Fanny & Vera's Guide for Civil War Reenactors « Vintage & Period Costumes

Fanny & Vera's Guide for Civil War Reenactors

Anyone who participates in Civil War reenactments knows that finding period clothing can be a costly endeavor. Miss Fanny and Miss Vera share some wonderful advice on building a period wardrobe on a budget including making use of thrift store finds. These two genteel ladies provide invaluable advice for anyone new to reenacting and their site is a veritable treasure trove of information and should be your first stop when building a Civil War era wardrobe.

Editor's Note: I generally simply remove a listing once the site goes offline. I was made aware that Fanny & Vera's wonderful guide was no longer online by a visitor to Crafty Tips who was searching for their site. The link now goes to Archive.org where most of the site can be viewed. Keep in mind that there will be no updates and emailing the ladies with your period clothing-making questions is no longer an option.

Civil War Reenactment Clothing Construction Crafty Tip

While sewing machines did exist during the Civil War they were primarily only found in commercial settings and were not part of even the wealthiest of households. To keep your reenactment clothing looking authentic, sew any seams, embellishments, or button holes that will show on the outside of the garment by hand. While they'll never admit it in public or on the set, most re-enactors do utilize sewing machines for those parts of the garment that will not be seen.