WWII Homefront

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Kass McGann, she puts some serious research into every pattern she creates and produces… and they have excellent customer service besides!

Reconstructing History

Right now they offer patterns for mens trousers, a ladies early 40′s suit, a 1943 day dress, and a 1941 ladies redingote coat. (all separate patterns)  This is just a drop in the proverbial bucket, compared to the amount of patterns available for other time periods!

This, from their website, pretty much sums up the dedication to excellence that drives this company:

“I’ve spent days in the basements and backrooms of museums, and months studying the technology that went into making clothing and trying to replicate it as best as I can.  Unlike many costume historians who describe what clothing of a certain period looks like, I seek to understand how it is made.  I do this by going the nth degree with my reconstructions so that I can truly understand the whys and wherefores of period clothing construction and how it is different from clothing production today.”

“Founded in August 1997, Reconstructing History is one woman’s dream to bring information on historic clothing to the public and make this data available worldwide.  During the past nine years, our method for achieving this goal has changed.  From selling replica clothing to sharing information on extant garments to writing instructions for beginners and posting dress diaries, Reconstructing History has grown and evolved.  We hope with each change, we have helped more people understand historic clothing and able to reconstruct their own.”

Clothing production is a new adventure for Reconstructing History… one we can’t wait to see bear fruit!

Pattern image is directly from their website, and is one of four currently available at the time of this writing, but we will be sure to keep you updated!

I teach a class every year in January on how to reuse what you have on hand for making clothing for WWII reenacting. The same holds true for today.  Most of the clothing you have on hand right now could be reused or recycled.  Places like Salvation Army stores, Goodwill stores, and Savers have a booming business, recycling clothing from donations into cash for their charities.

This particular booklet is a goldmine of information! It teaches everything from darning socks to utilizing the fabric from a man’s suit to create a ladies suit!

This is the (Inside Cover) Consumer Victory Pledge:

As a consumer, in the total defense of democracy, I will do my part to make my home, my community, my country ready, efficient, strong.

I will buy carefully–and I will not buy anything above the ceiling price, no matter how much I may want it.

I will take good care of the thiings I have–and I will not buy anything made from vital war materials which I can get along without.

I will waste nothing–and I will take care to salvage everything needed to win the war.

-Consumer Division, Office of Price Administration

you can find a set of the pages as jpg files on Flickr- here

These are courtesy “The American Woman Cookbook” copyright 1941, from Consolidated Book Publishers.

First printing of this fabulous cookbook was 1938. One of my favorite things about it is that it seems everything is edible, if properly prepared…lol.   When was the last time you saw a cookbook that had directions for cooking Peafowl? (yes, as in peacocks and peahens)  Apparently they should be prepared like turkey, and rubbed with bacon fat prior to cooking. But I digress…. read on!  I will focus on things you just hadn’t thought about making for dinner:

VIRGINIA BEEF TONGUE

1 fresh beef tongue

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. stewed cranberries

1/4 c. butter

1 T. whole cloves

1/2 lemon, sliced

Scrub tongue and simmer in water to cover until tender, 3-4 hours.  Remove skin and trim root end.  To 1 cup of liquid in which tongue was cooked, add remaining ingredients.  Simmer tongue in mixture 15 minutes. Serves 6.

OPOSSUM ROAST

Opossum is very fat with a peculiarly flavored meat. To dress, immerse in very hot water (not boiling) for 1 minute. Remove and use a dull knife to scrape off hair so that skin is not cut. Slit from bottom of throat to hind legs and remove entrails. Remove head and tail if desired. Wash thoroughly inside and out with hot water. Cover with cold water to which has been added 1 cup salt. Allow to stand overnight; in the morning drain off the salted water and rinse with clear, boiling water.

Make stuffing as follows: Brown 1 large, fine-chopped onion with 1 tablespoon butter. Add chopped opossum liver and cook until tender. Add 1 cup bread crumbs, and little chopped red pepper, a hard-cooked egg, finely chopped, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt, and water to moisten.  Stuff opossum with mixture, fastening the opening with skewers or sewing.  With 2 tablespoons water roast in moderate oven (350 degrees F) until meat is tender and richly browned. Baste constantly with the opossums own fat. Remove skewers or stitches, serve on heated platter. Skim fat from gravy and serve with baked yams or sweet potatoes.

BRUNSWICK STEW

2 squirrels

1 T. salt

1 minced onion

1 pint lima beans

6 ears corn

1/2 lb salt pork

6 potatoes

1 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. sugar

1 quart sliced tomatoes

1/2 lb butter

This dish is named for a county in Virginia and is a favorite dish in that section of the country. It is served in soup-plates.

Cut the squirrels into pieces, as for fricassee. Add the salt to four quarts water and when boiling add the onion, beans, corn, pork, potato, pepper, and the squirrels.  Cover closely and simmer for two hours, then add the sugar and the tomato, and simmer for one hour more.  Ten minutes before removing the stew from the fire, add the butter, cut into pieces the size of a walnut and rolled in flour.  Boil up, adding salt and pepper if needed, and turn into tureen.

Sweetheart jewelry is a great way to add a little more authenticity to an otherwise average homefront impression… Nothing shows love and pride in the military like wearing a piece of jewelry designed for it!

The tradition of sweetheart jewelry began as tokens or momentos of love being sent home during WWI, and grew much more prevalent through WWII. It comes in two forms- machine made, (necklaces, pins, earrings, etc.) specifically to be sold to servicemen, or trench art, hand-made by servicemen overseas from whatever scraps they had on hand.  They would use spoons, or brass shell casings, and send home their finished works to their families and loved ones.  Can you imagine what these men felt in their hearts, to spend their free time hand-crafting a momento for someone?

Not just for sweethearts, they came pre-made for mothers, sisters, and other female family members. The ones specific to mothers often displayed stars, one for each son in service.  You can find them everywhere, even still, from antiques stores, to thrift shops, to militaria shows… in cases, or boxes, or sometimes in a pile of odds and ends. Each one of them represents a relationship… how amazing is that?

There are thousands of different designs available, my favorite being the “V for victory” type, especially the very patriotic red, white, and blue ones, but here is a great example of a sterling silver pin:

Sweetheart jewelry was a wonderful way to keep loved ones who were fighting overseas closer; the production of it by servicemen (such as making a ring from a silver spoon) and the wearing of it by loved ones let everyone see how much pride they had in each other.

Author Nick Snider wrote two books on sweetheart jewelry, available through Schiffer Publishing. One has information regarding jewelry, while the other book shows jewelry along with sweetheart items such as compacts, pillow covers and other items.

All of the following photos are from vintagevixen.com   They are all either 1930′s, or 1940′as shoes, so they will give you a better idea of what to be looking for, to create your vintage look!