Susan Baker Reproduction Dress off to France

     I was commissioned by Laura Robinson of the Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston to produce a dress for the character Susan Baker, the Blythe's family's house-keeper, in the book, Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery.   
     The dress is currently on display in the Normandy area in France; later in June it will be at the L.M. Montgomery Institute on Prince Edward Island; and later on in Ontario.

    A description of Susan Baker’s Skirt & Blouse

          In Rilla of Ingleside the character Susan Baker is described as wearing plain, simple, practical style clothing.  She is not a slave to fashion and would dress in a sensible, serviceable style.

          The skirt is ankle-length with enough fullness to allow ease of movement - it is tapered to the waist with fullness gathered into the waistband.  The collarless blouse is a basic period style with straight sleeves with button cuffs and slight tapering to fit.  There are no embellishments and the buttons are simple in style.

          The colour of the skirt is a light shade of khaki and the blouse is a darker shade with small print design.  The colours were chosen to be symbolic of the khaki uniforms worn by the soldiers fighting in trenches on the European front in WWI.  Susan Baker in her way was doing her bit for the war effort on the home front.