Daniel’s skill as a tailor helped the
family during this time; he became known for the clothes he constructed in the
neighborhood using cloth the local women wove from carded and spun wool and
flax.[1] Locally grown flax harvested, beaten with a
flail and processed to produce the spinning fibers. Weavers used this thread to make linen. The most
popular material was homemade linsey-woolsey, a combination of linen and
wool. Wool was the standard material
used. A variety of natural materials
provided dye to color the homespun fabric.
The goldenrod produced a yellow, walnut or sumac bark for dark slate or
grey and butternut hulls for brown.[2] Other materials became available when the
railroads pushed their way into Illinois.
By 1895, mail order clothes through the Sears, Roebuck and Co were
available and homemade clothes were no longer the only option. Daniel probably took his patterns from worn
out clothing. Patterns for the newer
fashions were available through periodicals such as Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, Petersen’s Magazine and Godey’s
Lady’s book.[3]
Daniel and
his son’s most likely wore cotton shirts and short wool coats. The
shirts had an opening in front, allowing the wearer to pull their shirt over
their head and then fasten the opening with three or four buttons or leather
lacing. Their woolen pants were probably
reinforced with buckskin in the seats and legs.
They might have also pants made of duck cloth, which is heavy woven
cotton. Suspenders were commonly in use
since belts were not the fashion nor available.
Long woolen socks worn with high boots allowed them to tuck in their pants. The high boots helped protect them from snake
bites and brambles. Once mail order was
available these work boots could be purchased for $7-$15 a pair or government
surplus work boots could be bought for $2.75 through the Montgomery Ward and
Company catalog.[4] Jeans made by Levi Strauss became available
through Montgomery Ward and Company in 1874.
These pants were died indigo blue and stitched with orange threads. They had a back pocket with rivets at the
corners and along the seams for strength.
Commonly known as Levis, these pants became popular with the farmers.[5] Heavy winter coats were usually made from
animal skins such as buffalo, bear and raccoon.
A couple of buttons and a tie string secured the undergarments.
Sarah and
Julia Higgins wore long skirts. Fabric
and extra clothing were hard to come by so they wore the same skirts for years
making small changes to follow the current fashion trends. They probably had at least one “good” dress
reserved for Sundays and special occasions.
It was common to wear one or two petticoats under their skirts
especially for social events. Most
likely Daniel made the dresses for Sarah and Julia out of linsey-woolsey, which
would have been known as their “heavy dress” or everyday dress. The best dresses were made from calico, cotton,
muslin and even silk when they could get it.
The full skirt on the dresses required ten yards of fabric; calico was
25 cents a yard, a bushel of wheat sold for 30 cents so $2.50 for a full skirt
was expensive. The dress bodice was
usually lined to provide strength and warmth.
If Sarah and Julia wore hoops under their dresses, they would have
removed them at home, hanging them on a wall to be out of the way. Women wore homemade lace collars and a wool
braid along the skirt hemline. Their
dresses or skirts probably had a pocket sewn into the right side seam.[6]
Metal bars or lead shot sewn into their
hems kept their skirts from blowing in the wind. The skirts were often shortened a few inches
to keep them from dragging in the mud.[7]
Their apron
was an essential daily item for Sarah and Julia; most were white made of
homespun cotton, linen or perhaps bleached feed sacks. They wore their aprons long over their
skirts. On colder days, they would wrap
a shawl around their shoulders or wear a short cape to protect them from the
weather. The shawls were usually
homemade from a square of fabric that was folded into a triangle and a fringe
added to the edges. Crocheted shawls
were also popular. They probably worked
hard to shield their faces from the freckling affect of the sun through the use
of sunbonnets. Respectable women did not
wear makeup.
Women wore a long loose fitting
undergarment called a chemise under their dress, and beneath this, they wore
pantaloons. Often the pantaloons
extended below their skirt line displayed a lace trim. For warmth, the petticoats were quilted or made
from red flannel. Sarah and Julia
probably were barefoot around the house but wore button-up black boots to go
out.
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