While thinking of the Civil War might bring soldier uniforms to mind, there were of course women in the Civil War era too. They have gorgeous dresses, too!

Unfortunately, while just about anyone can whip up a Civil War soldier outfit, a woman's dress back then was a work of art. Just take a look at the classic image of Scarlett from Gone with the Wind:




You'll need to buy at least the undergarments and then make the dress to go over the top, or you can buy the entire dress ready-made if you don't mind paying someone for that sewing work. Here's a collection that includes both ball dresses and every-day work dresses -

Dress Listings

To make your own, give these Civil War Day Dress Patterns a try - but give yourself plenty of time beforehand to get the fabric and work on the dress. It could be worth it, to create a dress that connects you with your past and gets rave comments when it's worn!

It can really help to watch Gone with the Wind and see the variety of outfits people wore during the Civil War. The movie is a classic in many ways!
Buy Gone with the Wind from Amazon.com

Thanks to Lisa Shea for being our guest writer for this article.