Checked Dress & Apron (On the Trail Outfit) (RETIRED)

[QNPoohBear]

This outfit is worn by Kirsten in the short story “Kirsten On the Trail”. Introduced 1999, retired 2002.

Mama helped Kirsten choose the fabric and cut out the patterns for her gingham dress and yellow shawl. But the embroidered trim on her navy apron was Kirsten’s idea! Also includes two navy blue hair ribbons.


The dress itself is only OK. It's made from homespun type cotton material and has cute little (fake) buttons down the front. The shawl and apron make this dress worthwhile. The shawl is heavy, woven material in Swedish yellow and red. It is just like the shawls women in Sweden wore in those days. The apron is made from heavy, soft, almost flannel like material and is beautifully embroidered in the Swedish style.
A

According to Meg's guide it was released in 1999. It didn't hang around too long and retired sometime before 2002, I think. I got it after it disappeared from the catalog before the mass wave of retirements.

[DivaDoll]

I love it. I think it's one of Kirsten's cutest dresses. I lucked up on this dress on ebay about a year ago. It came complete with her on the trail book.

[samo22]

I lucked out so much on eBay and got this at a price of 30 dollars total because it was mislabeled (I had to order a replacement apron)! It is definitely one of my favorite Kirsten outfits. It fits my PM Kirsten nicely. I really like the style of the dress, the embroidery on the apron is so cute, and I love the yellow shawl. A+!

[Michele]

I think it is a beautiful dress! I also lucked out on ebay and got it together with a PM Kirsten and her school dress and shawl for $100 with shipping as a buy it now. I think I bought it less than 10min after it was posted I do have to ask though, my shawl is starting to unravel, has this happened to anyone else? What is holding the shawl together?

[QNPoohBear]

The shawl is knit. It's held together by the stitches, I would assume.

[C.I.Fairfield]

I got this outfit for Christmas. I love it! The fabric is actually woven, not printed, and the embroidery is well done. My one problem is the problem I have will all AG shawls - it's too small! Overall, a very worthwhile dress. A-

[EofA]

I don't think there's a single criticism I could make about this outfit. If I had to pick just one 'extra' outfit to own from Kirsten's collection, this one would be the easy choice.

I love that the dress is made of a homespun, woven fabric. It's so much nicer and more substantial than her lightweight pink cotton birthday dress. I think even without the accessories, the dress is a fabulous and versatile piece. The shawl and apron add tremendously and give the ensemble a distinctive Kirsten look. I do agree that the shawl could have been a bit larger, but I can live with it.

Although retired since 2002, this outfit shows up on eBay fairly regularly and rarely goes for less than triple its original price of $22, unless the seller doesn't know what she has. What you are willing to pay is up to you but I've known people to spend quite a bit to own this set and not regret it...and others to have gotten some sweet deals.

I give the outfit a solid A+. My Kirsten below is modeling it along with Addy's blue boots, because she's stylin' that way.

















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[browneyedgirl]

I also give this dress an A. I was wondering though if anyone could post pictures and measurements of the hair ribbons? Mine did not come with them but I would like to get something similiar to the original. Thanks!

[QNPoohBear]

Jan 4, 2009 9:01:23 GMT -5 browneyedgirl said:

I also give this dress an A. I was wondering though if anyone could post pictures and measurements of the hair ribbons? Mine did not come with them but I would like to get something similiar to the original. Thanks!

Do you have her school dress ribbons? These ribbons are only a shade darker.

[lametta]

I have to disagree with some of the other posters--this is among my least favorite historical outfits. The dress is made of woven material, but the quality of it is poor. Sewing is one of my favorite hobbies, and I would never by material of this kind to work with, as the weave is too loose, and feels shoddy. It's ironic to me that Kirsten's work dress--supposedly for barn type work--is of a much, much higher quality fabric! I would say that if you are crafty, or know some one who is, this would make a good project for you to remake yourself. And yours could turn out a lot nicer!

[SwedishRed]

I love this dress on Kirsten. I think the colors are perfect for her and really bring out the blue in her eyes. In terms of quality I think this is one of the nicer and better made dresses of her collection. I give it an A+

[Darthstar76]

Here you go!

i7.photobucket.com/albums/y278/Southpaw22/AG/Kirsten/On%20the%20Trail/Apron.jpg



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[Normandiefr]

Sorry if they are a bit dark. I took a close up of the sleeve which has puckering in the design

[keeperofthepast]

This outfit is super sweet. The dress is nice on its own. The shawl is a pretty color or yellow. the apron is stunning beautifully hand embroidered.

17 by Laura *, on Flickr