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Your Civil War Uniform Does not Have to Look 100+ Years Old
By Paula and Coach McCoach
http://www.civilwaruniforms.net
Civil War soldiers did not want to look "tattered." The custom was to look as neat and clean as possible. Remember, when they first got their uniforms, the uniforms looked new. The soldiers of the Civil War liked being tidy. If they had rips and tears in their uniforms, they would sew them up if they could. Being in "tatters" was not a sign of being "cool."
I recommend that you keep your Civil War Uniform looking as clean and trim as possible depending on what you want to portray unless you want to portray a particular campaign where they were ragged. If not I would want to keep my uniform in good shape, and I would not wreck my new uniform right from the start. If you really want a tattered uniform, find one on a blanket.
Even at the end of the war, they were issued new uniforms. Lee's army looked better at the surrender than at Gettysburg.
Remember you have invested a substantial amount of money in your Civil War Uniform. I am passionate about mine being accurate and a correct reproduction. I would not intentionally tear or rip my uniform to make it look worn. Why destroy your uniform after you have spent so much time and effort getting it "right?"
Putting a patch on your pants, jacket, shirt, etc. is an accurate way to fix a hole or tear. But, I am careful not to put too many patches on my uniform, as I don't want to look like a walking quilt! I suggest you keep an eye on the number and size of the patches you are putting on your uniform, to be sure it looks appropriate. I would not put patches on just for effect. The Civil War soldier would try to match the patch to the color of the uniform fabric.
An interesting subject among reenactors is the topic of smell. I don't feel that to have an accurate impression, you have to smell like you have not taken a bath in months. Soldiers of the Civil War tried their hardest to smell good and be clean. They would wash themselves as much as they could in streams, rivers, etc., but remember hygiene in those days was not what it is today.
Plus, think of your fellow reenactors and maybe your own popularity or lack thereof, if you smell really bad. The Civil War was pre-deodorant days. Some guys think the worse you smell, the better your impression, but I would not go to that extreme. You can't diagnose smell in original photos.
My last comment on staying neat and clean as the soldiers of the Civil War wanted to do is about hair. Most of the men who fought in the Civil War ran the gamut - crew cuts to long hair. I think they cut their hair for hygiene hair to keep the lice down. I would think in the summer they would cut their hair more and in the winter they would have longer hair to keep warm.
The same would go with beards. A lot of this had to do with would depend if you had access to water, razors, etc. I would think in camp they would be much better groomed than on campaign.
In general, they were not sporting long ponytails or long hair very often. Long hair was less common than medium or short hair. Look at original photographs. As I have said many times, if you look at original photographs, you will see that the hairstyles of the day were neat and clean and short for the most part.
Coach McCoach has been a Civil War reenactor in the 4th North Carolina Infantry, 2nd Virginia Regiment, and 21st Virginia Company B. Coach has received the "Authenticity Award" from these companies several times for his Civil War Uniform Impression. Coach's Civil War uniform designs have been seen in the movies GETTYSBURG, Antietam Visitors Center, ANDERSONVILLE.
For more information, contact coach@civilwaruniforms.net or go to http://www.civilwaruniforms.net
2005 permission granted to reprint this article in print or on your website so long as the paragraph above is included and the contact information is included to coach@civilwaruniforms.net and
http://www.civilwaruniforms.net
About the Author
Coach McCoach has been a Civil War reenactor in the 4th North Carolina Infantry, 2nd Virginia Regiment, and 21st Virginia Company B. Coach has received the "Authenticity Award" from these companies several times for his Civil War Uniform Impression. Coach's Civil War uniform designs have been seen in the movies GETTYSBURG, Antietam Visitors Center, ANDERSONVILLE.
...Author: by Paula and Coach McCoach
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About Quilting Make 15" square basket quilt blocks in traditional Amish style, or vary your fabrics for a slightly Amish look. The quilt block pattern includes instructions for single quilt blocks (perfect for scrap quilts), but on page 3 you'll find directions to help you make the 63" x 63" quilt illustrated here. Amish Style Miniature Quilt Pattern New: Slightly Amish Basket Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 12:21:57. Permalink | Comment | Email this New Gallery & Lots of Gallery Updates The Memory Quilts Gallery is brand new this weekend, and the first quilts displayed there represent a range of purposes and techniques. I've spent most of the past two days going through my backlog of photo submissions and I'm happy to say... whew! I'm nearly finished (only a few pics remain). You'll find new photos in every gallery linked below. Baby Quilts Regatta Quilt by Patti Dubreuil New Gallery & Lots of Gallery Updates originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 20:57:23. Permalink | Comment | Email this Miniature Bear's Paw Quilt Pattern This little quilt measures about 19-inches square. It's made from four 3-1/2-inch Bear's Paw quilt blocks that are surrounded by cornerstones and pieced sashing. A dark inner border and a floral outer border complete the little quilt. Everything is quick and strip-pieced. Half square triangle units used in blocks finish at 1/2", but you can make them perfectly every time but assembling the units slightly larger than necessary and then cutting each one back to the exact size before sewing. Photo © Janet Wickell Miniature Bear's Paw Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Friday, July 23rd, 2010 at 09:10:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this Summertime Baskets Block in Two Sizes: 20" and 10" I love it when the native plants are blooming like crazy and blossoms and fruit are in motion. And it's an incredible sight to gaze out across the Blue Ridge Mountains in the spring to watch the progression of green as it moves higher in elevation. I call that progress greening up the mountain, and have thought forever that the theme would make a good landscape quilt. I even started a miniature version years ago in a class with Jo Diggs, and rediscovered the project awhile back when we unpacked some boxes. Now I just have to find the time to work on it. Spring and summer always brings out the basket blocks, too. This version is in the deeper colors of summer, but would work well with any theme. I think it would be lovely sewn with solid fabrics in the Amish tradition, even if you decide to add some reds and other zesty colors we don't typically see in traditional Amish quilts. I've included instructions for two blocks sizes, a 20" and a 10". Choose whichever works for you. On the About.com Network Since we're talking about baskets and flowers, take a look at the decoupaged garden seed container on our Family Crafts site. Sherri's come up with a cute and useful project for your gardening friends. © Janet Wickell Summertime Baskets Block in Two Sizes: 20" and 10" originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 12:07:00. Permalink | Comment | Email this A Joyous Celebration Mini Quilt Pattern Speed piecing techniques make stitching this little quilt a breeze. The light fabric that surrounds the stars blends with the pictorial angel fabric used in the center of the snowball blocks, giving the snowballs an on-point appearance even though all blocks are sewn together side by side. The quilt measures 29-1/2" square. photo © Janet Wickell A Joyous Celebration Mini Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Friday, July 16th, 2010 at 06:10:04. Permalink | Comment | Email this Catching the View Quilt Pattern The three kitty cats in this quilt are peering through windows at all the summer flowers outside, and you can bet they're keeping an eye on the butterflies flying around the garden. This has been a popular pattern with readers, and although it does have set-in seams at the mitered frames, it is not difficult to assemble. Photo © Janet Wickell Catching the View Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 16:35:04. Permalink | Comment | Email this Star Quilt Patterns Patchwork star quilt designs are an all-time favorite, so you'll find star patterns scattered throughout the About.com Quilting Web site. I've linked to several choices below, but there are more. The list includes blocks and quilts in a range of sizes, starting at 6" square (you'll find a few options for smaller blocks) and moving upwards. Star blocks are the perfect starting point for holiday quilts -- just change the fabrics to make any pattern to suit your needs. Star quilts are often made up of half square triangle units, a popular quilting component that you'll encounter often. Use my triangle squares tutorial to learn an easy (and accurate) construction method. Framed Friendship Stars Quilt Pattern Star Quilt Patterns originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Saturday, July 10th, 2010 at 15:09:05. Permalink | Comment | Email this Domino Quilt Block & Quilt Pattern The Domino quilt block finishes at 9" square, with small units that are a nice size for baby and toddler quilts, but perfectly fine for a bed-sized quilts, too. The Domino quilt block pattern includes instructions for making a single quilt block, for those of you who like to go scrappy, plus directions for 20-strip pieced Dominos. The 20 blocks can be used in the Domino baby quilt shown on page 4 of the pattern, or in another quilt of your own design. Before beginning, new quilters should make sure they're okay with sewing a quarter inch seam and with rotary cutting long strips of fabric. Domino Quilt Block & Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Thursday, July 8th, 2010 at 09:44:00. Permalink | Comment | Email this Attic Ribbons Quilt Pattern Attic Ribbons is a 70" x 94" quilt made from 12" Attic Windows quilt blocks. Some of the blocks feature applique motifs, but you can eliminate the applique if you wish, or use one of my easy suggestions to simplify construction while still adding a bit of variety to the windows. Use different colors to create your own unique theme, and sew fewer or more blocks to alter its finished size. Setting-in is not a difficult method -- do give it a try. Attic Ribbons Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Monday, July 5th, 2010 at 14:55:34. Permalink | Comment | Email this Greek Cross Quilt Block & Quilt Pattern Greek Cross quilt blocks are all about color value, and you can dramatically alter their appearance by shifting value positions within the block. I've included a quilt layout suggestion (along with yardages and extra instructions, of course) and drawings that illustrate value variations. Greek Cross is such a simple block, but it can be either traditional or dramatic, depending on your fabric choices. Janet Wickell Greek Cross Quilt Block & Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Sunday, July 4th, 2010 at 08:31:07. Permalink | Comment | Email this Newsfeed display by CaRP |
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