Civil War Gown (McCall's 5132) with Corset, Chemise and Drawers (Simplicity 9769)
The hairstyle I used is from the blog The Lady's Guide.
If you are curious about the construction details, visit the Civil War Costumes Dress Diary.
Scott's costume is a Union Army Uniform (McCall's 4745).
This is the chemise (or shift, or in more modern terms, the slip). It is worn underneath the corset and the drawers (or bloomers). It can either be tucked into the drawers or left untucked. Personally, I like ot wear it untucked because otherwise all that extra fabric is bunched up around the back and is both uncomfortable and ridiculous (as you can see below!).
The corset is worn over the chemise and drawers. It takes about fifteen minutes to lace up the corset properly and take it in all the way. My waist was 29" before the corset went on, and the corseted measurment was 26". Woah! Too bad it is impossible to breathe in this thing.
I didn't make my crinoline. Instead, I bought one
on eBay for $26. Yes, it's cheating, but... $26!!!!!
So cheap!!!
Note to self: Next time, try Simplicity 9761 (OOP).
Photographs copyright Time Travel Costumes 2010.