Thanks... this is actually my third dress!  Don't you think with a very nice cotton contrasting sleeves can be okay? (I don't have enough of the same material for sleeves that's the only reason I did muslin!)

Julie, the way I put my dress on is as follows:  I unbutton/unhook the dress all the way, and let the bodice fall back onto the skirt.  Holding the waistline area of the dress I put it over my head--the bodice is still flopped loose behind me (with a front opening dress).  I settle the waistline at my waist and only *then* do I put my arms in the sleeves, lifting and settling the bodice up over my shoulders.  I can then adjust my chemise sleeves comfortably into the sleeve openings before buttoning or doing my hooks.
Doing it this way avoids the "arms over-head" approach which can make your chemise shoulders/sleeves a little wonky.
Also, don't forget before you start to put on the dress to give your chemise a gentle tug downward front, back,  and sides, making sure "the girls" are comfortably settled where they belong, and you don't have a lot of chemise puffing up out of your corset.

HTH!

Green ribbon for SA members sounds fine to me!  Are we agreed?  I need to pick up some ribbon anyway--I'll get green if there are enough of you in agreement. 

My son the abruptly dismounted cavalryman was cleared by his doctor today to go back to work Monday, with, of course, lots of restrictions such as no lifting, no driving, etc.  (He works at a desk with a computer.)  Things are looking quite hopeful now for Gettysburg!  He'll have three of us to help out, and I bought one of those hassock toilets so he doesn't have to maneuver into the portapotties, or at least not when he's close to the tent.

I'm going to ditto Ginger and Paula - the vast majority of dresses had sleeves of the same fabric as the rest of the dress. The shape of your sleeves looks pretty good, especially for your first dress - I can tell you that my first dress did not fit nearly as well as yours fits! Change those sleeves and you'll be well on your way.

Despite the variance of the quilting, the Workwoman's Guide "caleche," as she calls it, is the classic calash shape. The brim is just a big rectangle and the tip is horseshoe-shaped. It even has the classic strings for pulling it forward, because it's not shaped to stay on the head by itself. It's designed, as she says, to rest loosely on the head without messing up an evening coiffure. The bonnet at the top of this thread is constructed like other 1850s bonnets, with a circular tip and a highly shaped brim that tapers from front to back and curves at the bottom into the curtain. It is also proportioned like a bonnet, not suitable as a temporary pull-on.

I'm so sad I had to give this one a miss this year. I really hope I'll be able to go to the next one - it's been on my reenactment bucket list for a few years!

It was our first Hopewell after several years of wanting to attend and it held up to every expectation! All in all a marvelous weekend- We are still chatting about it and looking forward to next year.

Our fellow participants were just fabulous to interact with- having goals really helped me in direction and of course, unexpected things occurred along the way- just as in the "real world" which made it all the more tangible an experience.

There were special moments that will always stay in my mind- first thing Saturday morning and walking into the boarding house for breakfast- I felt as though I stepped through time- what a sight.

Thanks to everyone who participated and made it truly a memorable "time travel" experience.

Deb Kessler

Thanks Kevin!

Hopewell 1863 was a great success! We had about 35 men, women, and children come out for a very warm, but very fun weekend. We kept busy with work in the furnace, whitewashing buildings, carpentry projects, cooking, baking, quilting, sewing, knitting and more. The small creek that runs through the village provided all-day entertainment for the children and some refreshment for the grown-ups who dipped their feet in from time to time. The ladies met on Sunday for a soldiers' aid society meeting and came up with a shared quilting project for next year.

To keep us in first person, everyone was assigned goals or "story lines" to follow to help with interaction between participants. There was mail delivered to the village on Saturday and that provided some good topics for discussion. We also had a "surprise" visitor to town in the form of an army sergeant who was supposed to be looking for men potentially eligible for the upcoming draft. Saturday evening, after a delicious dinner (including homemade ice cream!), the group gathered for games, singing, and music.

The site is beautiful, the participants are all historically minded, the food is excellent...if you want to come out to Hopewell 1864, let me know. I will post dates as soon as I know them!
 
Here are some photos of the event. Enjoy!
 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=09855f2f47
 
Hope to see you at Hopewell next year,
 
Jess Craig

Hi All,

I know it's an older post I'm responding to, but I'm newer to the forum, so here's some stuff I've found that I think will help. 

Check out this link to an image of "Government Paint Shop": http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cwpb.04152/?co=civwar
Bring up the "tiff" version so you can zoom in.  There one fella (pretty much dead center) with a pair of overalls on.  Others might have them as well, but it's tough to tell with their coats on. 

Hope this helps, if anyone reads it  

Best,

Matt Mickletz

The Workwoman's Guide --Plate 20--instructions page 162