In 2016 I finally finished this petticoat that I had started 4 years earlier...
This was quite a win, because not only do I have a finally finished project, but I was also able to reclaim these pins from it:
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| My poor abandoned pins! |
A long time ago (2012) in what feels like a galaxy far, far away (Michigan) I made my first 18th Century petticoat from an old fitted sheet. I even posted a tutorial on it, whether or not there was ever a need for such a thing. Shortly after this, I saw what I considered to be a very cool thing on the American Duchess blog: a drawstring-sided petticoat! Well, it just so happened that I had another old fitted sheet, and I decided to make my own drawstring-sided petticoat for wearing over pocket hoops. I started it, and got as far as pinning the casing on one side (see above) before abandoning it. And there it has languished ever since.
But! Now that I have pocket hoops over which to wear such a petticoat, I decided it was high time I finished the damn thing! :D
First I liberated the poor trapped pins by stitching down the sides of the pocket slits and sewing down the bias tape casing:
The shape of this petticoat is different from the first one I made, with the cut-out corners of the fitted sheet meeting at the top sides.
The lower edge of the cut-out side is what I covered with bias tape casings:
And when it was done, the drawstrings got drawn up to pull in the excess over the pocket hoops:
It's not exactly how the petticoat on the American Duchess post was constructed, but I thought it was a creative use of a fitted sheet.
I marked the hem by finding the highest point on one of the sides:
But! Now that I have pocket hoops over which to wear such a petticoat, I decided it was high time I finished the damn thing! :D
First I liberated the poor trapped pins by stitching down the sides of the pocket slits and sewing down the bias tape casing:
The shape of this petticoat is different from the first one I made, with the cut-out corners of the fitted sheet meeting at the top sides.
The lower edge of the cut-out side is what I covered with bias tape casings:
And when it was done, the drawstrings got drawn up to pull in the excess over the pocket hoops:
It's not exactly how the petticoat on the American Duchess post was constructed, but I thought it was a creative use of a fitted sheet.
I marked the hem by finding the highest point on one of the sides:
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| Yes, it had already been hemmed once, but that was back when I didn't know what I was doing. |
And marked 5" up from the floor all the way around:
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| Since I had clearly made it far too long for an underpetticoat. |
After I hemmed it, I still felt that something was lacking. I decided to add a ruffle around the hem, to help outer petticoats and gown skirts hang properly and not fold inward at the bottom. I used dyed blue cotton muslin leftover from making my wedding dress to make a ruffle. I used The Dreamstress's method of cord gathering, just as I had for my other petticoat. I ended up with a 7" ruffle:
So I measured up 7" from the hem of my petticoat:
Pinned and gathered and stitched the ruffle in place, and voila! A finished underpetticoat:
The Challenge: Procrastination
Material: Old cotton bedsheet, cotton muslin scraps
Pattern: Mostly made-up by me, but with some construction tips from American Duchess
Year: 1760-70
Notions: Cotton twill tape, cotton bias tape, cotton cord, thread
How historically accurate is it? Pattern-wise, the inspiration is an extant piece at the Met, so very. Execution-wise, I kind of took the idea and ran with it, so somewhat. Materials-wise, I used all cotton fabrics and notions, although the pattern of the bedsheet is probably not terribly accurate for the 18th Century. I'm giving it a pass since it's an undergarment. Construction-wise, it's entirely machine-sewn. Overall, I'm giving it 60%.
Hours to complete: I have no idea how long I worked on it three years ago, but finishing it went pretty quickly. The ruffle probably added the most time. Probably 5-6 hours total.
First worn: Same as the pocket hoops.
Total cost: Entirely free (the old bedsheet), stash (twill tape, bias tape, cord), and scraps from previous projects (ruffle), so nothing! :D
I will share all the details of the stays once they are finished. It may not be before the end of this month, though.
So I measured up 7" from the hem of my petticoat:
Pinned and gathered and stitched the ruffle in place, and voila! A finished underpetticoat:
The Challenge: Procrastination
Material: Old cotton bedsheet, cotton muslin scraps
Pattern: Mostly made-up by me, but with some construction tips from American Duchess
Year: 1760-70
Notions: Cotton twill tape, cotton bias tape, cotton cord, thread
How historically accurate is it? Pattern-wise, the inspiration is an extant piece at the Met, so very. Execution-wise, I kind of took the idea and ran with it, so somewhat. Materials-wise, I used all cotton fabrics and notions, although the pattern of the bedsheet is probably not terribly accurate for the 18th Century. I'm giving it a pass since it's an undergarment. Construction-wise, it's entirely machine-sewn. Overall, I'm giving it 60%.
Hours to complete: I have no idea how long I worked on it three years ago, but finishing it went pretty quickly. The ruffle probably added the most time. Probably 5-6 hours total.
First worn: Same as the pocket hoops.
Total cost: Entirely free (the old bedsheet), stash (twill tape, bias tape, cord), and scraps from previous projects (ruffle), so nothing! :D
I will share all the details of the stays once they are finished. It may not be before the end of this month, though.
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