (including Kersti!) and home textiles featuring the pale blue and white.

Notice the braids and white piping at the sleeve head of the dress in Little Lie-A-Bed’s Sad Breakfast. I think those elements could have further inspired Kirsten’s summer dress! Could Esbjörn’s little red boot be an inspiration for the red boots the Kirsten doll wears in the catalog?

So what does all this say and how does it relate to Kirsten Saves the Day? Blue and white stripes were a popular textile in the late 1800s into the Edwardian era. That doesn’t mean they didn’t exist in 1854, but they were more of a trend fifty years later (think Samantha’s timeline). The majority of extant blue and white striped dresses I found were all consistent with this period as well. That’s why I think these images inspired Kirsten’s summer dress versus something from the mid 19th century.

Also! There was another time that these stripes were the popular - the 1980s. Other eighties trends we see incorporated into Kirsten’s looks are her blue Meet dress, her hairstyle (bangs) and her Fana sweater. It makes a lot of sense that the time when a product was developed finds it’s way into the design. Can you think of anything else that was decidedly 80s but also works for the 1850s?

A Cozy Corner, Pencil and Watercolor, 1894 Carl Larsson

The Kitchen, 1895, Carl Larsson

Playing Scales, 1898, Pencil and Watercolor, Carl Larson

The First Lesson, 1903, Pencil and Watercolor, Carl Larsson

Mother and Daughter, 1903, Watercolor, Carl Larsson

My Little Farm, 1904, Carl Larsson

Brother and Sister, 1911, Carl Larsson

PS. Two of Larsson’s other daughters were named Lisbeth and Brita!

The Kirsten Project | Happy Birthday, Kirsten!

Spring has arrived! The chickens are laying a rainbow of colorful eggs, the redbuds have popped and the fruit trees are blooming! Warmer days lead us outside to play and prepare our gardens for the summer ahead! Between these moments, I’ve been sneaking away time here and there to finish my 1850s spring dress, based off Happy Birthday, Kirsten! and I am so happy with how the project has turned out! I’d love to tell you more about my design process and how I took the original cover art by Renée Graef and translated it into women’s dress informed by the fashion trends of the era. If you haven’t see my research posts on 200 Years of Gingham, Tiered Skirts, Girls’ Dresses, Pink in the 19th century or my intro post, I encourage you to check those out first! This edition of The Kirsten Project requires a little more description, so grab a hot cup of coffee and join me for this springtime delight!

While past my costumes (Meet Kirsten, Kirsten’s Surprise and Changes for Kirsten) have very closely mirrored the illustrations and doll clothes, I’ve taken more artistic liberties based on historical sources with the adult version of Kirsten’s springtime dress.

Let’s start with the obvious: for my woman’s interpretation of the birthday dress, I have chosen not to wear a pinafore style apron. I’ve made this decision for a couple of reasons: firstly, pinafores, like the one worn by Kirsten are almost entirely worn by younger girls (like I did in my childhood version, 28 years ago!) Secondly, if an adult women did wear an apron, it would have almost always been a practical work time covering for her dress and not a fashion accessory. Of course there are always outlying examples against the rule, but I’m happy with my choice to omit a pinafore from my version of this costume. As with past projects I have found some extant items of what I’m guessing the team at Pleasant Company may have referenced, which you can find on my corresponding research post. (All of my visual examples are on that page, so keep it open to look back to as you read this post!)

Neckline

Instead of the high neckline of the Pleasant Company Kirsten birthday dress, I’ve instead opted for a lower and wider shape and I did this to bring some variation to the project. It’s absolutely historically correct for women and girls to have worn high necklines through the 1850s but it’s also correct to see a more open shape. If you look back to my post on popular girl’s silhouettes of this era, you’ll see how this holds true. A wide neck, short sleeve, gathered front dress was incredibly popular through a large majority of the 19th century (example 2, 2.1). Sometimes these open necklines are paired with an additional layer underneath for modesty or morning/afternoon wear (example 3).

Because I’ve omitted the pinafore, I chose to using vintage crochet lace at the neckline with a slight triangular shape. I’ve found examples of this in daguerreotypes (example 4, 4.1) and I think it nicely mirrors the lines of Kirsten’s apron without being childish.

Bodice

My starting point for this dress was a commercial pattern (McCalls 7988) drafted by costumer Angela Clayton, based off of a dress from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (example 5).

The bodice is composed on a yoke, gathered center front portion and sides that wrap around the torso to a back princess seam and two center back sections. This kind of construction really reminds me of 18th Century Italian gowns because there is no side seam like we see in modern clothing. The yoke also extends over the shoulder just like an 18th century style. If you look closely you can see I paid careful attention to matching my plaid, which meant that I sewed almost every seam by hand to get a perfect flow of the gingham! The bodice is lined in white twill to give it extra strength because the skirt is very heavy. Two boning channels finish out the center back and trouser hooks and bars are sewn to the lining to close the bodice.

Even though I didn’t layer a pinafore over top my dress, check out how the front style lines both narrow in at the waist. This style of bodice was common for both girls and women, as can be seen in examples 6, 6.1.

Sleeves

In her birthday story, Kirsten wears a short sleeved dress. This presents a slight problem for an adult interpretation because women of the 1850s did not often reveal their bare arms during the day - both out of modesty and practicality. For evening attire the rules change as one is surrounded by her peers and may show more skin.

The dropped shoulder attaches to layered upper and lower sleeves and two sets of 36” of ruffles. These two sleeves are stacked on top of one another and then sewn to the shoulder seem. Piping is used throughout. Like the neckline, I trimmed the lower sleeve ruffle with antique hand crocheted trim to refer back to the pointed trim on Kirsten’s apron.

For these photos I’ve decided to style the dress without an under layer because I wanted to capture the look and feel of Kirsten’s birthday dress, but I have posed for a few shots with the dress over a shirt waist - a look shown in many fashion plates from the 1850s (example 7, 7.1, 7.2). I’ll post those in coming weeks on my instagram page.

Skirt

Kirsten’s Birthday outfit by Pleasant Company has three visual layers to her skirt - her pinafore, dress and petticoat. I’ve chosen to interpret these layers into the very fashionable three tiered skirts of the 1850s. The first tier of the skirt is 135” wide and cartridge pleated into the waistline with an additional petticoat underneath that’s built into the dress. Imagine on knee length gingham layer over a white floor length layer (which serves as the base for the second and third layers). I hand sewed the top layer and petticoat to a 1” thick strip of twill tape the length of my waist. That tape was later sewn directly to the twill lining and the bodice was overlapped and hand sewn down to each pleat.

Now back to the bottom layers! I don’t currently have a set of hoops to wear underneath but if I ever add them to my costume kit, they would really extend and widen the look of the skirt! The bottom two layers are 240” wide, gathered, and sewn down directly on the petticoat. Prior to any construction, I marked the placement of the layers. That’s because each tier is hemmed before gathering by turning up the bottom edge and covering it with the 3” wide bias detail (which was appliquéd by hand on top!) This is one element of my costume that doesn’t have any direct reference back to Kirsten’s PC dress, but was an artistic decision that ties back to historical research. (examples 8, 8.1)

Flower Crown

So much of this springtime edition of The Kirsten Project revolves around what was in fashion during the 1850s - color trends (think pink!), gingham fabric, and voluminous tiered skirts. One element that has ties to both fashion and to Swedish culture is Kirsten’s flower crown.

One of Sweden’s biggest (and oldest) celebrations is the summer solstice tradition of Midsummar. Flower crowns are worn by young and old, men, women, boy and girls. The tradition goes that unmarried people pick seven different kinds of wildflowers to make into their crowns and then put them under their pillows to dream of their future spouse. This reminded me of the following passage in Happy Birthday, Kirsten!

“Pick as many daisies as you can!” Anna told everyone. “We’re going to make daisy chains.” All eight girls fanned out across the meadow. It was the day of the barn raising and they were picking wildflowers.”

“Happy Birthday, Kirsten!” Lisbeth said. She placed a wreath of flowers on Kirsten’s head. The blossoms tickled Kirsten’s ears through her long hair. 

And although it’s not part of her outfit, Kirsten’s mom also bakes a cake called Jordgubbstårta, topped with strawberries and fresh cream - a very popular Swedish Midsommar dessert! 

Flower crowns aren’t limited to Scandinavian culture of course. Queen Victoria wore a crown of orange blossoms at her 1840 wedding and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln wore flowers in her hair for many of her portraits (examples 9, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3). You’ll find floral hair decorations throughout the 1840s-1860s on fashion plates and in lady’s magazines.

In the pioneer spirit of making do with what’s available, I used flowers I could find in my stash of old spring wreaths and intermixed those with faux flowers I bought this winter in preparations for this project. I really love cobbling together what I can find around the house and I don’t think it could have been as lovely if I had bought everything new. And just in case you’re wondering, there are seven different types of blossoms arranged throughout. I’d sleep on it, but I’ve already found my perfect match in my husband Adam, who shot most of these photos (Felix also took a few!!) 

Around my neck I’m re-wearing the amber heart necklace on a brown silk ribbon (I dyed it using walnut husks I collected from my yard!), which was a part of my Meet Kirsten look.

Socks and Boots

I’ve always loved the combination of pink with red and Kirsten’s birthday cover outfit is no exception! I searched high and low for weeks to find a pair of vintage Justin lace up boots and actually found them in a shade of taupe on eBay (see the before here)! I used leather dye to give them their rich red hue. Red shoes were popular for Victorian children, although examples of this particular color and style together were difficult to research. More often I found examples that buttoned up the outer ankle, which was a common style of boot at the time. I’m also wearing blue and white striped socks (ready made), just like the cover.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this springtime installment of The Kirsten Project! Many thanks to those of you who chipped in this winter to help me purchase my fabric and supplies that made this costume possible. And thank you to all of you that have been so encouraging in this process, including the American Girls podcast, the Serious Crafts podcast and every person who has messaged me to share their own American Girl stories over the past months! It feels good to think about a time when I was a child - safe, curious, inspired, and playful. Completing this project, photographing, editing and writing about it - has been a positive light that has kept me from sinking too far into darkness while isolated. Here’s to silver linings, the beauty of a new season and all of the good things to come.