Today I'm reviewing Costumes With Character from Golden Prairie Press by Amy Puetz. Ms. Puetz's idea to use her memories of dressing up with her sisters as the basis of this book is so smart and brilliant! I wish I had thought of it! Amy is a homeschooler herself and has written several other costume books which you can see at the bottom of this post.
When I was young I used to dress up - A LOT! I mostly loved the Victorian era and the mid 1800s frontier times in America. Specifically, of course, the times of Laura Ingalls and her family! I would dress up in my mom's dresses with lots of petticoats underneath, I'd pack a little lunch and go tromping about in the woods by our house. I pretended that I lived in the "olden days" and truly transported myself back!
So when we were given the chance to review Costumes With Character I was excited to see that Ms. Puetz based her book on one dress and added details of whichever time period they wanted to be in.
Costumes With Character is available as a printed book ($37.00 29.60 on sale) or as an e-book ($21.95) - Make Your Own Costumes from Eleven Time Periods with One Dress. A printed pattern book is also now available for $15.00 $12.00 on sale (the patterns are on one large sheet of paper and folded into a book size). Of course, there are some reproducable patterns in the first book. You can also apply the pattern ideas to doll size clothes! Which is what we did.
We received the PDF version of the book, which you can then print out...it's very simple to download an eBook.
Costumes with Character highlights eleven different eras in American history.
The chapters are:
- Colonial (Pilgrim & Puritan 1620-1700)
- Quaker (1681-1860)
- American Revolution (1775-1783)
- Young Republic (1800-1820)
- Romantic Era (1820-1848)
- Pioneer (1800s)
- Civil War (1861-1865)
- Sailor (1865-1905)
- Victorian 1880s
- Victorian 1890s
- Turn of the Century (1900-1910)
- Tea Party
You can, of course, use fabric you have on hand, or pick out something specific to your use. Amy mentioned she had a white dress that was very versatile through the years...and I think that is what we would use...we are keeping our eyes open for a plain white dress to add all the details. It would be great to have the right size patterns easily accessible (for certain ages), but most of the patterns are easily sizeable on a grid.
We loved reading all the historical tidbits that were added to this amazing book...it will work in great with many historical eras, especially if you have girls who are into fashion like we have! Dressing up is part of girlhood and Amy Puetz hit the nail on the head with this one! We totally recommend it!
Here's an idea of what you can do with your dolls:
Photos Coming Soon (as soon as I find my camera cord!)
Books by Amy Puetz:
***Disclaimer: As a member of TOS Crew, Different Dog received this product for free in exchange for our honest opinion on the product. All opinions are our own. Ruff!
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