Monday 27 November 2017

Tutorial | 18th Century Petticoat


Making this darn thing was a serious act of hubris. I figured since I had made the stays with no problem and had sewed more complicated garments in the past, how hard could it be to make a pleated tube skirt? So with all the confidence in the world, I took a look at some extant pieces and just started hacking and smashing my way through only to redo this petticoat 3-4 times depending on how you count. Even after looking at some great resources such as American Duchess's Tutorial and the excellent how-to from Koshka the Cat, I still managed to muck it up. 

So I thought I would write a blog post, in the hopes you can learn from my mistakes, even though such blog posts did not stop my brazen ego.

In essence, an 18th C. petticoat is just two 50-60" (or 127-153 cm) wide rectangles of fabric (you can always use more but that is bare minimum) pleated and sewn together at the side. Easy! Right?

Measure twice, cut once

First, you will need a few measurements, and all of them should be taken with your undergarments on. This means shift, stays and false rump or pocket hoops.  
Measurements you will need:

  • Waist Circumference
  • Waist Center Front to Floor
  • Waist Side to Floor
  • Waist Center Back to Floor

I will use my measurements as an example. I was wearing my shift, stay, and bumroll.

  • Waist: 25"
  • CF to Floor: 41"
  • Side to Floor: 44"
  • Back to Floor: 43"

Now you need to decide how long you want your petticoat to be at the center front. I decided I wanted mine to be 4" from the ground so I could walk and move with ease. If you are going for a walking length gown you may want to make this even shorter. Once you have decided how far off the ground you want your hem to be, subtract that number from all your previous waist to floor measurements.

So for me, subtract 4" from my measurements =

  • CF to floor: 37"
  • Side to Floor: 40"
  • Back to Floor: 39"

These will be the measurements of the final skirt length.  

Now we can begin cutting. You will be cutting two rectangles which are 50-60" (127-153 cm) wide and the length of your longest measurement +3", to accommodate the hem and adjustments for length. I used an old bed sheet for my petticoat, and so just used the existing hem. If you are doing something similar only add 1" to your longest measurement. 

 One piece will be for the front and one for the back. Now at this point, you will want to hem the bottom edge of each piece. We will be adjusting the length at the waist so you can do a straight 1" hem along both pieces, turning them in by 1/2" to cover the raw edge.

Next, we will mark along the waist - this will be the raw edge - to adjust the length of the skirt. We are adjusting the length of the skirt from the waist, so you are going to make the adjustment at the top of your skirt panel.

Starting at the CF you will measure from the bottom up your CF measurement, in my case 37". Then do the sides with your side measurement, for me 40". To make everything even, I also marked the quarter point. Then draw a line out from the center to edges. Do the same for the back using your back measurements. You should have gentle "v" marked out on your fabric.

Pressing Pressing Pressing...

Next, starting from the center, fold the top of your fabric to the marked line, tuck in the raw edge so that they are encased and work your way to the edge. If you have a large difference between your CF and Side measurement - say for panniers - you may need to make a small slit at the center to ease the fabric. Press to keep the fold in place. You should now have a gentle "v"  or scoop shape along the top edge of both pieces of fabric. Leaving the length pressed in the center means you can make adjustments in the future.
You can see there that the roll get narrower at the end and wider towards the middle. 

Now you can begin pleating. If you like you can measure this out properly, The Mantua Diary has a great formula, but I went by feel rather than hard numbers. In the front, the knife pleat should go out from the waist with a box pleat at the center front, and in the back, the pleats should go in toward the center, with an inverted box pleat at the center. When doing my pleats, I pressed the top 3" or so just to keep them in place.


Once you have finished the pleats, quickly whip or blanket stitch the top edge to keep them secure. I use a blanket stitch and some button thread just to be extra sure. Your stitches do not have to be neat, it will be covered by your waistband.

If you have extra fabric you can make yourself a waistband or use folded ribbon or bias tape, your choice. I made a quick waistband and tacked some twill tape into the center for ties, then attached it to the skirt. Once you have completed both the front and the back pieces go ahead and sew them together at the side, leaving 8-10" at the top open so you can access your pockets if you like. 

And you're DONE! Phew.



Now you can twirl around in your living room to your heart's content.  You can see here that the petticoat has a nice even hem! Happily, these measurements work over both of my false rumps, but the trick is to make sure you take the measurement OVER your skirt supports so that when you are done that sides and back are not comically short.

Putting on your Petticoat



  1. With all your appropriate undergarments on, step into your skirt with the back ties in your hand - remember the back side will be marked by the pleats going inward. Tie the ties at your front. 
  2. Give the back a good fluff - most important step tbh - to make sure it is not caught on your bum.
  3. Take the front ties and tie them behind you. If you like you can tuck in your ties under the waistband of the back section. 
  4. Now that you are all suited up, make sure you can get into your pockets and you are good to go.

Resources

The Mantua Diary - Great Pleating formula
The Fashionable Frolick - Super Detailed Tutorial
Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion: Englishwomen's Dresses & Their Construction. New Ed.] ed. London: New York: Macmillan; Drama Book Publishers, 1977, 6.
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Sunday 19 November 2017

Work Log | 18th C. False Rumps


I like big voluminous skirts (and I cannot lie). *cough*
          Sorry...

To be quite sincere, however, one of the things I love most about historical fashion is the variety of silhouettes and shapes which came in and out of style. Skirts, sleeves, bodices, and especially bums were are all molded, shaped and padded to achieve the day's most fashionable look.  But in the 18th century when it came to butts and hips, the general rule was bigger is always better.

A selection of great contemporary cartoons.

Ladies layered up pocket hoops, false rumps, and petticoats in different combinations to create the desired shapes, which, lucky for us, created excellent material for contemporary satirical artists, and provides us with great information. The ladies over at Demode Couture tried out many of the shapes you can see in these sources and shared the results! Such a wonderful piece of work by these ladies, so I followed their lead when choosing the 2 shapes I ultimately went for.

I wanted false rumps which would be able to be worn with several different gowns, over a large amount of time. Rump shapes changed quite a lot over the century, but I thought the two I chose gave me quite a lot of options.

The Continental Shelf

I affectionately call this rump "the continental shelf," because it really emphasizes the hips (especially on my body), with quite a sharp drop off. It is more properly called a bum roll, or sometimes and Elizabethan bum roll. I really like the shapes this gives. It is almost like mini-panniers, and I could see amping up the shapes to emphasizes this even more, which you can see in some of the sources above. This silhouette works well for middle-ish decades (1730-1770) and for middling and working classes - a la Outlander. It is not a luxurious shape, or too extreme (comparative to some of the fashionable door busting shapes of time). 

To make this false rump, I used some scrap linen I had in my stash and stuffed it with fabric scraps (a good cheap and historically accurate solution). I like that the weight of the fabric scraps helped the roll to sink into my natural shape - you can see it dip down at my center back. I think this gives it a much more natural look and maintains a bit of my bodies proportions. You can see in the bottom left photo how well this roll emphasizes my hips and gives the illusion of a much narrower waist.

The "Continental Shelf" in action

The Big Booty Bump 


This false rump simultaneously gives a bigger and softer silhouette, that is all about the booty. I thought the hip parts would be too extreme but they really help with the proportions and softness of the silhouette. I was really worried when I made this that is was just going to be comically large, but it turns out that size is perfect! This shape is softer, and better suited to the later decades (maybe 1770-1790ish). Again it is not so extreme that it cannot be worn by middling classes, but there is something a bit more sumptuous and provocative about this silhouette. 

I made this rump out of scrap cotton I had in my stash, and used some pillow batting to stuff it (not HA but it did the trick), and used the American Duchess Simplicity Pattern. I didn't use scrap fabric to stuff this one because the amount needed would have made it very heavy. Large rumps like this could have been stuffed with cork shavings, sawdust, wool, or possibly a combination. 

The Booty Bumper in action

Overall I am really pleased with this project, -it has been great for stash busting, that is for sure- but I am looking forward to trying out even more shapes. One day I will get to the actual gown.

Resources

Demode Couture - These ladies tried so many shapes!
The Importance of Skirt Supports with American Duchess
Tutorial on "Continental Shelf" Style Bumroll - Elizabethan Costumes

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Tuesday 14 November 2017

Work Log | 18th C. Shift, Stays and Pocket


You know what they say about historical costuming? "Foundations, Foundations, Foundations!"
er... or something like that.

But in all seriousness, when I began my research into historical dress the piece of advice I found over and over and over again was to have the correct undergarment, no exceptions. In the 18th century, this means: a shift, stays, false rump, pockets, and petticoat(s) - the more the merrier for the later.

Shift

I started with the simplest and most important garment first, the shift. This is later called a chemise and it the closest garment worn to the body under everything else. I learned a whole lot about this garment from Sharon Burnstons incredible website and from the gold standard in historical costuming "Before the Automobile".

For my own shift, I decided to go with something very simple, which could be used under multiple gowns. I used the American Dutchess simplicity pattern but omitted the ruffles. I figured I could add flounces and tuckers if needed. I liked the drawstring, square neckline and narrower sleeves in this pattern, and ultimately it was easier than drafting a pattern myself. It is not the most historically accurate, but it does the trick.

I made it from a light cotton voile I had in my stash, with a narrow silk ribbon for the drawstring. Where I could, I finished everything by hand and flat felled every seam. I am very pleased with the finished product and have to resist wearing this as a nightgown.

My completed shift

 Shift resources:

Stays

Making the stays was both easier and harder than I expected. Easier insofar as the channels and eyelets went by easily, harder in that getting the fit where I wanted was tricky. Many of the patterns I looked at were very short in the waist and didn't give me enough support or coverage. 

I ended up using and modifying Butternick B4254, in part because I had it in my stash, and because it had the option to open at the front and back. Because I knew I would be getting into these myself, I didn't want to have to worry about how I was going to lace them up. Happily, both front and back lacing stays are historically accurate. I did end up lengthening the waist and redrawing the boning channels, but otherwise, the pattern seemed pretty good. In the future, I would move the armhole a bit closer to the front, as you can see there is a bit of gapping near my armpit. 

I made my stays out of 2 layers of heavyweight cotton canvas (which I used because it was in my stash) and it is plenty strong. For boning, I used cable ties, a great trick I learned from American Dutchess. It nicely micks the look of reed or whalebone. 

I think I will definitely make another pair of stays in the future. As much as I like this first pair, I want ones which are lower in the back and offer a bit more compression in the front to get that nice conical shape. these stays are much better suited to the later decades of the 18th century than I had intended. 

Stays Resources

This was more a small fun project than a necessity. I love embroidering so this was just a chance to do something new. I started off by using the pattern from American Dutchess' Blog, and then just went to town with the floss I had on hand. 

I definitely want to make a bigger pocket, and I think I will base it off of this gorgeous example from the V&A


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