These patterns were created to add a couple of charming accessories to a girls' wardrobe. The pinafore can be worn over dresses made from the Girls' Regency Dress pattern or the Girls’ Romantic Dress pattern. It is also appropriate for late Victorian (1890s) and early Edwardian dresses.

Pinafores served a couple of different functions throughout this entire time span. First of all, they served as handy play aprons to keep dresses cleaner. A plain pinafore with good coverage keeps dirt, grass, food spills, and other stains from hitting the dress beneath.

You can make a half a dozen play pinafores in unbleached muslin or calico and use them over everyday dresses, sparing the dresses from frequent washing! Secondly, pinafores could be made out of heirloom materials like voile, organdy, or batiste and fancied up with ruffles, tucks, lace, and/or embroidery for wear over tea dresses, for visiting, and for church. These look especially charming over solid-colored dresses, since all the fancy work shows up beautifully against such a background.

Either way, pinafores are fun and easy to make and a great addition to a little girl's wardrobe.

Also included is a bonus pattern for pantaloons. Pantaloons first appeared for little girls in the late 18th century and continued in use throughout the Victorian Era.

You can create plain sturdy pantaloons for play (and warmth in the colder seasons), and you can create fancy ones with tucks and lace for dress-up. They look especially darling beneath the shorter, fuller skirts of the Romantic Era.