1950s Cooking...

I recently ordered a 1950s German cookbook.  I've slowly been going through the recipes and enjoy the different tastes.  Part of the fun is learning to cook German style for my boyfriend.  The other fun part is trying to decipher German recipes in measurements or cooking terms they don't use anymore.  Even with my boyfriend helping to translate, we still get a little confused at times.  Tonight we cooked Hungarian Goulash.  At least the German version of it.  That along with carrots cooked in vinegar and served with oil and chives.  Quite tasty actually.  For dessert we had hazelnut pudding.  The recipes will shortly follow, translated to English.  I am waiting for a 1950s American cookbook to arrive and will work through that one as well.  Some Jello molds also arrived.  I already found a German version of a horrible sounding vegetable gelatin recipe.  I think that will be attempted next week.

Peasant Bodice part 1...

After making so many things for the children and making fancier clothing for myself and my fella, it's time I make myself some more "normal" clothing.  Still historical, but clothes I plan to wear on normal days and not just for special events.  I really like a peasant bodice pattern I have.  It's from the Francis Grimble book Fashions of the Gilded Age Volume 1.  It comes from Harper's Bazar January 1878.  I plan to wear it over a shirt and I'm using a fairly fine light brown wool.

Original Girl Scout Uniform Complete!

I finished my daughter's 1912 Girl Scout Uniform.  Her hair is messy in the photo, as I threw it quickly into a French braid for the photo.  We're still waiting on the original buttons, but they could take a few weeks coming from the States.  Although I've embroidered two badges my daughter worked on, we'll wait to put them on.  It turns out girls had to first earn their pin and the next level is a shamrock patch.  Then they could earn and wear merit badges.  And yes, it's large on her.  As I plan for her to wear it for a couple years before I sew another one, that's the point.

Original Girl Scout Uniform part 3...

The top is finally finished.  Mostly.  Everything is stitched together.  I'm just waiting on some buttons.  I found two early Girl Scout buttons and a neckerchief pin on Ebay and am waiting for them to come in from the States.  Once here, I can stitch the buttons on the pockets.  Otherwise the shirt is all finished.  The fabric for the shirt is washed and I just need to fit my daughter real quick tomorrow.  As the skirt is to last a couple years, I plan to make it a little large with multiple buttons so the waistband will adjust as she grows.  The buttons should be here in a couple weeks.

Original Girl Scout Uniform part 2...

Okay, I got a bunch of the uniform sewn.  I also embroidered my daughter's first badge for the uniform.  The latter I had to laugh about, as I did it during the hour long Girl Scout meeting on Tuesday.  I was 95% done by the end of the meeting.  The other girls there didn't have a clue what the stuff in my sewing box was (thread, pins, etc.).  Of course my daughter knew.  They also couldn't believe I embroidered all I had, so quickly.  They thought it took months.  Doesn't take much to impress five and six year olds, but I felt good for a few minutes. :-)

Here is the pattern for the outfit I used.

 

These are in order, the back, sleeve and front.  I ended up cutting more of a "V" on the front neckline and will probably cut it a little deeper after the next fitting.  I could sew the second sleeve on, but I'm nervous it won't fit, so I'll have my daughter try it on in the morning, just to be safe.

And here is the badge.  It's the Child Nurse badge.  According to the original manual, she had to help with a child under two years for a period of time and know what to do in certain situations.  Granted, I updated some of the child rearing knowledge to reflect modern ideas versus 100 year old ideas.  Fortunately for my daughter, her little brother is just turning two this month, so she had a baby at home to practice with.  I just need to trim off the badge and stitch it to the sleeve when it's ready.

Original Girl Scout Uniform...

My daughter became a Daisy in the Girl Scouts this year.  I read through her handbook and looked at handbooks for the older girls and was very unimpressed.  The activities to earn badges, are not impressive.  This is at all levels, not just the lower levels.  I really feel the Girl Scouts have become a money maker at the expense of the girls.  Now, they can partake in activities or make things and create a badge for it.  As it was explained to me, if the Troop goes to the Zoo and talks about the animals, they can make a Zoo badge.  The girls send in their design, pay $3.50 +s&h and have a badge.  There are only a few badges at each level that have pre-determined guidelines.  And each year, the girls can earn 4 badges based around cookie sales.  Two for cookie sales and two for finances.  I am very put off.  However my daughter really wants to be a Scout like her brother.

So, I will bring her to the meetings and have her do Scouts the original way as well.  I have a digital copy of one of the first Girl Scout manuals.  We are going through it and she is earning the original badges.  Rather than pay the Scouts to make each badge, I will hand embroider them, just as the first Girl Scouts and their mothers did.  I am also sewing her the original Girl Scouts uniform.  Again, the girls and their mothers sewed these uniforms, as there was no corporate to buy them from.  As she earns the badges, they will be embroidered and stitched to the sleeves of her uniform as was done for many years.  Over this, she'll wear the current vest with the current badges.

Now, after this ramble, time to explain the project.  Jo-Ann Fabrics made a guide to reproduce the original for Girl Scouts' 100 year celebration.

http://www.joann.com/girl-scout-uniform/prod1031147/

I am using the pictures from there, but the pattern from a 1911 French fashion magazine for a similar dress.










I am copying the basic blouse, minus the trim and buttons.  It will simply slip over the head.  I'm not making the sleeve caps and the skirt will be longer.  I'm not sure yet about the pleats.  Probably, instead of the pleats, it will be gathered.  But that will be figured out later.  This evening, I have traced the pattern and cut it out of patterning fabric.  My daughter will try on the mock-up tomorrow and I'll tweak it where needed.  I have a bolt of fabric to make this dress again when she grows.