Kitty Hudson's Dennison's Bogie Book Halloween

"There are stacks of large costume boxes filling my hallway.  All of these tied with sturdy string and filled with Kitty's trousseau for her European tour.  I believe these are being sent by train to her home.  A porter will be coming to fetch them tomorrow.  I bought kitty a special gift for her travels that she can open on her way home.  It is a diary for her to journal her hopes and dreams, thoughts and anecdotes from her travels.  I think one day that she might become a writer.  Maybe her notes will give her inspiration.

She's promised to stay in touch, but I think it unlikely.  This young woman has a full life ahead of her and I hope Charles will be a part of it.  They have so much in common.  I'm not one given to displays of sentimentality, but I noticed my cheeks are damp as I write this evening.  Nonetheless!  I will miss the evenings we've spent reading together, playing cards, hearing of her adventures from the day, her laughter at the small parties I give in my salon, her company on rainy days..." From the diary

of Madame Hoover four years past.

"Mercy me!  Kitty Hudson just arrived the day before last!  She's come of her own accord this time, and not at the behest of her mother.  Such a change in this marvelous young woman.  And she did become a writer after all.  She is here to meet with one of her publishers from a prominent women's weekly.  She's been writing articles and romance stories for several women's magazines these past few years.  Job well done, Kitty Hudson!  And of Charles?  They are an item, but she has no time for marriage and babies... just yet.  Not this flapper girl! 

Her publisher is hosting a Halloween party in a fancy hotel in the city this October 31rst.  Charles will be joining her for the event, and she begged me to make her a special costume from one of Dennison's Bogie Books.  Bogie indeed!  Nothing scary about these costumes, but they sure are delightful."  From the current diary of Madame Hoover

And so, it is from this special request from Kitty, that I came to make her a costume for Halloween.  And have her come to visit a second time.  What was Halloween like in the 1920s?

Halloween began to take off as a holiday in the late 19th century, although trick-or-treating started in the 1920s.  Adult Halloween parties were then all the rage, and a company could make a lot of money selling Halloween themed costumes and decorations.

The Dennison Manufacturing Company would see gold in Halloween ephemera.  After its move to Framingham in 1897, the company rocketed to success.  By the turn of the century, it employed a third of the town's population.  In 1909, Dennison started to make Halloween party items and became one of the two premier American companies selling Halloween ephemera.  The other was the Beistle Company of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Dennison published the first Bogie Book was in 1915.  The Bogie Book was the handbook to Halloween celebrations.  Today it would tell us a lot about early 20th century social life, especially for the upwardly mobile city dwellers.  The book gave party advice for simple menus, alcohol-free drinks, dancing and cards.  They also gave ideas for games and how to decorate for one's party.  They even gave advice for the business girl's Halloween party with directions to carefully prepare her decorations and menu in advance.

But one of the best things they offered were costume ideas to create using their printed crepe papers.  The costume pages were lavishly illustrated with ideas for both men and women, and the crepe paper costumes could be tossed the following morning.  There were no patterns to create from, but most women knew how to sew, and even if they didn't, wrapping and taping together a costume couldn't have been too difficult with the delightful border printed crepe paper yardage.

For the party, crepe paper and cutouts would decorate chandeliers, windows and tabletops.  A menu might consist of doughnuts, oranges and apples served "dressed up", chicken patties, potato chips, ice cream, and individual cakes and coffee.

Entertainment came in the form of fortune telling and almost always involved wedded bliss or marital affairs.  Bobbing for apples was a must for the guests, weather the apples were floating in a tub of water or tied to a string from the ceiling. Peeling an apple in one continuous piece, then throwing it over your shoulder, where it would land in some shape on the floor could form the initials of one's future mate.

Kitty was secure in her decision to remain with her soul mate, Charles, but they'd enjoy the games regardless.  Kitty was never one of back out of a challenge!   Or fun!

After looking at so many illustrated pages from Bogie Books on Pinterest, one in particular struck me as the perfect costume for her.  The "kitty" costume.  I thought it would be a snap to make, and Kitty obviously thought so.  But it took a great deal of patience and effort.

The kitty costume is made entirely of silk. Silk replicates the crispness of crepe paper and performs beautifully for intricate work.  

The ruffle around the neckline and sleeves was made from silk cut on the bias and dramatically gathered, pinned and sewn to the garment.

Handmade silk bias tape edges the hem of the bodice, and...okay I fibbed...regular black satin ribbon edges the hem of the skirt.  I didn't have the proper silk-satin ribbon for the hemline, yet the satin ribbon was the perfect choice to use for two rows of stitching.

The outfit is completely lined in cotton batiste.

The main event of this costume are the handmade kitty appliques.

This is far from the first time I've created my own appliques, and the process takes me back to the time I was sewing for Katy Curls and created her autumn apron decorated with fall leaves.  

I used a flexible fuse paper that creates an iron on applique.  Each little applique was made from black silk, and each little scaredy cat was carefully snipped out then iron-fused in place.

It took a longer time than anticipated to find the perfect images to use.  Clip art simply didn't have the vintage look, so I had to look to vintage Halloween postcards to find both the cat face and the scaredy cat.

With the large kitty head, I had to hand draw the features in white charcoal pencil, then snip out the tiny pieces.  Lots of fiddly work, but that's what I enjoy doing.

I have to admit that I was thrilled and inspired to take on the project because I was up in the air about what next to do, and I love sewing for Kitty Hudson.  

The skirt and top are closed with tiny snaps, which I felt much more suitable for a Halloween costume.

There are twelve 1.2" scaredy cats along the hem.  The larger cat in the center of the skirt is 2.1".  While I have all this written down to keep with the pattern I made for the costume, I often go back to my journal posts to find out how I made something.  I do forget!

Close up of applique work.

Kitty has a pair of white stockings to wear under the costume and I made her a special pair of shoes to match the ones in the illustration.  These are made of the same silk as the costume.

The shoes aren't the best I've made for her, but they were made of two layers of silk and one of the cotton batiste, to give them body and support.  Making shoes with heels is still a challenge for me, and since it's been four years since I last did this, I had to try and remember what I did originally.

The hat, as simple as it looks, took me the better part of a day to make a pattern for.  I wanted to make it just like the one in the illustration, and I feel pretty good about the outcome.  

I'd created this costume on my 1470 doll.  When Kitty arrived today, I was a bit nervous that there might be areas where the costume wouldn't fit, but it wasn't a problem.  I think Kitty has a slightly smaller waist and her legs are thinner than the porcelain 1470.  What this actually meant, was that the costume would fit Kitty perfectly.

This project was the perfect way to enjoy Halloween month, and I finished it just in time to return Kitty to Heather so she can enjoy her in her costume for the rest of the month.

Kitty Hudson's story continues, and I couldn't be happier.

I hope you'll enjoy the selections I chose from the many Dennison's Bogie Book pages I have on file.  Maybe one will inspire you to create something for your doll from the 1920s!

As for the rest of the month?  More Halloween costumes!

Happy Halloween!, Melissa