For the past few years, Ancestor Hitty has been displayed at the Stockbridge Library Museum wearing a copy of her original sprig print dress. This dress, also known as the “daguerreotype dress,” was the one Hitty wore when she posed for her daguerreotype photo. The original daguerreotype dress has shredded in several places, and it has been stabilized and put on display next to Hitty. But where is her dark red dress with oval blossoms, often referred to by Hitty admirers as “the library dress?”
When I contacted a curator at the Stockbridge Library, I was told that they could not locate the dress. Furthermore, their records did not contain an explanation for what may have happened to it. This is a mystery!
UPDATE: Mystery Solved!
Hitty’s missing library dress and bonnet have been found! They were actually at the Stockbridge Library Museum the whole time. The assistant curator told me they were not on display due to space limitations and not wanting them to be exposed to light.
In the photo above, you can see that the front of the dress has faded quite a bit. In the following photo of the back of the dress, the color is much darker.
Below is a comparison between my reproduction library dress on the left and the original on the right. The reproduction appears redder, but may fade in time to match the original.
courtesy of Stockbridge Library Museum
I asked for closeup photos of the lace on the dress. For my reproduction dress, I made “Tiny Crochet Lace,” but the original dress uses a different technique. It appears to be a loosely woven fabric, such as gauze or cheesecloth, folded over and gathered.
I hope you have enjoyed these fabulous photos of Ancestor Hitty’s original clothing. Keep reading to learn more about the library dress reproduction.
In an article called “’Hitty’ Is Found!” in Doll Reader, August/September 1988, Hitty is shown wearing the library dress, described as “a printed cotton dress.” The article includes photos of front and back views of the dress. It has a tight, high-waisted bodice with very short sleeves, a wide neckline, and a full skirt. Cream-colored lace trims the neckline and sleeves. The closures are two small white buttons with button loops in the back.
Here is how Rachel Field described the missing dress:
“her [Hitty’s] wise little brown face very contented above the hundred-year-old print of the dress Miss Lathrop made for her when her original one wore into shreds.”
Rachel Field, “The Bookcase Apartments,” Child Life Magazine, 1935
I received permission from Julie Old Crow to use her photo of Hitty’s library dress below.
The photo was taken during the Stockbridge Hitty event in September 2006. I asked Julie if the real color was more of a brick (warm hue) or a plum (cool hue), and she said it was closer to plum. That matches with the color photo shown in the Doll Reader article as well.
There is also a paper doll on Julie’s website showing three of Hitty’s original dresses. I really love the way she used actual photos to make the dresses.
Because the library dress is such an important part of Hitty’s history, I decided to make an authentic copy and donate it to the Stockbridge Library. After I told the curator of my plans, she was pleased with the idea. I explained to her about the process and mentioned that it would take some time to achieve the final result. Using my Michael Langton Perfume Hitty (see “Hitty Dimensions“) as the model, I plan to make two copies of the dress. I will keep one and donate the other one to the Stockbridge Library for Ancestor Hitty’s collection.
Custom Fabric
My first task was to try and recreate the fabric. A few years ago, I designed two library dress prints for Spoonflower, which I called “Plumfield Blossom” and “Brickfield Blossom.” But finding the perfect fabric for tiny Hitty dresses has proved elusive. The main problem I have encountered with custom fabric is that it tends to be too stiff for the small scale needed. The fabric must have a soft “hand,” so that it will drape naturally.
I have heard of printing directly onto fabric using an inkjet printer and freezer paper. This solution works in some situations. The main advantage is that you can use any type of fabric you choose. However, it can be difficult to set the fabric permanently, which means that the colors have a tendency to fade, or to bleed when washed. I needed a colorfast fabric, and for that reason, I decided not to print my fabric at home.
In the past I have ordered fabric samples from Spoonflower and MyFabricDesigns. I did like some of the MyFabricDesigns offerings, but the company is now defunct. I decided to make the library dress using some of the fabrics I had purchased previously, in order to develop a pattern and find the best fabric to use. I also ordered new customized fabric from JOANN’s to try out. Keep reading to find out which fabric I liked best!
Making and Testing a Pattern
An essential part of this project was developing a pattern for the replica dress. Other Hitty collectors have made their own versions of the Library Dress: check out Julie Old Crow’s Etsy Shop for her pattern. Julie’s pattern is great for beginning sewers, and it makes up into a very nice copy of the dress. However, it does include some modifications to simplify the design. For instance, the bodice of Julie’s pattern is all one piece, whereas the original library dress has separate bodice front and back pieces.
I used tissue paper to draft my initial pattern because it drapes nicely and is easy to cut out. After I had a bodice that I liked, I scanned in the tissue paper and traced around it using Adobe Illustrator. Then I printed the pattern out on paper. I pinned the bodice and sleeve pattern pieces to the fabric and cut them out one at a time with embroidery scissors. The only piece which was doubled was the skirt, which I cut out on the fold. Since the skirt was just a simple rectangle, I could have cut it out without a pattern, but I found it convenient to use the pattern for consistency.
I also developed a pattern for hand-made crocheted lace. (NOTE: I later learned that the “lace” used on the original library dress was actually made from gauze fabric.) Most machine-made lace available for purchase is made from synthetic materials, which would not have been available in the 1930s when the dress was made. I started off with size 30 cotton crochet thread. But that felt a little too heavy, so I switched to size 80 tatting thread. Although the lace was quite tedious to make, the result was worth it.
It took me a few tries to perfect the pattern. I made the first dress with the Plumfield Blossom print on MyFabricDesigns Cotton Poplin. Although it was too tight for Perfume Hitty, it fit Hitty DeDe perfectly! This discontinued fabric is reasonably soft with a crisp finish.
The second dress was made with the Plumfield Blossom print on Spoonflower Cotton Lawn. I had high hopes for the Cotton Lawn. However, it was quite disappointing. Not only was it excessively stiff (even after three washings), but it showed every needle and pin hole and wrinkled terribly, which made it almost impossible to hand-sew. The color was also a little dull. For these reasons, I cannot recommend the Spoonflower Cotton Lawn.
The third dress was made with the Brickfield Blossom print on MyFabricDesigns Basic Combed Cotton (also discontinued). This fabric was a lot easier to work with than Spoonflower’s Cotton Lawn. It still lacked some of the softness I wanted though. This iteration of the pattern had a higher waist which better resembled the original dress. However, the sleeves were still too long.
My fourth dress used another Spoonflower fabric: the Brickfield Blossom print on Cotton Poplin. This fabric was still a bit stiff for hand-sewing, but much easier to sew than the Cotton Lawn. I would say it was similar to the MyFabricDesigns Cotton Poplin from version 1. The new sleeve pattern was starting to look better as well. This is the first version with lace made from tatting thread.
My fifth and final version was made with the Plumfield Blossom print on JOANN’s Light-Weight Quilt Cotton. This was my newest fabric purchase. It seemed a little stiff until I washed it, which made it much softer. I washed and dried the fabric twice before sewing.
My first attempt at the bodice produced sleeves that were a little flat. The solution for this was to set-in the sleeves using hand-sewing techniques. It was a lot more time consuming, but I suspect this was exactly how Dorothy Lathrop made the dress originally, which makes it more authentic.
Below is a photo of both bodices made from JOANN’s Light-Weight Quilt Cotton. The machine-sewn sleeves (top) have less fullness than the hand-sewn sleeves (bottom).
And the Winner is…
After comparing all five dresses, it was clear to me that JOANN’s “Light-Weight Quilt Cotton” was the winner of the fabric wars. After washing, it felt soft and lightweight. It sewed well by hand and by machine. It pressed well and didn’t wrinkle excessively. The fabric did ravel more than the Spoonflower fabrics. However, sealing the edges with Fray-Block solved that problem, and the Fray-Block was nearly invisible after it dried.
NOTE: JOANN’s Customizer has been discontinued, and the fabric is no longer available.
Color Matching
Now that I had chosen the type of custom printed fabric, I needed to find the most accurate color match. Color matching is a common issue with custom printed fabric: the final color does not always come out as expected. For this reason, it is important to always print samples before ordering large amounts of fabric.
When I ordered the sample of JOANN’s “Light-Weight Quilt Cotton” to test, I also purchased their “Color Map” on one yard of fabric. This “Color Map” has many tiny swatches with RGB Hex color codes. RGB is a color model used for printing and displays. It stands for Red, Green and Blue, the primary colors of light. Most customized fabric uses this color model, so pattern designs should be saved in RGB color format.
I used Photoshop’s eyedropper tool to sample several areas of the plum background in Julie’s photo of the dress and averaged them together to find a representative shade. Then I compared the swatches on the “Color Map” to the color samples from the Library Dress and picked a range of colors to test.
I ordered new fabric samples, and when they arrive, I will pick the best one to make my replica library dresses. I’ll update this post when that happens.
Meanwhile, I have a decision to make about the final color. As you can see in Julie’s photo, some areas of the dress appear to have faded. In the folds of the dress, it looks like a beautiful, rich plum. But in the front of the dress, it appears to be more of a faded, soft plum. I asked my readers to take a poll, and you can see the results here:
A total of fifty-five people answered the question, “Should Hitty’s library dress reproduction be more Vibrant or Vintage?”
Thirty-six people (65%) said, “I like Vintage: a faded, soft plum.”
Nineteen people (35%) said, “I like Vibrant: a beautiful, rich plum.”
The new fabric should arrive soon, and then I will be able to make my final decision about the color. Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll.
UPDATE: September 3rd, 2023
My library dress fabric arrived yesterday from JOANN’s, and I have washed and dried it twice. The colors look good to me, and I like both “Vintage” and “Vibrant.” I might have to make two dresses and see which one looks best. As you can see from the photo, the new colors lean a little more toward plum, because I felt like the original was a touch too brown. Color is very subjective, and it looks different in different lights. The camera used can also have a major effect on how it appears. That is why I took a picture of all three fabrics together in the same environment.
Take a look at the colors from the back of the fabric. You can see how much more saturated with color “Vibrant” is compared with “Vintage.”
Another thing to take into account is fading. Based on a suggestion by Nancy R., I am going to take samples of both fabrics and hang them in the window of my sunroom, to see how much fading happens over time. I wouldn’t want to make a dress that looks great now, but after a few months fades to a light pink!
UPDATE: September 11, 2023
Here are two pleated samples which I have taped to my sunroom window. I will check on them in a couple months and compare them to the original fabric to see how much they have faded.
Time for button loops! Hitty’s original dress has two pearl shank buttons with button loop closures. I found some vintage 6mm pearl buttons from JWdollSupplies on Etsy that were perfect.
In the past, I struggled to make nice button loops. Then I found this Thread Buttonhole Loop Tutorial by Kathy’s Sewing Studio on YouTube which helped me.
I practiced a few times and started to improve. But I still had trouble with the loop twisting. I tried a few different types of thread. The last one I tried was nylon upholstery thread.
It seemed too stiff at first, but the finished buttonhole looked perfect. As an added bonus, the stiffness made it easier to fasten. I also liked the tan color which matched the oval print.
Here are the finished buttons and button loops. I’m so happy with how they turned out!
UPDATE: September 13, 2023
I finished both library dresses made with “Vintage” and “Vibrant” prints. Although I do like the colors, I think they are both a bit too red compared to the real library dress. Here are front and back views of the two dresses.
After checking my original color samples, I have come to the conclusion that for some reason this batch came out redder than the previous one. I have heard that custom-printed fabric often differs from one batch to the next. That is problematic for anyone wanting to match an exact color.
I have decided to order yet another yard of library dress fabric with adjusted colors and more variations. Eventually I will get it right. Can you tell that I am a perfectionist? When I get the new fabric, I will choose the best variation and make another dress.
In the meantime, my Langton girls like modeling the new dresses. I have made them both bonnets using a pattern by Diane Peachey. Perfume Hitty is wearing the “Hitty Historic Bonnet Kit” from Diane Peachey’s Etsy store. I also used this pattern to make another bonnet that my Michael Langton Hitty Kit is wearing.
wearing new dresses and bonnets
Diane spent years perfecting her bonnet kit, and it shows. The materials were first rate, and the kit worked up beautifully. Here is another view of the bonnet kit.
Here is a photo of the original bonnet taken by Julie Old Crow during the Stockbridge Hitty event in September 2006.
UPDATE: September 21st, 2023
The new fabric arrived on Saturday. I think this time the colors are perfect! The “New Vintage” color looks as though it has faded over time. It has a softer hand than the “New Vibrant” color, which is more saturated. But eventually, the “New Vibrant” may fade until it looks more like the genuine antique dress. The “New Vibrant” color is closer to how the library dress originally looked.
Notice the original “Vintage” and “Vibrant” dresses in this photo, placed on top of the new fabric, which has a subtle, warmer tone than the original “Vintage” and “Vibrant.”
I also made a couple minor tweaks to the dress pattern. I raised the waistline 1/8” inch. And I decided that the 6mm buttons seemed a little bit too large. Fortunately, I was able to find 4mm vintage buttons from the same Etsy shop, JWdollSupplies. From Amazon, I purchased size 40 tatting thread made from 100% cotton. I had tried making button loops with size 80 tatting thread, but it was too thin. The size 40 tatting thread makes a beautiful button loop, and it isn’t as stiff as the upholstery thread.
Here are the new buttons and button loops. I think these look more like the ones on Hitty’s original dress.
Since I did not want this dress to be mistaken for the antique, I added a label with my name and date. I used a paint pen on seam binding to make the label.
Even experienced dressmakers can find Hitty clothing challenging to make. Dorothy Lathrop once said that she could have made herself a dress and hat in the time it took to make one small dress for Hitty. Those of us who sew for Hitty can attest to that fact! I have now finished four library dresses (and five prototypes). Is it any surprise that the task has taken me over a month?
Now for the reveal… here are the four finished library dresses. The two in the middle are the new colors. From left to right: Hitty Cleo in original “Vibrant,” Hitty Sis in “New Vibrant,” Perfume Hitty in “New Vintage,” Hitty MacKenna in original “Vintage.”
Which dress should I send to the Stockbridge Library? Last time around, two thirds of the voters chose “Vintage.” Now that you have seen the final dresses, do you still agree? Please take the poll to let me know what you think. You can vote through Thursday, September 28th, 2023, and I will announce the final results the next day. Thanks for your help!
UPDATE: September 29, 2023
The results of the poll are in. By an overwhelming majority, the “New Vintage” dress was the favorite.
Click here to see the results of the poll!
To go with the dress, I used my favorite undergarment pattern from Julie Old Crow to make an organdy petticoat. This foundation garment will help to fill out the dress and keep it looking nice for the display.
Here is a picture of the petticoat inside the dress. I added a tag with my name and date to the petticoat.
The girls are very excited as they prepare to mail the “New Vintage” dress. Next stop… The Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives! Thank you to everyone who helped me make the decision about which dress to send.
UPDATE: November 9, 2023
It’s official: the library dress replica is now on display in the case next to Hitty’s other dresses. Here is a photo of the dress in the Stockbridge Library display.
I would like to thank curator Talya Leodari who helped me with this project. She was very supportive of my idea to recreate the dress, and she followed my progress throughout the entire journey. I am so glad that Hitty has such a caring curator! And special thanks to assistant curator Joshua Hall, who provided the spectacular closeup photos of the original library dress and bonnet.
It has been a couple months since I put the fabric fading tests in my sunroom window. I checked today and detected some slight fading overall, but not enough to be concerned about. See samples below.
Interestingly, the fading occurred even underneath the pleats. I will put the test swatches back in the sunroom and keep checking them occasionally. I am pleased to know that the replica dress is not likely to fade any time soon.
UPDATE: April 30, 2024
After JoAnn’s Customizer was discontinued, I decided to update all my fabric designs for Spoonflower’s Cotton Poplin Fabric. One of the prints in my Spoonflower shop is a version of the Library Dress fabric. It’s called Plumfield Blossom. This design is now available to purchase separately, or as part of my Hitty Dress Sampler, which includes enough fabric in a single yard to make five dresses for Hitty, a sunbonnet and a shawl (see Fabric Designs).
Sources:
Charlton, Nancy Reinhart. “‘Hitty’ Is Found!,” Doll Reader, August/September 1988, pp. 129-132.
Field, Rachel. “The Bookcase Apartments.” Child Life, Vol. 14, Issue 9, pp. 410-411, 427.
Hitty Paper Doll. http://www.julieoldcrow.com/museum/realhitty/paperdoll2.htm. Accessed August 2023
Library Dress photo. http://www.julieoldcrow.com/museum/realhitty/clothes.htm. Accessed August 2023.
The Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives. https://stockbridgelibrary.org/. Accessed August 2023.
