Josefina Unit Study: Fashion

Here is a quick post about my plans for the fashion portion of the unit study.  I apologize for the short style here--another rough night with the little one!  I am hoping that it is just teething and the teeth will break through soon, he is usually so pleasant!

Anyway, my hope in this part of the unit is to make an outfit for Cowgirl, with her help to learn some basic sewing skills and also an outfit for her doll. I found patterns for Josefina clothes, here.  Doll clothes go quickly but are also difficult to do on the machine because of the tiny arm holes, however right now we are working on hand sewing still so that isn't so much of an issue.  The link above also has patterns for FREE that can be printed out for all of the original Pleasant Company dolls.  Definitely worth checking out.

To go with the doll dress, I plan to have Cowgirl weave a rebozo using her lap loom, like this one.

 

 If you do not have a lap loom, you can easily make one with some cardboard, tape, and yarn.  Check out this link to show you how. I am thinking that the rebozo should be about 3-4" wide and about 16" long.  There is also this adorable knitting pattern for a doll poncho that I would love to make, it is very easy and a quick project for those who know how to knit. 

 

Part of this fashion portion of the unit includes making girl sized clothes.  This is not as hard as it sounds, trust me I am not a skilled sewist but have tackled both of the following projects easily.  The first is an absolutely darling skirt that is perfect because you can easily adjust the width and length to fit your daughter perfectly.  If you created it in a red calico bottom with a dark brown sash, it would be perfect for dressing up as Josefina.  I would also add a 2-3" wide white, cotton, ruffled lace, like eyelet inside of the bottom hem to give the illusion of a petticoat.

 

This next project is so easy and a great way to create modest dresses for your girls for a small price.  When I last made these dresses, we used long-sleeved shirts and adult skirts from the thrift store.  I simply cut the bottom portion of the shirt and the waistband of the skirt off and then sewed the two raw edges together.  The dresses were modest, pretty, and very comfortable.  Even if you are using all new material, these are still a bargain to make and with no sleeves nor collars to stitch, a great first sewing project for those who have never made a dress.  

You could make this with red calico, brown sash, and long sleeved, white shirt for a quick and comfortable Josefina outfit, or create a style all your own.  It is a very versatile pattern.  The important part is having your daughter create a dress herself, just like Josefina did. These can be machine stitched or hand-sewn.  A great opportunity to practice those stitches!

For a rebozo, we are going to use long looms that I received as a gift two Christmases ago.  The children picked them out for me and have been impatiently patiently waiting for me to use them.  If you have never used the long looms before, here is great pattern for a shawl.

I have additional ideas for this unit on my pinterest board.  An important point to discuss in creating these clothes is both practicality and modesty, two virtues that all of Josefina's clothes posses.  They are versatile, easy to work in, built to last, but also very feminine and modest.  Josefina covered not only to protect her skin but because her faith was central to her life and thus flowed modesty.  I just remembered that I never posted the talk on mantillas for children.  I will put that on my list of what to do next, busy days and sleepless nights have left me a bit dazed!:)

Thanks for visiting.  Is there anything you would add?  Any tips or tricks to share?  Please leave a comment, even if it just to say hello.