Authentic Mid 1910s Divided Skirt Downloads | Past Patterns 6306

Authentic Mid 1910s Divided Skirt Downloads These Mid 1910s Divided Skirt Downloads reproduce Pictorial Review Pattern 6306, a practical women’s sporting design advertised in 1915. Although the finished garment resembles a graceful full-length skirt, its cleverly arranged gores create separate trouser-like legs that provide greater freedom of movement for riding and other outdoor activities. The digital pattern includes eight full-size pieces for the original 28-inch waist and 42½-inch hip measurements. Its distinctive features include overlapping outer gores, a high fitted waistband, a center-front button closure, an optional pocket, and two finished-length choices. The pattern is especially suitable for historical costumers, equestrian interpreters, reenactors, museum programs, theatrical wardrobes, and researchers exploring the changing role of women’s sporting clothes. Prefer a pattern professionally printed and mailed to you? Visit the corresponding Mid 1910s Divided Skirt Sewing Pattern listing. Historical Background of the Mid 1910s Divided Skirt Downloads Pattern 6306 was originally published by the Pictorial Review Company and was advertised in The Reading Times of Reading, Pennsylvania, on August 5, 1915. The original packaging described the design as: “Ladies’ divided skirt. Suitable for cross-saddle riding or for outdoor sports. In two lengths; closing in front.” Divided skirts grew from nineteenth-century dress-reform efforts that promoted greater comfort, mobility, and practicality in women’s clothing. They became particularly useful for cycling, riding, exercise, and other activities for which a conventional long skirt could restrict movement or present a safety concern. Pattern 6306 maintained the respectable appearance and coverage expected of a skirt in 1915 while giving each leg an independent section. Broad outer gores helped conceal the divided construction when the wearer stood or walked. When she rode astride, the garment could move with her legs more naturally than an undivided skirt. The original reference to “cross-saddle riding” indicates riding astride, with one leg positioned on each side of the horse, rather than using a sidesaddle. The design therefore reflects the gradual acceptance of more practical clothing for active women while retaining a fashionable, skirt-like silhouette. Learn more about the larger movement toward healthier and less restrictive women’s clothing through Ohio State University’s Historic Costume & Textiles Collection exhibition, Reforming Fashion, 1850–1914: Politics, Health, and Art. Pattern Features and Construction Details The Mid 1910s Divided Skirt Downloads pattern set contains eight pieces: Under front gore Outer front gore Outer back gore Under back gore Front facing Back facing Underfacing Belt The under and outer gores work together to form two separate leg sections while preserving the appearance of a full skirt. The garment closes down the center front with buttons, and a pocket may be inserted into the outer front gore. The original directions also suggest using leather for the front and back facings when the skirt is intended specifically for riding. Two finished lengths are provided. The longer version measures approximately 40 inches at the front and 41 inches at the back. The pattern is perforated for a shorter version measuring approximately 38 inches at the front and 39 inches at the back. Original pattern company: Pictorial Review Company Pattern number: 6306 Date: 1915 Garment type: Ladies’ divided sporting skirt Closure: Center-front buttons Length options: Two Pattern pieces: Eight Seam allowance: 3/8 inch Delivery: Digital pattern files Size and Fit This digital pattern is supplied in one original historical size: Waist: 28 inches Hips: 42½ inches This is the only size offered for Pattern 6306. The measurements and proportions reflect the sizing system and fashionable body shape of the mid-1910s rather than modern ready-to-wear sizing. Compare your waist and hip measurements carefully with the pattern measurements before printing or cutting. An experienced sewist or costumer may resize the pattern when another size is needed. Our resizing vintage patterns resource provides additional guidance. A test garment is strongly recommended before cutting valuable fashion fabric, particularly when altering the waist, hips, rise, or length. Digital Files Included with the Mid 1910s Divided Skirt Downloads Your purchase includes the pattern in four useful digital arrangements: 36-inch-wide format: 2 pages with no split pattern pieces A0 format: 4 pages with no split pattern pieces A4 tiled pattern: 55 pages 8.5-by-11-inch tiled pattern: 55 pages The instruction booklet is included in both common home-printing formats: A4 instruction booklet: 4 pages 8.5-by-11-inch instruction booklet: 4 pages The 36-inch-wide and A0 files are suitable for copy-shop printing. Neither format contains split pattern pieces, allowing every full-size piece to remain intact within its respective sheet arrangement. The tiled A4 and 8.5-by-11-inch files can be printed at home and assembled by matching the page guides. The 36-inch-wide and A0 pattern files may also be used with many sewing-projector setups. For calibration, file selection, and projection guidance, visit the Past Patterns Projector Sewing Help page. Always print at 100 percent or actual size without selecting “fit to page.” Print and measure the test square before printing the complete tiled pattern. Fabric Recommendations and Yardage Approximately 6 yards of 36-inch-wide fabric are required for the reproduced 28-inch waist size. Allow additional material for directional fabric, nap, shrinkage, matching stripes or plaids, alterations, or constructing a test garment. Past Patterns founder and fashion historian Saundra Altman recommends fabrics similar to those used for sporting skirts of the period: Wool novelty stripe Wool flannel Prunella cloth Wool pongee Wool homespun Wool tweed Historically appropriate colors include blue, tan, white, black, brown, turquoise blue, and navy blue. A medium-weight fabric with enough body to maintain the skirt-like silhouette is particularly effective. The material should also drape well enough to allow the separate leg sections and overlapping gores to move comfortably. Skill Level: 4/5 — Advanced Intermediate This pattern receives a difficulty rating of 4 out of 5. The garment contains only eight pieces, but its layered outer and under gores, front and back facings, underfacing, pocket insertion, buttonholes, vintage perforation markings, and unusual divided construction require careful interpretation. The original-style written directions are more concise than the instructions supplied with most modern commercial patterns. This project is best suited to a sewist who is comfortable transferring pattern markings, assembling multiple gores, making buttonholes, interpreting historical construction methods, and altering a single-size vintage pattern when necessary. Why Choose These Mid 1910s Divided Skirt Downloads? Reproduces an authentic Pictorial Review pattern advertised in 1915 Creates a skirt-like silhouette with functional separate leg sections Suitable for cross-saddle riding and historical outdoor-sport interpretation Includes two finished lengths and an optional pocket Provides A0 and 36-inch-wide files with no split pieces Includes tiled files for both A4 and 8.5-by-11-inch paper Supports copy-shop printing, home printing, and projector sewing Offers a distinctive project for reenactment, museums, theater, and fashion research Recreate an innovative sporting garment that combined period elegance with practical movement. The Mid 1910s Divided Skirt Downloads preserve an important example of how early twentieth-century fashion adapted to women’s increasingly active lives. Copyright Past Patterns 1979–2026. All rights reserved.