1840s Cooking Utensils

This is what I use to cook at events:

Originals:
Iron skillets
Rockingham bowl
Wine or Champagne bottles to roll out dough (this always gets a lot of attention, but it works!)
Black glass bottles to hold spices, jam, etc. (they were great recyclers back then...)
Iron trivet
Copper Tea Kettle
Bone handled forks and knives
Pewter spoons
Milk pan/gold pan
Salt glazed jug for water
English transferware bowls, plates, and tea cups

Modern/reproductions:
Wood spoons
Knitted pot holders
Salt glazed pottery for butter/lard
Hot tin dipped plate/cups
Dog River sauce bottles

Typical layout at Coloma

Cooking dehydrated apples to put in fried pies

1840s Pleated Bertha

 Inspired by this dress from the Tasha Tudor collection, I made a pleated bertha out of 100% silk duchess satin with a hard backing for my wedding dress:

Detail of pleated bertha.

 To make my life easier I used the Civil War Ballgown Simplicity 5724 bertha pattern pieces.

Simplicity 5724 

I attached piped lozenges at the berth front and shoulder seams (like the original dress) and the back closed with hooks and eyes.

Bertha back, note lozenges over shoulder seam.

Laughing Moon #114 Ladies Round Dress 1840s-1852

Late 1840s bodices are usually either darted or fan front, with variations of course.   

Darted 1840s Dress

Fan Front 1840s Dress

Most of the dresses that I made for Gold Rush had been the fan front style using the Past Patterns dress, until Laughing Moon Mercantile published their Ladies Round Dress Pattern. A variety of styles can be achieved with the pattern with a darted or fan front bodice, sleeve variations, etc.  I made the darted version with a tighter sleeve and sleeve caps.

I used an 1840s reproduction cotton print with vines and bubbles, (hence the dress has been dubbed “The Bubble Dress”), 100% silk satin to cover wood discs for the buttons, and 100% silk satin ribbon trim.  The bodice lining is boned at the darts that extend up to the bust line and the dress has functional cuffs.

1840s Round Dress Pattern

Sleeve cap ribbon detail.

 Overall, I really like this pattern.  The armscyes were a bit too small for me, but other than that it went together great.  I think I will be using the bodice pattern as a base for a new 1853 dress I have in the works. .