If You Were a Pioneer…

What Would You Wear?

Women and girls sewed their own clothing. They wore long dresses that were made out of wool

or calico (plain-woven cotton cloth).

Common colors of these dresses were black, green, blue, and red with flower designs

or gingham stripes.

They wore stockings, corsets, and hoops for their skirts. They wore bonnets on their heads to protect their faces from the sun. They wore boots, scarves, and shawls in the winter. Aprons were worn so they wouldn’t get their clothes dirty while working.

The men wore shirts (usually blue, green, red, white, shirts), long trousers (black, gray, or brown wool or cotton pants), suspenders, long wool socks, and black or brown leather boots.

They wore fur or beaver felt caps. Farmers wore straw hats. The men’s shirts were long-sleeved and were over woolen undershirts.

Sometimes pioneers wore bandanna handkerchiefs over their mouths to protect them from the cold and the dust.

Pioneers washed their own clothes by hand on washboards using water from wells or rain. They wrung their clothes and hung them on clothing lines.

Common Fabrics:

Linen

Leather (for boots, gloves, and coats)

Wool

Cotton