A Chemise, or Shift, Under All Layers Layers, layers, layers. . .That’s what it takes to interpret the clothing of the working class. . .While I am not a stickler to 100% authenticity, there are certain guidelines that should be addressed if a person wishes to display a visual language to the 18th century onlookers. . .It is a facet of interpreting any century that will be much appreciated by those who want to see history come alive. For years I visited Colonial Williamsburg, knowing that what I saw there. . .be it clothing. . .wares. . .or buildings. . .I could depend on the fact that it was as authentic as possible in our era of time. . . Then a dream came true and I found myself employed there. My greatest joy was being able to dress in authentic reproductions of 18th century English colony clothing. I appreciated even more the hard work that the Costume Design Center went to in order to provide period clothing that was as accurate as possible and still be worn each day by the interpreters. Their standards of appearance were well set. Many did not like having to measure up to those standards each day, but I knew that when I was a visitor, it made all the difference. “Visitors to Colonial Williamsburg receive a lasting and important visual image of life in Colonial America from the clothing worn by our employees. Costumes represent period clothing. When worn correctly, the costume is an important interpretive tool helping to convey an accurate picture of the eighteenth century. Therefore, employees must pay particular attention to the regulations concerning the proper way to appear in costume before the public.” Standards of Appearance, Costume Design Center While I worked in the Mary Dickinson shop (based on that of a milliner’s establishment) I learned a few of the ways that research was done on the period clothing. Art of the 18th century played a huge part in their decisions. What better way than studying the paintings and prints of the 18th century to base a costume on? It’s true that they didn’t get it totally right in the beginning, when there wasn’t enough time to do extensive research, but throughout the years, better choices have been made. The research is on-going to this day. As more is learned, changes are made. So when I decided to study and make period clothing that might have been worn in New France, I began looking at French art and sketches of the people who worked and lived here. There isn’t a lot to go on, so it has taken much time with only a little insight. I have found some striking lap-overs between the French and English dress, but there seems to be a few distinctions, too. The English working class stuck closer to subdued colors, often weaving and dying their own cloth. While the higher class of the British colonies did wear fine silks that were bright and exciting, the common woman rarely had this choice. On the other hand, the French loved color in bright prints and stripes in every class, often combining different prints together. The ladies of New France were not allowed to weave their own cloth. It had to come from the King’s storehouses, thus offering a better fabric from many parts of the world to the working woman. Blues, yellow or golds, reds seem to be popular and suitable for short gowns, jackets and petticoats. Older women wore more subdued colors but the prints available for them were in the same style. Stripes, in a ticking type of weave, were also popular paired with the prints. Petticoats (skirts) were shorter than the English and shoes were often Indian moccasins instead of stiff leather shoes. Aprons might be of white muslin but more often than not, they were of checks or stripes in various colors. Under it all, the chemise (shift as the English call it) was worn. The French corset was the same as the English stays, just a different word. A cap might be worn on her head, but often a blue (most popular) scarf was tied over the hair bandana style. I have noticed that in some sketches, when a cap is worn, a ribbon of blue (most popular) might be tied around it. Nothing that I have found about their clothing is the least bit somber. I’ve included a few of the sketches that I found for a visual view of the French clothing probably suitable as period clothing of those living west of the Mississippi River in the 18th century. The people of New France enjoyed Life and they let their clothing speak of their happy-go-lucky attitude with their clothing. . .just as interpreters of the time period will hopefully do in this present day. source unknown/pinterest
Woman's overdress of hand-painted and dyed cotton, Coromandel Coast, ca. 1760-1770
Como sabréis, cada año en fallas colaboro con la publicación La Traca (click aquí para visitar su página), el año pasado en una columna, y este año me ofrecieron una página entera... y como no iba a ser menos la comparto con vosotros... Haz click en la imagen para leer el post completo!
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An 18th C. fashionista cannot possibly have enough caps! 4 different styles covering almost the whole century with style options! One size.
This pannier cage can be used for creating right shape to Your 18th century "robe à la française" style dresses. For tailoring we take white or black cotton fabric. The waist measurement is required for tailoring pannier, please, write us into note to the order. Thank You! We use for 3 strong hoops in each pannier. If you have any questions or would like to place an order, please, write us!
If you’ve been following us on Instagram you may have seen the explosion of capes. We’ve released a free PDF gridded pattern for a fabulous 1910s cape. It’s very easy to make and is a quick weekend project. In this pattern booklet, you will find the gridded pattern and detailed instructions This PDF is free to download. Simply click the download button. Interested in 18th-century sewing? Check out The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking for more references and resources on how to make 18th-century gowns and accessories by hand. © 2019 American Duchess Inc. Not for resale.
My favorite surviving 18th century stays can be found in the Victoria & Albert museums collections. As my previous stays were starting to show signs of wear, I thought it was a good time to make my version of them. The top layer is light brown cotton, the next two layers underneath are linen canvas and the lining is of fine white linen. They are completely hand stitched, mainly with pale blue linen thread, but I also used white linen occasionally and silk twist for the back lacing holes. The pattern is my own and, as I was drawing it, I tried to achieve a close resemblance to the original stays but also to achieve a better fit than in all my previous stays. I have an x body type, and my previous stays have been too tubular to fit me well. I used cane for boning. I was planning on experimenting with high land cattle horn for durability, but as I haven't had problem with snapping in my previous stays and these were to become almost fully boned, I chose 1/4 inch wide flat caning that I narrowed down to an almost tooth pick width of 2-3 mm. The front and back bones are narrowed down from a sturdier 1/2 inch wide flat cane. The seams are covered with narrow silk ribbon and the stays are bound with straight cut self fabric strips as it looks like it was done that way in the original stays too. Armholes are bound with ivory chamois leather. Close-ups The construction: First I outlined the pieces by stitching around the edges through all three layers. After they were outlined, I stitched the boning channels. Then I boned the channels. I turned under the center front and center back edges and made the lacing holes. Then I turned under the seam allowances and whip stitched them down. I joined the pieces by whip stitching, covered the seams and started binding the stays. I finished the binding an added shoulder traps. The last step was adding the lining.
I've set out on the adventure of making a Grand Pannier to wear under voluminous 18th century apparel, and the first question that came to mind is - how wide was the typical pannier? I thought perhaps they ran the gamut (and they do), but the
Boy's and Girl's nativity costumes includes tunics, vest, coat, shawl, veil, head cover, belt, crown, and wings. Designed by Andrea Schewe.
Artist: Israel Henriet after Jacques Callot | Print: Young Woman with Distaff, Facing Right | Original Medium: etching
I made this jacket a year ago, as my first real attempt at historical clothing. I have tried it a bit previously but never bothered to read up on historical techniques and silhouettes so the result…
Blue and White Cotton Print Bedgown, 1750-1790 I've been meaning to make a bedgown for quite some time, for use at workshops and informal gatherings, but kept putting it off in favor of more "flashy" projects. Last month, I just got one of those curious and pressing "must do it now before you lose the motivation" sewing project urges, so I went to the stash and rummaged around and pulled out one of last year's Colonial Williamsburg cotton prints and set to cutting. It only took a couple of evenings to complete, and I love it! I wore it for the first time the weekend before last for our Distaff Day and then again this past weekend at the Burnley and Trowbridge gown workshop, and it's so comfy! The pattern: Sketched and cut directly onto the fabric, based on the ubiquitous 1769 Garsault pattern, which is all over the internet, but also featured in Norah Waugh's Cut of Women's Clothes, 1600-1930, pgs. 108-9. M. Garsault, Description des Arts et Metiers, 1769. Waugh translates Garsault's written instructions as follows: "The bed-gown (manteau-de-lit). This is cut from two or four lengths of material according to the width. The sleeves are cut en chemise, that is, in one with the body; the squares cut from the sides of the gown are added to the sleeves to give extra length. Figs. 8, 9, the back, is cut straight across the top and has an inverted pleat centre back. The front, Figs. 7, 10, 11, has an extra piece on top, a, which is formed into a pleat and folded to fit the neck, c, Fig. 11. An inverted pleat is set each side the waist, d, Fig. 10." The only alterations I made to this description was to cut the bedgown from one length of cloth, so that there is no shoulder seam, as I did with my pink shortgown. This necessitated the insertion of an extra rectangular piece into the neck to create the shawl collar. Inspirations: The color choice for my cotton was selected based on this original blue block-printed cotton bedgown in the collection of the Manchester Gallery, dated 1760-1780. Blue block-printed cotton bedgown, 1760-1780 (acc. no. 1972.110). Image linked from the Manchester Art Gallery. I also referred to some of the images catalogued on Karen's 18th Century Notebook page on bedgowns. Construction details: This is an amazingly simple project. Because it is made of a single length of cloth folded to create the shoulders, the only seams that require sewing are those that run the length of the arms and down the sides. These are flat-felled. I added pocket slits, which are partially concealed by the inverted box pleats at the hips. Garsault does not specify whether or not his pattern includes them, but I almost think they have to be a given in a garment like this, whose shape and length really impede pocket access through anything but side slits. Interior of the bedgown. The center back of the bedgown has an inverted box pleat (similar to the one on the pink shortgown) sewn from the neckline to the waist to help control the fit of the upper part of the garment, while releasing excess fabric to fall over the petticoats. A small rectangular piece of fabric is added to create the shawl collar, and all of the bedgown's edges are simply folded and finished with a standard hem stitch. The rectangular piece added to the neckline to create the shawl collar. Finally, two large rectangles of fabric are added to the ends of each of the sleeves to extend their length. The seams are flat-felled to help protect from raveling, as I opted not to line or face the bedgown. From images and extant examples, it appears that many bedgowns were either fully lined (some, it has been argued, might have even been reversible) or faced down the front and in the sleeves where these areas were frequently turned back to be exposed to view. The sleeve extension. The fabric: White cotton printed in blue in a scrolling floral striped sort of design, in simulation of a block-printed or early roller-printed fabric. This is part of last year's collection of prints released by Colonial Williamsburg. Finishing the look: Although a bedgown is an informal garment, it should always be worn over all of the proper 18th century undergarments (shift and stays and a couple of petticoats). For Distaff Day and during the first day of the workshop, I paired it with a blue stuff petticoat that Ashley made a couple of years ago, which had, for whatever reason, gotten buried in the closet and never worn. That makes me quite sad, since I think it's one of my new favorites now! I love the way the fabric drapes and moves, and I am really kicking myself now for not buying enough to do an entire gown out of it. That ought to teach me never to let the size of the stash (er..."fabric collection"...) frighten me off of buying something new to add to it! To keep the bedgown closed, I tied a semi-sheer corded cotton apron over it. Of course, this being attire for the workshop, I accessorized with my ever-handy and always trusty, friendly sidekicks, my pinball and reproduction scissors. Additional photos can be found in this project's flickr set.
Please note that most of the dresses presented here in our Etsy store are just examples of our old work for clients. These are not ready made dresses for sale. We realize only customized dresses and we DON'T HAVE SHORT DEADLINES. Therefore, before you make a purchase, please ask us for details in a private message. If you make a purchase without reading this description - we do not accept cancellation of the transaction. We do not accept returns and resignations from an already ordered dress during sewing or after sending it (does not apply to tailoring corrections), because our dresses are made to measure and based on a design that is created individually for each customer. By clicking "buy it now" - you accept our terms. We accept payment plans discussed individually with each client. We are small fashion house Atelier Saint-Honore and we make all designs individually for each clients. All dresses are sewn for measures. We use traditional haute couture techniques like fine hand made finishes, hand made embroidery and artistique techniques of decorations. We offer the highest quality custom service and the best materials. Please ask in private for more details.
The term ‘historical accuracy’ is often found in historical costuming. It’s that elusive ‘getting it exactly right’ in making historical clothing. Making something whi…
My first mock-up of the round gown confused me. After I got it on Pollykin, I was trying to find out how the dress should open. The bodice of the flat pattern I was working off of (in Patterns of F…
The pet en l’air is a jacket that is basically just a short version of the sack dress. According to (goddess) Norah Waugh in Cut of Women’s Clothes (pp 68 & 70) this type of garmen…
Мода 18 века. Панье- (1730-1775) TROY, Jean-François de Portrait of Louis XV of France and Maria Anna Victoria of Spain-1723 LOO, Carle van Portrait of Marie Leszczynska, Queen of France c. 1748 NATTIER, Jean-Marc-Portrait of Madame Maria Zeffirina 1751 Здесь многие картинки знакомы практически…
Schnittmuster Simplicity 7925/8161 Hist. Kostüm Gr. 32-48
