The Kirsten Project | Happy Birthday, Kirsten!

It’s a new year and it’s time for another edition of The Kirsten Project! I’ve already recreated her looks from Meet Kirsten, Kirsten’s Surprise and Changes for Kirsten and for this version, I’m taking inspiration from Happy Birthday, Kirsten!

---

LITTLE JESS around age 10, wearing a mom-made birthday dress and apron, a gift I received for my own tenth birthday, just like kirsten!

The mission of The Kirsten Project is to study and recreate each cover illustration and corresponding outfit through a cultural and historical lens. I’m not doing a carbon copy - rather using the Pleasant Company books and material culture together with research such as fashion plates, extant dresses and daguerrotypes to inspire my costumes.

In my first three outfits I stayed pretty close to the Pleasant Company source material, making allowances for style differences between girls and women (primarily making the skirt hems longer) and my fabric choices (for example, for my Meet costume I used the color story in a print I designed to scale better for an adult dress).

---

ORIGINAL COVER OF HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIRSTEN! by Janet Shaw, ILLUSTRATED by RENÉe Graef

This time, I’m planning on taking a slightly new approach to Kirsten’s springtime dress. As you can see in the gorgeous cover art illustrated by Renée Graef, she wears a puffed sleeve pink gingham dress with a white pinafore, red boots and flower crown.

If you look at each of the first four historical characters’ birthday dresses, a common thread is the feminine and fluffy style. For example, Felicity, Kirsten and Samantha all wear pink dresses with aprons or pinafores layered on top and flowers in their hair. The original American Girls, Kirsten, Samantha and Molly all have some sort of gathering or ruffles on their dresses. And yet, of all of those four characters, because of her circumstances (penniless immigrant pioneer farm daughter), Kirsten would have probably been least likely to get a special dress just for her birthday, or even just for the spring season. I know I know. Part of the fun of the American GIrl books and dolls are new occasions and the special new outfits but if history is speaking, it’s unlikely Kirsten would have enjoy such an ensemble. And yet, the costume still reflects to the era and I’m so excited to show you how I plan to interpret this into my costume.

So here’s how this edition is going to be different…

I’ve spent a lot of research time on the everyday practical dresses of the mid 19th century, so I’d like to change lanes and use the cover look of Happy Birthday, Kirsten! to explore the fashion trends of the 1850s. I’ll stay true to the pink and white color scheme but interpret Kirsten’s childlike silhouette into something that a stylish adult woman could have worn.

In the next few weeks I hope to source and order the 8-12 (!!!) yards of fabric I need for the dress I’ll be creating, plus flowers, boots, accessories, and baby kittens (jk). My previous costumes were made thanks to the very generous financial support of my friends and readers and if you’ve enjoyed my work, I’d really love your backing on this edition too. It means so much to me to have your words of encouragement and patronage on this project!

You can chip in any amount via venmo.com/jessicajquirk or paypal.me/whatiwore

Between now and the final costume reveal, I’ll be posting my research here on my blog, which will aim to give background context to the choices I’ve made in the end look. Thanks for joining me with The Kirsten Project! I’ve loved every second of planning, creating and sharing it with you!

My original copy of happy Birthday, kirsten! with my original pleasant company doll’s dress. the flower crown is homemade.

The Kirsten Project | Kirsten's Surprise

Night walks with a heavy step
Round yard and hearth,
As the sun departs from earth,
Shadows are brooding.
There in our dark house,
Walking with lit candles,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Night walks grand, yet silent,
Now hear its gentle wings,
In every room so hushed,
Whispering like wings.
Look, at our threshold stands,
White-clad with light in her hair,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Darkness shall take flight soon,
From earth's valleys.
So she speaks
Wonderful words to us:
A new day will rise again
From the rosy sky…
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Good Yule, everyone! In preparation for Lucia’s Day this Friday, December 13th, I’ve recreated Kirsten’s holiday look from Kirsten’s Surprise. If you’re new around here, let me tell you more about my project! I’m recreating the cover looks from my favorite girlhood fictional character - American Girl Kirsten Larson, a Swedish immigrant to American in the mid 19th century.  I’m researching each of her main outfits through a historical and cultural lens, doing my best to guess what the designers at Pleasant Company referenced when they developed her character. So far, I’ve recreated my historically accurate take on Meet Kirsten and Changes for Kirsten and posted those looks plus my background research here on my blog. Check out my inspiration board for Santka Lucia throughout history here. 

I’m more focused on how the holiday tradition has evolved in Sweden than the Catholic origins, but if you’re into that, I encourage you to read up on it! In Sweden each town or school elects one little girl to play the part of Lucia and lead a procession. School is closed early that day so families can celebrate together (does that mean adults get out of work early too?) In some places there are bond fires to ward off evil spirits, which sounds pretty pagan to me! In Kirsten’s family, Saint Lucia’s Day is the start of their Christmas season. 

From the Sweden.se website:

The first recorded appearance of a white-clad Lucia in Sweden was in a country house in 1764. The custom did not become universally popular in Swedish society until the 1900s, when schools and local associations in particular began promoting it. The old lussegubbar custom virtually disappeared with urban migration, and white-clad Lucias with their singing processions were considered a more acceptable, controlled form of celebration than the youthful carousals of the past. Stockholm proclaimed its first Lucia in 1927. The custom whereby Lucia serves coffee and buns (lussekatter) dates back to the 1880s.

Kirsten’s holiday outfit was worn on Saint Lucia’s Day, a solstice celebration on the darkest day of the year (when the Feast of Saint Lucia became a popular holiday in Scandinavian countries, the Julian calendar was still in use, which is why Lucia’s Day falls on the old winter solstice, December 13th, and not the modern one using the Gregorian calendar, on December 21st). The eldest daughter in each family would go room to room in the early morning hours, wearing a white gown, red sash and lit crown with baked treats and hot coffee saying “Saint Lucia invites you to breakfast!” When I was a young girl, my own dad helped me make Swedish rice porridge for breakfast (using the first Pleasant Company cookbook!) and I’m so excited to make it again this week for our little family celebration!

---

Saint Lucia’s Crown

There really is something awe inspiring about a crown of lit candles - I felt like a goddess carefully balancing it atop my head! 

Crowns of flowers and foliage have been worn during times of celebration across cultures and millennia. Think of ancient Greeks and their laurel wreaths or the olive leaf crowns given to olympians. In the mid 19th century Queen Victoria popularized flower crowns after she wore one at her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert. 

Lucia’s Day crowns are can be left plain or decorated with evergreen lingonberry branches and berries. I mixed a few different faux greens together and wired them around the base with floral wire. I considered fresh leaves, but I hope to bring this same crown out for the holidays year after year (eventually Beatrix will wear it!) so faux it is! Lastly I placed six inch white candles in their holders. The number of candles seems to vary depending on the structure of the crown base (and associated symbolism), but Kirsten has six candles in hers, so that’s what I went for as well!

When I started planning my crown, I knew I’d need to go further than the grapevine wreath Kirsten and her cousin fashion in the book. Aesthetics aside, my main goal was to keep all of my candles upright at the same angle and well secured to avoid any wax burns. (Be smart about using candles in any setting; lit candles should be out of reach (and off the heads) of small children)

Here’s how I made my crown as safe as possible:  first I created a paper template by tracing one of my wooden hat blocks. Once I had the perfect fit, I transferred that oval shape to thin plywood and cut it out using a band saw.  Next, I drilled holes around the crown to snuggly fit the thrifted candle holders (which were mounted to dowel rods). It sounds a little more complicated than it actually was and only took 20 minutes from first cut to drying in clamps. Check this out to see what I mean. After the base was dry, I gave it a quick coat of dark spray paint so the light wood tones wouldn’t show through. 

Gown and Sash

The white gown and red sash worn by the girl portraying Saint Lucia represents the Catholic symbols purity and martyrdom. 

For my dress I actually made two separate pieces - a blouse and petticoat that I can re-wear with other costumes (a white nightgown seems to be the garment of choice for many girls throughout history). In true pioneer fashion I’m practical AF. My blouse is the same bodice and sleeves as my Meet Kirsten dress, which is based on an extant dress from the 1850s. I made mine unlined with the hope that I might pair it with vintage Levis for modern wear too! The original dress had a very slight overlap at center front with no buttons, but I may eventually add some. I also tacked on some pretty antique lace to both the collar and cuffs.

My skirt has a wide 13 foot circumference at the hem and is knife pleated into a simple twill tape waistband with ties on both the left and right side (which I actual wrap around and tie in front and back). This kind of skirt can get a lot of mileage with both my 18th and 19th century costumes as a petticoat. 

The red sash I’m wearing at my waist (which i realize is hard to see!)  is made of left over red velvet from Bea’s hooded cape. I love how rich and old fashioned red velvet looks and I’m glad i could make use of some scraps! It’s all pined into place!

Breakfast Tray

Lastly I found a little wooden tray at the thrift shop which I painted blue just like Kirsten’s. I didn’t do any baking just for this photoshoot - I’m low on saffron for my lussekatter, so I’ll save it for making my Lucia buns on the actual day. We plan on having breakfast by candlelight on Decemeber 13th with my parents and then opening presents. Now that my children are getting bigger the yuletide season seems all the more magical! No matter how you celebrate, we wish you Happy Holidays!! 

The Kirsten Project | 1854

After months of planning and research, designing and sewing, I am so excited to finally share my finished costume for The Kirsten Project! The goal of this project was to take one of my childhood passions - the pioneer life of my favorite character, Kirsten Larson - and interpret her through a historical lens. I’ve done a deep dive into every aspect of her costume - from her hair and bonnet to her traditional Swedish apron to the printed fabric of her dress and incorporated that research into this look. I’ll link back throughout this post to the background information pertaining to each category or you can click here to read it all now.

Let’s step back in time to 1854!

Underpinnings

Although not visible in these images, I’m wearing historical undergarments including drawers and chemise (both pictured at right), a corset and a quilted petticoat. The first layer is a pair of open drawers that tie at the waist made out of white cotton. The center front and back seams are left open so using the out house is less of an ordeal (Because of the way the corset falls over the waist and hips, lowering and raising a base layer would have meant removing all of the day’s layers for each visit to the privy.) Busy women didn’t have time for that! Drawers were worn primarily for warmth on the legs and sometimes modesty and are roomy in their cut so nothing feels like it’s out in the open! They have decorative tucks at the hem along with scalloped eyelet trim, just like Kirsten’s.

Over the drawers is a chemise, which looks kind of like a nightgown. Also made of white cotton, It extends to the knee and has some decorative pin tucks at the hem. All women, regardless of social class, would have worn base layers to protect more valuable corsets and outer layers from the sweat and oils of their skin. Like modern undies, most women would have multiple sets to rotate while they may have worn the same dress day in and out. White cotton (or linen) was also able to take a literal beating in the boiling wash water without worry of fading color or making a print dull.

Next is a corset, cut out of lightweight but strong coutil or French Twill. I used the Laughing Moon 100 pattern for all of these pieces and they came together quickly and easily! I always start with my base layers of my costumes first as they can change your measurements by pulling in your waist, lifting your bust and generally smoothing everything out. There’s a huge misconception that wearing a corset is a painful ordeal - it’s not! For me it feels much more comfortable than a bra and gives the support of a back brace. All that said, I don’t do extreme tight lacing - just enough so that my laces are even in back, which only takes in an inch or two.

The last foundation garment is a quilted petticoat which is actually from my 18th century kit. Some things can transverse centuries, others cannot (like stays or corsets!) This petticoat does the job (there are even written mentions of quilted petticoats in the Kirsten series) but if I were to revisit the early Victorian era I’d do a corded petticoat. Caged crinolines and hoop skirts that many associate with the middle of the 19th century begin to appear at the tail end of the 1850s, but primarily in the upper echelons of society before extending to other classes.

If you’d like to see any of these underpinnings in action, you can view them here.

Dress

After completing the base layers of my look, I normally move to the dress next. However for this costume, I had more to do than just test fit the pattern and cut my material - I actually designed the fabric and had it printed to resemble Kirsten’s dress!

Using my doll as my inspiration, I looked at historical prints from the 1850s until I found something that reminded me of the small red flowers. You’ll see a key difference is the color palette of the background - most come in shades of ecru and brown - but there are some examples of blue from the era. Check out my research post to see what I mean! From my inspiration pieces, I sketched out the floral motif, scanned it in, digitalized it and then added the small red and pale gold cross into the design.

Once I had a repeat I was happy with, I used my color map from Spoonflower to pick colors that were close to the original dress. A week later, with the printed fabric swatches in front of me I saw that the colors were close, but the scale was WAY too large. My goal was to have the same number of repeating floral motifs across the upper chest for my dress as the doll’s dress (there are six!) so I went back to my laptop and made three more smaller scales of the print along with switching up a color or two. I am so glad I took the extra time to do a few test rounds! Another update I made after my first round of swatches was to add a dotted background in a shade of blue slight darker than the ground. I wanted to get the Kirsten look, but almost all of the 1850s prints I found were very busy with not a lot of plain ground showing through. It took quite a bit longer for these swatches to arrive but when they did I had the perfect sample and I knew I was ready to make the larger investment in six yards of fabric.

Speaking of investing, let me take a moment to thank to the many people who chipped in to support this project to get early access via instagram. Because of your contributions I was able to go the extra distance with the dress fabric to really capture Kirsten’s spirit. Those funds also went towards supporting many other small and female owned businesses in the form of buying indie patterns, trims and accessories! And it wasn’t just the dollars and cents, it was the encouragement and enthusiasm of my patrons that I’m really grateful for! Thanks for validating this idea and rallying behind it!

Now back to the dress! I used Fig Leaf Patterns 201 based on an extant dress in the Sumter County Historical Museum collection, dating between 1956-1962. I loved making this dress, especially the pleating throughout! Like Kirsten’s dress there is a high round neckline, dropped shoulders with piping at the sleeve head, full sleeves and a fitted cuff, a slightly raised waistline, full skirt and contrast hem facing.

I also did something new to me for the hemline - Instead of just turning the bottom of the skirt up to be level with the ground, I folded back the top waistline edge of the skirt before I did my running stitches for the cartridge pleats. To determine how deep to fold it, I found the the shortest part of my bodice and measured the difference at center front (a little over two inches long). This told me the back of my skirt would be turned just a half inch, while the front would be much deeper. This wasn’t as complicated as it sounds and allowed me to have an even row of the print all the way around the hem. I love how well it all turned out!

One final note on my colors! The blue of my print was beautiful, but a little more vibrant than I wanted. I did a few dips in a tea bath to get the shade to come down a little and the end result was exactly right. And if you’re wondering, I was able to use my swatch yardage for my piping as well as my pocket bag. I’m even considering ordering a little more to make Bea a tiny version of Kirsten’s new country dress!

Accessories

I’m a strong believer that the accessories make the look when it comes to any historic ensemble. I’ve posted my research on Kirsten’s bonnet and hairstyle, apron and pocket. Now let me tell you a little more about how I made them!

Bonnet

For my bonnet, I kept the red and white check like Kirsten’s in mind, but veered towards a different plaid than the doll or the book illustrations. The kind of check I ultimately used was a common weave during the 19th century - see how similar it is to the example I posted in my research?

My plaid came from a second hand men’s button down that I picked up for a couple dollars. I made my own simple pattern, working from a poster board brim that I mocked up. I also chose to make a corded bonnet, using stitched channels filled with cotton cording to give the bonnet brim more stability. Sewing them in place made me so dizzy!! I love the way my final bonnet so closely mirrors the extant versions, but the style in general feels a little matronly to me, which is why I opted not to wear it in all of my photos.

Hair

As I mentioned in my research post, one of the elements of Kirsten’s character that doesn’t vibe very will with historical research are her thick blunt bangs. The look of the time was a center part with hair covering the ears. You can read more about where the inspiration for Kirsten’s looped braids probably came from here, but for my style I wanted to capture something historically accurate. My long braids are plaited right beneath my ears and then each side is tucked up under the base of the opposite side. I feel like I’ve achieved how an adult Kirsten may have styled her blond locks!

Amber Necklace

I wasn’t able to get any historical research to back up the amber necklace Kirsten wears throughout her series, but it’s my best guess that each girl/doll had a heart shaped accessory so this was the best fit for Kirsten. I bought my small amber pendant on eBay and wore it from a narrow silk ribbon. To get the perfect shade of brown, I dyed 1/8” white silk ribbon using black walnuts from my own front yard! It’s my experience that the flesh of the green walnuts oxidizes to make the best dye but I used some dried husks too! I dyed the ribbon by submersing it along with the walnuts in boiling water for about 2 hours.

Loose Pocket

This is one portion of my project that brings together the doll’s accessory with a lot of research and a little creativity. Loose pockets, or kjolsäk, vary in shape but many of them are rounded, some look like 18th century pockets and a few others are square. Almost all extant pockets have red elements (usually on a black ground) but my assumption is that Kirsten’s pocket palette is strongly influenced by her American red, white and blue color scheme.

I thought about the many ways I could approach this piece - Should I make it more similar to an extant pocket? Should I copy Kirsten’s spoon bag identically? In the end, I scaled up my doll’s pocket to get the perfect proportions, but made my embroidery a little more intricate and special. You can imagine that the doll’s pocket was mass produced and thus rather simple. In place of the little stars on her pocket I did Scandinavian inspired embroidery instead. I also did the date with a little more of a flourish similar to what I saw on existing examples. Around the appliquéd red heart I added embroidered scallops. I kept Kirsten’s simple initials, which was very common on the historical examples I found in my research.

Inside the pocket is a small wooden spoon (in some of the photos) and a hankie. Pleasant Company/American girl says pioneers had limited cutlery and took it with them when visiting (probably true) but I didn’t find any of my own research saying as much. Some sources mentioned carrying money or candy in the bag or even bread for extra long church services.

I also folded up a hankie that I embroidered to look similar to Kirsten’s, which we learn in book two is an example of her own sewing work. Mine was a quick project I took on while I was waiting for other materials to arrive in the mail and was also done using scraps of both fabric and leftover embroidery floss from the pocket.

Apron

Kirsten’s red and white striped apron, or förkläde, was one piece I thought would be pretty straight forward, but ended up being a topic I researched in depth! This is one element of Kirsten’s look that is very Swedish with loads of examples in existing museum pieces, Swedish art and photography. Check out my research post if you want to learn more!

Knowing that this piece was homespun, woven and passed through generations, I didn’t want my apron to be made of a print or lightweight fabric weave - I wanted it to feel thicker and have more substance. I spent hours on Etsy looking through pages and pages until I finally found this vintage Swedish textile, which looks very similar to the cover of Meet Kirsten! It was the perfect size to gauge pleat and sew into a simple 1” wide twill ribbon waistband. I added a simple chunky running stitch alongside each red stripe to enhance it and also sewed additional running stitches on the waistband.

Socks

After spending so much time on all of the above accessories, I knew I couldn’t go the easy route with some school spirit striped socks from the craft store, so I commissioned these from the Pointed Needle via Etsy. Once I saw Ralyne’s work, I asked her for a bid and we agreed on a price plus the cost of materials. Even though I knit, I knew I’d rather have someone who specialized in socks to make these. They turned out amazingly and look so similar to the doll’s socks! I did give them a light tea bath to give the gold even more age and the end result looks great!

Boots

I really lucked out by finding these secondhand but seemingly unworn boots on Poshmark! I initially wanted to dye some boots I bought years ago until I realized they had a three inch heel and wouldn’t enhance the costume. They look so similar to an antique pair displayed at Spring Mill too! I called this style ‘granny boots’ as a girl and wore a black pair similar to these with everything in my closet. History repeats itself, people! This pair fit perfectly and were a really reasonable $30, including shipping!

You can probably see it written all over my face - I am so thrilled with how this entire project unfolded. I never thought I could do such a historical and cultural deep dive into the outfit of my favorite childhood character. This was a dream project in every way. The Kirsten Project ticked off so many boxes for me - research, planning, history, design, sewing and creativity. I’m so happy I did this!!

And now, as I look through all of these photos and write all of these words, it occurs to me that almost every single part of this plan just felt right. From designing the fabric to finding the perfect boots online everything came together as if it were meant to be.

When we shot the first half of these photos at Spring Mill State Park, we had the Pioneer Village to ourselves until the costumed volunteers showed up and graciously offered us props and cheerful hellos (you really never know how people will react when you’re in costume!) For the second part of the shoot we wanted a prairie field setting with long grasses and wild flowers and a sunny day for back lighting. Because of schedules, we had a tight window to shoot (never mind the grass being mowed down for fall any day now). We could have the location but we couldn’t control the light. It was pretty overcast when we headed out, but as Adam started testing camera settings, the skies cleared to blue and the sun came shining down. I could not believe our luck!!

Thanks to my husband Adam for all of the love and encouragement on my costume projects, which mean a messier house, more cooking for him, straight pins covering the floors in every room and a general mess of our dining room table for a couple of months. He took all of these incredible photos and captured my vision for this project so perfectly, and I am so grateful for all of it and more.

And with that, the Kirsten Project is complete! I hope you’ve enjoyed this series and I look forward to my next big project, whatever that may be.

Introducing | The Kirsten Project

My pleasant company edition of meet kirsten (1986, when it was just her, samantha and molly!) from childhood plus original outfit.

Over the course of the past year I’ve returned to one of my childhood passions with historic costumes. It was only after going to my first Jane Austen Festival did I remember how I spent so much of my early years wearing pioneer dresses, bonnets, aprons and petticoats. Anything historic was my jam, but especially the world of old fashioned clothes. I wore braids and lace up black boots to elementary school! I have memories of running through an apple orchard in my full kit and loving it so dearly.

A huge part of my introduction to history was through the American Girl Dolls, specifically Kirsten, who lived in the Midwest in 1854. You can read my whole story of how much this doll meant to me here as a background to the new project I am dying to tell you about today.

I’m calling it The Kirsten Project and it will be a multi-month exercise in creating a historically accurate mid 19th century costume from the inside out. The first book in the series, Meet Kirsten, will serve as my inspiration. I’m even going as far as designing fabric based on her dress and scaling it to the perfect adult size for me. Because Kirsten was an immigrant farmer’s daughter living in the Midwest, her ensemble won’t the same as fashion plates from Paris, but I’ll do my best to guess what that kind of woman would have worn and still embrace the spirit of the artwork from the Kirsten series. My plan for this project is to research and plan every layer - from chemises and petticoats, to a corset, hand knit socks, period footwear all the way to her signature spoon pocket and gingham bonnet. I’ll share photos and videos of my progress, just like I’ve done with past projects.

Speaking of sharing… the other half of the experiment is a little crowd funding proposal. I’m wondering if you’d be willing to chip in whatever you can to watch the project unfold? I have a private instagram account I’ve set up exclusively for contributors. You can support the project with a one time donation and in any amount through my PayPal. Drop me a DM and I’ll approve your follow request! All of these funds will go towards the hefty expense of making a historical costume (buying patterns from independent designers, creating my own original fabric designs and having them printed, buying from mom and pop fabric stores, supporting women owned shoe companies, knitters, and more) and will make me feel supported as an artist (thank you thank you thank you!) Think of this like a one-on-one guided museum tour through an incredibly specific part of costume history.

If you can wait until the very end, look for the full project to land here. Otherwise, watch me in real time by supporting this project!

I can’t wait to create my own historically accurate adult version inspired by kirsten.