Her War

Interpreting Women's Lives during the American Civil War

Patterns Suggestions

There are several pattern companies that produce Civil War era civilian patterns; even mainstream pattern companies like Simplicity have started producing patterns for historical garments.

Before choosing a pattern, you may wish to look over a couple of websites that offer critiques of different patterns, difficulty and/or suggestions on how to improve a pattern’s accuracy, especially if you choose to use a mainstream pattern.

The Great Pattern Review
This site is part of the Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild in California. The goal of the site is to provide a forum to share knowledge and to be helpful and encouraging to both sewers and pattern makers. It includes reviews of many different costuming patterns, not just Civil War and the reviews are from the public. There are over 60 different pattern makers represented.

The Sewing Academy
Elizabeth Stewart Clark offers reviews and tips on her website for the different Martha McCain patterns offered by Simplicity.

Farthingales Fabric
Farthingales offers reviews and additional instructions for several patterns, not just Civil War. Their advanced instructions for some of the patterns include photographs and diagrams of the project and a shopping list of materials needed for the project (from their offerings, of course).

The pattern companies listed below are ones I have personally used or have been recommended by others involved in living history. If a pattern company is not listed here, it does not mean they should be avoided or that they are not good choices, only that I am not familiar with them. No matter what pattern you use, even if you have used the pattern company before, always make a muslin mock up to be sure of the fit before cutting into the fashion fabric.

Company Tailor, The
Men’s coats and trousers custom drafted.

Dancing Leaf Designs
This company produces mostly women’s patterns through Fig Leaf, Peachtree Mercantile, KayFig and KayFig II patterns. The KayFig division also offers a kit for a cage hoop. These patterns are all based on original garments and come with spiral instruction booklets that include the garment background. The instructions include period and modern sewing techniques.

Historic Moments
These are children’s patterns produced by Elizabeth Stewart Clark. She offers patterns for infants, boys to age 6 and girls to age 12. Each pattern offers several different style options.

Homespun Patterns (available through different venders)
The instructions with these patterns can be difficult to follow and are not recommended for someone unfamiliar with 19th century sewing techniques.

Laughing Moon Mercantile
Laughing Moon patterns do not include instructions for period construction and stitches; however, they do offer background information on the garment and suggestions on where to find information on period construction techniques. Some of the patterns are dated for a large time span and may not all be appropriate for the Civil War era even though they are dated within the 1860s.

Past Patterns
These patterns are based on original garments. The text included provides background information on the garment and sometimes images of the fabric and notions used in the original garment. The instructions are for period construction and include some instruction on period stitches.

Simplicity (not all patterns at this link are Civil War period)
Several of the Civil War patterns by Martha McCain, including the men’s patterns, are out of print. Check the “Out of Print” pattern search on the Simplicity site for these patterns. New patterns by Kay Gnagey are now being produced. If you choose to use the Simplicity patterns, be aware that the instructions are not period sewing techniques and may call for inappropriate notions. This is not a reflection on the pattern maker but are changes made by Simplicity after the patterns are drafted. The other drawback, especially for the women’s patterns since they are relatively inexpensive, familiar, and easily constructed, they are commonly used, so they tend to show up a lot at events causing a “cookie cutter” effect.

Truly Victorian
These patterns are based on pictures and descriptions of garments rather than originals. The company specializes in bustle era patterns but does offer some for the Civil War era. They only produce women’s patterns.