LESSON 6

Colonial Clothing

Many skills were needed to settle in a new world, and among them was sewing! Both boys and girls alike learned how to sew as there was always mending to be done. Colonists did not have the closets full of clothes that people have today, although the wealthy did have fashions bought from a tailor or seamstress. Most, however, needed to make their own, and be able to use them in multiple ways. Not only did early settlers need to know how to sew, but they needed to make the cloth they sewed with! Eventually, towns would have milliners to purchase fabrics and notions from, but they were not always affordable. The earliest settlers made clothes from buckskin and animal pelts. Settlers learned how to create linen fabric from the flax plant, and weave sheep’s wool into fine or thick wool cloth.

MAKING WOOL

Sheep-shearing time was an annual family event! Sheep needed to be washed with a water and tobacco solution to kill bugs in the animal’s coat. When the sheep were dry, shearing began as well as sorting of dirty and clean wool. The clean wool was then greased and carded to get out the tangles. The wool was then spun into yarn and wrapped into skeins. Skeins were dyed assorted colors, depending on what was available! Dyes came from bark, nuts, and roots and flowers of various plants. Eventually, general stores and apothecaries in town carried dyes from across the seas, such as indigo from the West Indies, used for a rich, deep blue. The wool was then woven on looms and fulled to tighten and strengthen the fabric. It was then used as a durable fabric for coats, dresses, pants, and blankets.

MAKING LINEN

Linen was made much the same way as wool, except from flax. Flax was quick to produce, as it could be sown in May and harvested a month later. Once harvested, the tough stalks

would be rippled, or dragged through a course comb to remove seed pods, which were saved for making linseed oil. They were then tied in bates or bundles, and set to soak for five days, a process called retting or partially rotting. The stalks were then broken on a flax break, a contraption of an upper and lower set of wooden knives that were forcibly slammed together to crush the stalks but not the strong

fiber. A wooden mallet was sometimes used to break the stalksthe bates were scutched, or swingled, a method of scraping the broken rough of the stalk until only fibers remained. These fibers were dragged through a series of hetchels or hackles in order to comb, clean, and straighten them. The leftover tow, or broken fibers, was kept aside to use for sack cloth. The finer fibers were finally spun together to create strong, linen threads. This created a much lighter, airier fabric that

sheets, and table linens. When linen wool were woven together, they made a rough fabric called linsey a method of fabric making that had been in use since medieval times. You might wonder, what about cotton? Cotton was woven into fabric, but was not as commonly used as flax and wool, as it was flammable and long skirts were dangerous to wear while working around the fire. Cotton was not as strong as linen, either. It did dye well, however, and Sunday clothes that required less wear and tear were often made of it.

Colonial Life: 6-a

Colonial Life: 6-b

Can you imagine if your wardrobe consisted of just two outfits, including what you slept in? Most early settlers had only two sets of clothes: Sunday clothes for church and social events, and work clothes for every other day of the week. Up to the mid-17th century, early New England colonists wore clothing that was restrained, with little or no ornamentation. And contrary to popular beliefs, the Puritans did not always wear black! Common colors included earthy shades of browns, blues, violets, red, greens, and yes, even grays. Although collared and cuffed, New Englander Puritans had generally simple clothes with a purpose. In fact, during the mid 17th century, Sumptuary Laws were in effect, dictating what kind and quality of clothing was acceptable to a particular class. For example, only the upper class were allowed to wear silk hoods, newer fashions, and high boots. These laws were only in effect for a few decades, and by the 18th century, as social classes began breaking down, various clothing could be worn by anyone who could afford it. No longer was the working farmer as easily distinguished from the upper class.

CLOTHING FOR THE MEN

A New England man wore clothes suitable to different seasons. He would wear a jacket; either a jerkin pullover or a doublet made of two layers of thick cloth or leather. Although sleeveless, it had sleeves that could be attached or removed at the shoulder by points, ties that wove through holes in both the sleeve and doublet where they came together. Removable sleeves were convenient with the change in temperature. Northern men would wear long, woolen hose with baggy, leather or wool breeches. Breeches were pants that tied or buttoned at the front and stopped at the knees. They were attached to the doublet with hooks and eyes, or tied with points. Leather breeches of deer hide or sheepskin were most commonly worn by farmers and working men as they held up best through a hard day of work and needed less cleaning. Stockings could also be tailored of cloth or leather. When it was raining, the men would wear spatter-dashes, a type of legging that would protect their clothing from mud while riding. Under all layers was a knee-length, short-sleeved, loose shirt which was also worn as bed clothes. The outfit was topped with a cloak or cassock during chilly weather. Where a cloak offered no sleeves, a cassock had a more smock-like appearance with sleeves and buttons partially up the front. Men’s heads were kept warm with flat caps or wide-brimmed hats, and their feet with leather shoes. The shoes were further protected in wet or snowy weather with wooden-soled clogs, and eventually golo-shoes, a loose, canvas boot with wooden soles and a short top, a name we now refer to as galoshes.

CLOTHING FOR THE WOMEN

Women generally wore long skirts called petticoats. Sometimes they would layer the skirts, gathering up the top one for a fashionable effect. Women also wore a doublet as a waistcoat, which was replaced by the bodice or “pair of bodies” after 1630. It was named that as it laced or buttoned up the front and when worn looked like a corset on the outside of the clothing. Stays made of bone were used to support and stiffen the bodice or corset, defining the lady’s shape. Aprons were a necessity for women and girls as they helped protect clothes from dirt and stains. They also aided in carrying eggs, wood, and produce from the garden. Women would also wear a shift underneath that would act as a short-sleeved blouse, and double as a

Clothing

night shirt for bed time. Their hair would be pinned up and tucked under a coif or cap. Other caps were also popular, such as the mob cap, a circle of fabric gathered to the head. In cold weather, a hooded cloak was worn that tied at the neck with a strip of cloth. To protect their leather shoes, women would wear pattens, a wooden-soled sandal-like contraption that was raised up an inch above a flat metal ring. Although not easy to traverse in, they provided enough room to elevate skirt hems above dusty roads.

CLOTHING FOR THE CHILDREN

SUNDAY CLOTHES

Wealthy Southern men of the 17th century sported Europeanfashions such as brightly colored clothes, coats of soft velvet or satin, and hats adorned with plumes. The gowns of Southern women were also of rich color and material and decorated with ribbons and lace. But even the wealthy did not dress this way all the time, instead wearing plainer linen for everyday clothes. Dutch settlers of the Middle Colonies wore shiny buckles on their shoes, curled feathers in their hats, and a stiff collar called a ruff, a starched, circular collar of frilly pleated lace or fine fabric. Dutch women would wear several colorful petticoats for their Sunday best, and fur-trimmed jackets. As the 18th century approached, colonial ladies’ skirts blossomed with the help of a hoop-skirt called a farthingale or pannier; the wider the more fashionable. Men’s breeches became tighter, their coats long and fitted, and their hats larger and highly decorated. Wigs were the height of fashion, with men often having over one hundred options to choose from. Wigs were hot, heavy, and troublesome to wear, but vanity often won out. Quakers also lived in the Middle Colonies, however their style of living was modest and simple. Clothing was often of excellent fabric, but somber, in colors of black and gray. Women wore light colored bonnets indoors and dark, deep-brimmed bonnets outdoors. No lapels, extra buttons, or neckties adorned these outfits! Men wore broad-brimmed hats at all times and were often thought of as rude for not doffing their hat to acknowledge others. Their beliefs that no man is above another kept them from doing so. Of course, no one can think of the colonial period without thinking of the tricorn hat! The three-cornered hat became a symbol of the American Revolution and was worn as both part of the military uniform as well as by the local civilian. Known as a cocked hat, as it was often decorated with a cockade, the term tricorn wasn’t actually used until the 19th century.

Colonial Life: 6-c

Lesson 6: Colonial Clothing

Once children grew out of babyhood at about six years of age, they dressed much like adults. Until then, however, both boys and girls would wear petticoats or gowns with an additional pair of loosely hanging sleeves. These sleeves, or leading strings, acted as a harness to help teach the child to walk or to pull the child back from a dangerous situation. Toddlers also wore a pudding, a soft, donut-shaped pillow worn around their middle to cushion a fall.