Welcome!
Welcome to Clothing the Saints!
If you’re looking for information to help you dress like the LDS of the 1840 to 1865 era, this is the right place!
Articles, projects, and content on this site are designed to help you dress (and walk, talk, read, sing, and eat!) like the early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This site is not an official website of the LDS church, and we do not presume to speak for the church in any way. However, we uphold the current and historic tenets of the church, and seek to add to the knowledge base concerning early church history, through our contributions to accurate historic clothing and interpretation.
Elizabeth Stewart Clark is a dressmaking instructor and historic researcher focusing on the the 1840 to 1865 era. Clothing the Saints is a current project for Elizabeth; all patterns and content here are adapted from her book on historic LDS clothing and living history pursuits. She also travels and teaches as The Sewing Academy, presenting hands-on living history workshops at historic sites and museums across the country.
Behind the scenes, providing IT support, foot rubs, intelligent offerings of dark chocolate, and general all-around good husbandry, is David. Together, they live in the foothills of the Northern Rockies, and raise a family of four active children, four laying hens, and one slightly bewildered duck.
Spot the Saints
It can be tempting to imagine that the early Latter-day Saints were entirely set apart from the rest of the world, that the peculiarities of their faith were manifest in every aspect of life. But that’s not necessarily the way it works!
When it comes to physical appearance, early Latter-day Saints looked pretty much like everyone else! Their clothing may feel peculiar and unusual to us, but that’s mostly because we’re looking at an unfamiliar system, very different from our own.
Here’s a quick look at some mid-century citizens, both LDS and non-LDS. Can you Spot the Saints?
Teenage Girls A
Teenage Girls B
Adult Woman A
Adult Woman B
Gentleman A
Click through the jump to find out the answers! Read the rest of this entry »