My Valentine’s Day post this year was about chemises. Continuing with the undergarment theme, today I’m talking about pantalettes. Unlike my previous post, this time around I will not be modeling any of pantalettes. 🙂
One of my reproduction Izannahs and her pantalettes.
All of my reproduction Izannahs wear pantalettes as part of their authentically recreated clothing. I base the pantalettes that my dolls wear on a pair that are part of the original garments belonging to one of my antique Izannah Walker dolls.You can see another photo of these pantalettes here.
The origins of pantalettes can be found in early 19th century France, and from there the fashion soon spread to England and America. Pantalettes were worn by women and children of both sexes.
Antique pantalettes with two separate legs.Close-up of the center leg edge.
The legs of pantalettes can either be two separate pieces that are joined only at the waist (as is the case with my doll’s version) or the legs can be sewn together with either a side or back opening. The hemline of the legs varied from below the knee to ankle length.
Antique womens pantalettes with back opening waistband.Close-up of pantalettes back opening.Close-up of pantalettes front.To see more illustrations from Godey's Lady's Book check out my previous post c. 1860's Girl's Clothing Styles
A few years ago I ran a Civil War era friendship quilt block exchange amongst a far flung group of friends. We had a lot of fun shopping for fabrics, choosing block patterns and trading our finished blocks.
This is my quilt from that friendship block exchange. This photo is before I added the borders to the top.
Now whenever we look at our finished quilts we remember the good time we had creating them, and think of all of the people that came together to make each of our quilts.
This is the top with the borders on.
One of the blocks in my quilt.
When I was thinking up ways to celebrate my 25th anniversary in business, it occurred to me that an Izannah Walker doll sized friendship block exchange would be a great activity to mark the occasion and share something special with all of the people that make me love doing what I do.
This is the quilt that came with one of my antique Izannah Walker dolls.This is the reverse side of the same quilt. It is pieced on both sides and tied rather than quilted.
Friendship quilts were all the rage in the 1840’s. They were an outgrowth of the practice, in earlier decades of the 19th century, of keeping albums containing the signatures of friends and relatives. The signatures on the quilt blocks were a remembrance of the individuals who signed, and often made, the blocks. Friendship quilts were most frequently made for people who were moving away from their communities, or to mark important occasions such as weddings and births.
So pull out your scrap bags, thread your needles and help me commemorate my own important occasion by joining in my friendship quilt block exchange.
Even if you have never quilted before, I think you will find this to be an enjoyable, easy project. If you don’t want to quilt your finished coverlet, you can hand tie it instead. I’m sure your Izannah will love it either way. If you can manage to sneak the quilt away from your doll, it would also look wonderful hanging on your wall.
The rules are simple:
1. All fabrics should be roughly Civil War era material, either reproduction or the real thing (if you are lucky enough to have antique fabric in your stash). That way the quilts will be just right to keep your Izzys warm at night.
Please make sure all of your fabrics are pre-washed, so that they will not shrink if they are washed after the quilt is made.
2. We are exchanging 3 inch blocks, that means that the finished size of the blocks, when pieced together to form a quilt are 3 inches square. The blocks that you send in should measure 3- ½ x 3 – ½ inches, which includes a ¼ inch seam allowance all around the block. Please make sure your measurements are exact. It is unbelievably frustrating to try and piece together quilt blocks that are all slightly different sizes.
3. Your blocks may be of any Civil War era design you would like, either pieced or appliqued. You may piece blocks as simple as a four patch, or log cabin, or get crazy and do more elaborate blocks. The only thing I ask is that you make blocks that you would be happy to have someone else give you. 🙂
4. Use a Micron Pigma #08 black pen and your best handwriting to write your name, the date and the city you live in on the front side of each of the blocks you send in to the exchange.
5. You may send in as many blocks as you wish and will receive the same number of blocks in exchange.
6. Please send a self addressed postage paid return envelope in with your blocks. Include a note with your name, mailing address, email address and the number of blocks you are sending in the envelope. Make sure that the return postage is enough to cover the cost of mailing your blocks back to you.
7. All blocks sent in to the exchange must be post marked no later than July 1, 2011 (please mail your blocks earlier than 7/1/11 if you live outside of the United States).
Mail your blocks to me:
Paula Walton
A Sweet Remembrance
172 Aspetuck Ridge Road
New Milford, CT 06776-5611
You will receive all of your exchanged friendship blocks back in time to stitch together a wonderful doll size quilt before fall. Did you know that in days past, most quilting was done in the warmer months to take advantage of the additional hours of sunlight to sew by? The majority of the quilting in New England was done from May – November, with May and October being the busiest quilting months.
If you email me photos of your finished quilts I will post them here for everyone to ohhh and ahhh over.
Happy Quilting! I’m looking forward to trading blocks with you 🙂
Just call me "Patchwork Paula" like my youngest son, an editor at Topp's, did when he named this Garbage Pail Kid after me 🙂 You can see more at http://www.colinwalton.com
* if you would like to read more about friendship quilts I recommend Northern Comfort New England’s Early Quilts 1780-1850 by Lynne Z. Bassett and Jack Larkin
Need More Inspiration?
Here are a few more photos from my previous full size Civil War Block Exchange.
Gail and her finished Civil War friendship quilt. Isn't it gorgeous? My sister Marisa quilting her Civil War quilt as Jan looks on and gives tips.Marisa's finished Civil War friendship quilt.
One side of my small Civil War Friendship quilt.The reverse side of my small friendship quilt.
April is starting out to be a terrific month. Friday was my son Blair’s birthday. The whole family got together to celebrate for the entire weekend.
Friday also brought some very welcome news, when I learned that I have been chosen for Early American Life’s 2011 Directory of Traditional American Crafts. This makes my 23rd time to be juried into the directory. Thank You EAL! Please look for the Directory issue of the magazine which will be on newsstands on June 21st.
In between all of the partying, I managed to squeeze in a little shopping time. On Saturday I went to a couple of thrift shops with one of my sons and his girlfriend. We found quite a few small treasures. Sunday brought the opening day of the Elephant’s Trunk flea market. I was able to replenish my supply of antique white cotton fabrics and I found a wonderful antique paisley shawl. Now all I have to do is decide if I can possibly restore the shawl, or if it is so far gone that it is fair game for doll clothing! Always a dilemma 🙂
If you would like to purchase this doll, please visit my website A Sweet Remembrance, or simply call (860-355-5708) or email (paula@asweetremembrance.com) me.
Here she is in her pantalettes and chemise.
Her petticoat is an antique that I cleaned and altered to fit her.She is wearing a simple white dress with a tucked skirt and sleeves.Over her dress she wears a lace trimmed apronIn good company with her much older sisters (my original antique Izannah Walker dolls).
This doll has been sold and will soon be leaving for her new home in upstate NY.
I stayed up late into the night sewing lace onto sheer white cotton because I dearly wanted to finish this doll. I was full of impatience to see what she would look like, once I finally dressed her in all of her frothy layers. It was well worth the effort, since I am very pleased with how she turned out and had sweet dreams of her while I slept.
Since I snapped these photos just before I stumbled up to bed, I had to use a flash. Her paint does not have as shiny a finish as the glare from the flash makes it appear. She looks so much more wonderful in person. Late night, sleep deprived photography is never my best.
The paint on this doll looks very old, you can see areas where the paint has worn through to show the underlying weave of her stockinette head. Her hands look like they have held countless cups of pretend tea, been clutched for comfort by a small owner, and generally loved for years on end.
The dressmaking details of her clothing include French seams to join the panels of her sheer white skirts, two rows of tucks at her dress and sleeve hems, three rows of tucks on the bottom of her pantalettes, and hand stitched lace flounces around the edges of her knee length chemise, pantalettes, and apron. All of the fabrics and laces that I used in making her clothing are antique, and she comes with an antique doll’s petticoat that I have cleaned and restored. I wish that I would have been able to add a few more rows of tucks to her dress, but I just did not have enough fabric.
The doll herself stands 18 inches tall. She has a pressed cloth head, oil painted head, shoulders and limbs, and is filled with organic cotton stuffing. Her body is covered in antique, glazed linen.
Even though it is overcast and rainy again today, I think this young lady needs a ruffled white sunbonnet to keep her shoulders from burning and ward away freckles. I do still have a few bits of fabric and lace left…
You can purchase this sweet girl for $1200, which will include her sunbonnet and free shipping if you live in the US. If you love her just the way she is and feel that you don’t want a bonnet, she would be a bit less. Please call me at 860-355-5709 or email paula@asweetremembrance.com if you are interested in buying her, or would like to ask questions.
Now that I have posted this, I suppose I really will have to break down and do all of the house cleaning that I’ve been putting off while I sewed. Especially since I have someone coming on Saturday for a private tutorial. 🙂 It would be nice if she could walk in the door and not be immediately buried in fabric and tripped up by stray threads! LOL
It’s a quiet rainy Sunday here. A sleepy day full of billowing white fog and the sound of raindrops bouncing along the roof. I’ve been sorting through my piles of antique fabrics and lace, pulling out lovely pieces of sheer woven white on whites, embroidered whites and wonderful soft laces. It may be that I’ve been influenced by the fog, or maybe I’m longing for forgotten summer days and the look of sheer white flounces on little girls dressed their Sunday best. What ever the reason, I feel inspired to sew layers and layers of ruffled and tucked white clothing.
A shy looking, sweet-faced Izannah with wavy curls is going to be the recipient of my indulgence in all white dress making. She is sitting patiently by my side as I sew, being good as gold while I measure again and again. Holding quite still as I drape first one fabric, then another around her.
I tell myself that I’m being quite virtuous by working all day, which is my justification for ignoring all of the cleaning and laundry that I should be doing. But in my heart of hearts I know that I am really taking a day to spend playing with my dolls. 🙂
I thought you might all like to see what I’m working on this week. I’m just finishing up a wonderful custom order Izannah. I only have a few more details to complete and then she will be ready to travel to her new home.
Yesterday she graciously agreed to pose for my April ad in Antique Doll Collector magazine. So she’s been a very busy young lady. Today she has her final dress fitting and is acquiring laces for her boots. Tomorrow she will be packing for her trip. I hope all of the attention doesn’t go to her head!
I made this doll to order as a special commission from her owner. I would be happy to do the same for you. Please call me at 860-355-5709 or email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com to discuss custom made dolls.
Doll Town is a new website opening Sunday night February 27th at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The idea behind the site is for a large group of doll artists to come together in one place and offer their dolls for sale to collectors. The woman behind the site is Jane DesRosier.
Please come join me and a host of wonderful, creative doll makers for the grand opening tomorrow. I have two dolls available for sale on the site. I hope to see you there!
I’m sure that you can all call to mind an image of a classic Izannah Walker doll, wearing a charming print dress with a neckline that gently hugs her shoulders. Layered under her dress will be a chemise, petticoats and pantalettes.
When you are dressing your Izannah Walker doll it is important for her undergarments to have the proper fit. If your doll will be wearing a low cut dress then her chemise must be cut to match.
It has been speculated that Izannah Walker was making dolls as early as the mid 1840’s. Low shoulder baring gowns were fashionable for young children beginning in the late 18th century through the mid 1860’s. After the Civil War necklines on children’s dresses and chemises rose. The doll shown on the left, in the photo above, wears her original chemise that shows all of her shoulders, right up to the top of her arms. The hem line of this chemise falls below her knees. The doll on the right also wears her original chemise, but it’s neckline and hemline are both higher, with the bottom of the garment ending just below her hips (click here for another view). Both chemises are made of cotton sheeting.
The fit of the doll’s chemises are very true to life and match the fit of corresponding real chemises of the period.
c. 1860 calf length, machine stitched, cotton sheeting chemise with Turkey red embroidered eyelet and a single inital.
A chemise is the garment that was worn closest to the body. Stays/corsets were worn over the top of the chemise, followed by petticoats. Pantalettes, once they were introduced in the early 19th century, were worn under the chemise to cover the legs. If a chemise fits properly, even though the neckline is off the shoulder, it will easily stay in place without falling off.
Machine stitched cotton sheeting chemise with fantastic hand embroidered yoke and sleeve trim.Close up view of embroidered detail.Machine stitched linen chemise with tatted lace trim and red embroidered initals and number. Chemises, men's shirts and sheets were often embroidered with initals and numbered, to make sure that they were rotated evenly.Sleeve and gusset detail.Machine stitched cotton sheeting chemise with hand embroidered yoke and crochet lace.
If you would like a closer look at any of the small photos, you can enlarge them by clicking on the image.
Black Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll in Cheddar Print Dress
This doll is dressed in a gown made from a reproduction cotton print fabric. It is a scaled down copy of a child’s dress in my collection. Her chemise is made of antique linen and trimmed in antique eyelet. Her pantalettes were made from a worn out vintage sheet, antique lace and antique button. She is wearing an antique petticoat that I cleaned and restored. I fashioned an apron out of scraps of an antique “cheddar” print fabric. I also made her a necklace of coral colored beads.
$925.00 with free shipping to US addresses.
Black Reproduction Izannah Walker Doll in Pink Dress
This doll is wearing a reproduction of one of the original dresses worn by my antique Izannah Walker dolls. It is made from a wonderful antique pink and white homespun check fabric. Under her dress she is wearing a chemise, pantalettes and an antique petticoat.
I made her sunbonnet of antique double pink calico. The bonnet is a doll sized version of an antique bonnet in my collection. The brim is stiffened with individually cut strips of cardboard.
You can see another photo of these pantalettes here.
The origins of pantalettes can be found in early 19th century France, and from there the fashion soon spread to England and America. Pantalettes were worn by women and children of both sexes.
Izannah Walker Journal 