The Kirsten Project | Happy Birthday, Kirsten!

It’s a new year and it’s time for another edition of The Kirsten Project! I’ve already recreated her looks from Meet Kirsten, Kirsten’s Surprise and Changes for Kirsten and for this version, I’m taking inspiration from Happy Birthday, Kirsten!

---

LITTLE JESS around age 10, wearing a mom-made birthday dress and apron, a gift I received for my own tenth birthday, just like kirsten!

The mission of The Kirsten Project is to study and recreate each cover illustration and corresponding outfit through a cultural and historical lens. I’m not doing a carbon copy - rather using the Pleasant Company books and material culture together with research such as fashion plates, extant dresses and daguerrotypes to inspire my costumes.

In my first three outfits I stayed pretty close to the Pleasant Company source material, making allowances for style differences between girls and women (primarily making the skirt hems longer) and my fabric choices (for example, for my Meet costume I used the color story in a print I designed to scale better for an adult dress).

---

ORIGINAL COVER OF HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIRSTEN! by Janet Shaw, ILLUSTRATED by RENÉe Graef

This time, I’m planning on taking a slightly new approach to Kirsten’s springtime dress. As you can see in the gorgeous cover art illustrated by Renée Graef, she wears a puffed sleeve pink gingham dress with a white pinafore, red boots and flower crown.

If you look at each of the first four historical characters’ birthday dresses, a common thread is the feminine and fluffy style. For example, Felicity, Kirsten and Samantha all wear pink dresses with aprons or pinafores layered on top and flowers in their hair. The original American Girls, Kirsten, Samantha and Molly all have some sort of gathering or ruffles on their dresses. And yet, of all of those four characters, because of her circumstances (penniless immigrant pioneer farm daughter), Kirsten would have probably been least likely to get a special dress just for her birthday, or even just for the spring season. I know I know. Part of the fun of the American GIrl books and dolls are new occasions and the special new outfits but if history is speaking, it’s unlikely Kirsten would have enjoy such an ensemble. And yet, the costume still reflects to the era and I’m so excited to show you how I plan to interpret this into my costume.

So here’s how this edition is going to be different…

I’ve spent a lot of research time on the everyday practical dresses of the mid 19th century, so I’d like to change lanes and use the cover look of Happy Birthday, Kirsten! to explore the fashion trends of the 1850s. I’ll stay true to the pink and white color scheme but interpret Kirsten’s childlike silhouette into something that a stylish adult woman could have worn.

In the next few weeks I hope to source and order the 8-12 (!!!) yards of fabric I need for the dress I’ll be creating, plus flowers, boots, accessories, and baby kittens (jk). My previous costumes were made thanks to the very generous financial support of my friends and readers and if you’ve enjoyed my work, I’d really love your backing on this edition too. It means so much to me to have your words of encouragement and patronage on this project!

You can chip in any amount via venmo.com/jessicajquirk or paypal.me/whatiwore

Between now and the final costume reveal, I’ll be posting my research here on my blog, which will aim to give background context to the choices I’ve made in the end look. Thanks for joining me with The Kirsten Project! I’ve loved every second of planning, creating and sharing it with you!

My original copy of happy Birthday, kirsten! with my original pleasant company doll’s dress. the flower crown is homemade.

The Kirsten Project | Kirsten's Surprise

Night walks with a heavy step
Round yard and hearth,
As the sun departs from earth,
Shadows are brooding.
There in our dark house,
Walking with lit candles,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Night walks grand, yet silent,
Now hear its gentle wings,
In every room so hushed,
Whispering like wings.
Look, at our threshold stands,
White-clad with light in her hair,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Darkness shall take flight soon,
From earth's valleys.
So she speaks
Wonderful words to us:
A new day will rise again
From the rosy sky…
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Good Yule, everyone! In preparation for Lucia’s Day this Friday, December 13th, I’ve recreated Kirsten’s holiday look from Kirsten’s Surprise. If you’re new around here, let me tell you more about my project! I’m recreating the cover looks from my favorite girlhood fictional character - American Girl Kirsten Larson, a Swedish immigrant to American in the mid 19th century.  I’m researching each of her main outfits through a historical and cultural lens, doing my best to guess what the designers at Pleasant Company referenced when they developed her character. So far, I’ve recreated my historically accurate take on Meet Kirsten and Changes for Kirsten and posted those looks plus my background research here on my blog. Check out my inspiration board for Santka Lucia throughout history here. 

I’m more focused on how the holiday tradition has evolved in Sweden than the Catholic origins, but if you’re into that, I encourage you to read up on it! In Sweden each town or school elects one little girl to play the part of Lucia and lead a procession. School is closed early that day so families can celebrate together (does that mean adults get out of work early too?) In some places there are bond fires to ward off evil spirits, which sounds pretty pagan to me! In Kirsten’s family, Saint Lucia’s Day is the start of their Christmas season. 

From the Sweden.se website:

The first recorded appearance of a white-clad Lucia in Sweden was in a country house in 1764. The custom did not become universally popular in Swedish society until the 1900s, when schools and local associations in particular began promoting it. The old lussegubbar custom virtually disappeared with urban migration, and white-clad Lucias with their singing processions were considered a more acceptable, controlled form of celebration than the youthful carousals of the past. Stockholm proclaimed its first Lucia in 1927. The custom whereby Lucia serves coffee and buns (lussekatter) dates back to the 1880s.

Kirsten’s holiday outfit was worn on Saint Lucia’s Day, a solstice celebration on the darkest day of the year (when the Feast of Saint Lucia became a popular holiday in Scandinavian countries, the Julian calendar was still in use, which is why Lucia’s Day falls on the old winter solstice, December 13th, and not the modern one using the Gregorian calendar, on December 21st). The eldest daughter in each family would go room to room in the early morning hours, wearing a white gown, red sash and lit crown with baked treats and hot coffee saying “Saint Lucia invites you to breakfast!” When I was a young girl, my own dad helped me make Swedish rice porridge for breakfast (using the first Pleasant Company cookbook!) and I’m so excited to make it again this week for our little family celebration!

---

Saint Lucia’s Crown

There really is something awe inspiring about a crown of lit candles - I felt like a goddess carefully balancing it atop my head! 

Crowns of flowers and foliage have been worn during times of celebration across cultures and millennia. Think of ancient Greeks and their laurel wreaths or the olive leaf crowns given to olympians. In the mid 19th century Queen Victoria popularized flower crowns after she wore one at her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert. 

Lucia’s Day crowns are can be left plain or decorated with evergreen lingonberry branches and berries. I mixed a few different faux greens together and wired them around the base with floral wire. I considered fresh leaves, but I hope to bring this same crown out for the holidays year after year (eventually Beatrix will wear it!) so faux it is! Lastly I placed six inch white candles in their holders. The number of candles seems to vary depending on the structure of the crown base (and associated symbolism), but Kirsten has six candles in hers, so that’s what I went for as well!

When I started planning my crown, I knew I’d need to go further than the grapevine wreath Kirsten and her cousin fashion in the book. Aesthetics aside, my main goal was to keep all of my candles upright at the same angle and well secured to avoid any wax burns. (Be smart about using candles in any setting; lit candles should be out of reach (and off the heads) of small children)

Here’s how I made my crown as safe as possible:  first I created a paper template by tracing one of my wooden hat blocks. Once I had the perfect fit, I transferred that oval shape to thin plywood and cut it out using a band saw.  Next, I drilled holes around the crown to snuggly fit the thrifted candle holders (which were mounted to dowel rods). It sounds a little more complicated than it actually was and only took 20 minutes from first cut to drying in clamps. Check this out to see what I mean. After the base was dry, I gave it a quick coat of dark spray paint so the light wood tones wouldn’t show through. 

Gown and Sash

The white gown and red sash worn by the girl portraying Saint Lucia represents the Catholic symbols purity and martyrdom. 

For my dress I actually made two separate pieces - a blouse and petticoat that I can re-wear with other costumes (a white nightgown seems to be the garment of choice for many girls throughout history). In true pioneer fashion I’m practical AF. My blouse is the same bodice and sleeves as my Meet Kirsten dress, which is based on an extant dress from the 1850s. I made mine unlined with the hope that I might pair it with vintage Levis for modern wear too! The original dress had a very slight overlap at center front with no buttons, but I may eventually add some. I also tacked on some pretty antique lace to both the collar and cuffs.

My skirt has a wide 13 foot circumference at the hem and is knife pleated into a simple twill tape waistband with ties on both the left and right side (which I actual wrap around and tie in front and back). This kind of skirt can get a lot of mileage with both my 18th and 19th century costumes as a petticoat. 

The red sash I’m wearing at my waist (which i realize is hard to see!)  is made of left over red velvet from Bea’s hooded cape. I love how rich and old fashioned red velvet looks and I’m glad i could make use of some scraps! It’s all pined into place!

Breakfast Tray

Lastly I found a little wooden tray at the thrift shop which I painted blue just like Kirsten’s. I didn’t do any baking just for this photoshoot - I’m low on saffron for my lussekatter, so I’ll save it for making my Lucia buns on the actual day. We plan on having breakfast by candlelight on Decemeber 13th with my parents and then opening presents. Now that my children are getting bigger the yuletide season seems all the more magical! No matter how you celebrate, we wish you Happy Holidays!! 

The Kirsten Project | Saint Lucia through the Ages

Kirsten’s holiday story Kirsten’s Surprise centers around her family’s tradition of celebrating Saint Lucia’s Day - a solstice celebration of light honoring Santka Lucia. The holiday took hold during Sweden’s Catholic period somewhere between 1000-1500 and is still honored today with parades and family celebrations on December 13th. If you’re thinking, wait! the winter solstice is on December 21st! (my birthday!), you’re right. There was a change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar for Sweden (and the US/UK) in the mid 18th century, which essentially pushed the calendar forward to account for leap days.

In Sweden, the eldest daughter in each family wakes before dawn and brings a breakfast tray to her family members in the dark, wearing a white (night) gown, red sash at the waist and a crown made of lingonberries and branches with candles glowing. Kirsten’s family celebrated St. Lucia’s day as the start of the Christmas season but her Swedish American cousins have since lost the custom. After a snowy all night adventure to town with her papa to retrieve the family’s trunks and Swedish heirlooms, Kirsten is able to play the part of St. Lucia on December 13th.

For my Saint Lucia costume I’m taking my cues from the artwork in Kirsten’s Surprise, illustrated by Renée Graef but looking through historical photos and illustrations made me so excited for my family’s own St. Lucia’s Day breakfast! Click on any image to view larger!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

The Kirsten Project | Changes for Kirsten

Ch-ch-changes! As we move into colder weather, it’s time for another look from The Kirsten Project - this time with her winter Scandinavian outfit from Changes for Kirsten. If you haven’t had a chance to see my background research on Kirsten’s skirt, sweater and knitted accessories or my original Kirsten Project post you’ll want to check those out. This look was practically plucked from the museum and was such a joy to recreate. Let’s jump in, shall we?

She wore all her flannel petticoats, her warmest skirt, and two pairs of wool socks, but still trembled with cold. - Changes for Kirsten

Kirsten’s winter story is set in 1850s Minnesota, but her old country outfit is distinctively Scandinavian - specifically Norwegian. Why not Swedish? As you know Norway and Sweden are neighbors and although there are regionally specific costumes, there are also a lot of similarities and overlaps between the bunad, or folk dress of the two nations. For example, both countries have bunads with red, green, black and white color schemes (just have a look at the famous artist Carl Larsson and his work “Kersti’s Birthday Party” featuring his daughter and her friends in their regional dress). So while not a Swedish folk costume to a T, Kirsten’s winter outfit absolutely captures a Scandinavian essence.

Political borders aside, my best guess is that pieces of Kirsten’s winter look, like the fana cardigan sweater and the Tecnica après ski boots were popular fashion trends of the 1980s when her character was developed. Maybe someone walked into the office one day wearing them and the design team turned to say now THAT’S what Kirsten’s winter look should be! Who can blame them? I love the high contrast black and white, punched with pops of red and green and think the entire look is one of the most memorable from the entire early Pleasant Company catalog (I’m still pining for a doll’s sized version but keep losing eBay auctions in the final minutes!)

Hat, Scarf + Mittens

Thanks to this project I’m back on a knitting kick again! I knit all of my winter accessories myself and really loved every second of it! The hat is a copy of the doll’s hat and I think it’s very close! I actually made three versions of this hat. On the first I asked for feedback (you guys suggested alternative male and female figures instead of just girls), the second was destroyed with a dying mishap and this is the third! I made it roomy enough to fit my big braids underneath but it still works for everyday wear! Speaking of, a huge plus to making this costume is the modern wearability of the pieces. I foresee myself getting a lot of use out of them!!

My scarf isn’t anything too fancy - just one very long tube of red stockinette knitting. I don’t like purling very much but in the round I can fly with a metal tipped circular needle. I used size 8 with worsted weight yarn and it took two skeins. No pattern! I found some original examples here and here!

These mittens were made using the Selbu pattern from Skeindeer Knits (read more on the history of the selbuvotter here). It’s really well written and fast to knit. Again I used worsted weight yarn and US size 4, 9” circular needles and matching DPNs for the fingertips and thumb. Magic loop just doesn’t work for me and I find the small circulars to be really fast! I’ve since finished four more pair of mittens!

Sweater

My fana style sweater, with it’s selburose stars, checkerboard hem and cuffs and black and white stripes, is what kick started this project for me. I had a little money left over from my first round of backing when I saw this original Pleasant Company cardigan on eBay. The price was too good to let it go and the rest is history. It’s a girl’s XL and thanks to that 80s silhouette, roomy enough to fit me!

Skirt

As I referenced in my research post, Kirsten’s skirt is very similar to the overskirt of the Setesdalbunad. I chose to go with extant examples and historical photographs and do two red stripes instead of one for my version skirt.

The skirt is made from a lovely lightweight wool I bought from Burnley and Trowbridge. I cut a narrow strip for my waistband and then split the remaining yardage in half. I sewed up those side seams and then gauge pleated 10 feet worth of fabric into my waistband. At the hem I appliquéd stripes of red and green wool that I sourced from second hand pencil skirts bought at the thrift store. If you’re looking closely those are burrs decorating my hem… I walked around through the woods for a while to find the perfect spot to take these photos!

Boots

While every other aspect of Kirsten’s costume can firmly be traced to Scandinavian cultural origins, these boots are one piece I couldn’t nail down other than the fact that they are definitely in the artwork for Changes for Kirsten (by the wonderful Renée Graef! Hi Renée!!)

I considered the fur boots worn by the Sami people of Northern Scandinavian, but those have a curled toe. I looked at Native American examples from the US, but I couldn’t find anything that was identical. I looked up mountain men (Kirsten and her family are trappers in this book), but nothing there either. One thing I’m sure of? The boots from the illustrations are Tecnica après ski boots, the very same sold in the catalog, and they were a big trend in the 80s. See the eighties theme happening here?!

I found my boots on eBay and then made some alterations so they more closely resembled the cover art. I painted one of the yellow leather ties red (with leather paint) and stitched on vintage green Scandinavian ribbon under the cuff. This is one bit of my costumes I wanted to save for the final reveal because I was SO PSYCHED when I figured out the brand and then found a pair in my size. They’ll be great snow boots for winter!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of The Kirsten Project! The more I research Scandinavian culture the more I want to visit and incorporate the designs into my own life. You better believe I have a St. Lucia Day breakfast planned in my home too! I’m so inspired by everything I learned during this project.

Thank you to everyone who has financially backed my costume work or cheered me on from the sidelines. It’s pretty amazing to work on something, put it out into social media ,and have nothing but positivity surrounding it. There’s something really joyful about sharing a childhood nostalgia with others. We all seem to remember how it felt to find the Pleasant Company catalog in the mail, turn the pages of the books and in cases like mine, dress up like my doll for so many happy days of my girlhood. So much of who I am was formed in those days - , a pioneer/homesteading spirit, a make do and mend attitude, a love for historical costumes and embracing anything and everything “old fashioned”.