My well known love of fast progress made me decide to start the “Sew 17th century challenge” with one of the faster pieces – the skirt. Close-up of the skirt. Staying true to my p…
Today we take a look at another rare survivor though time, the silver tissue gown from the Bath Fashion Museum. Dating from around 1660, ...
NEW and IMPROVED! Now with sleeves! Downloadable patterns for late 17th century stays (corsets) based on two extant English examples. View A, based on the stays in the Museum of London are fully-boned, five piece stays featuring an optional front busk, integral shoulder straps, back laced closure, and integral tabs at the waist. View B, based on the stays in the Victoria and Albert Museum, features a front opening, stomacher, integral waist tabs and optional sleeves. Fits busts 28"-48" and waists 20"-40". All sizes are included in one digital download. Also included are assembly instructions, embellishment suggestions, and the extensive historical notes you’ve come to expect from Reconstructing History. Your purchase delivers as a PDF download. Just open and print on your home computer. (Full size print shop versions available upon request.) Want it made in your personal body measurements. Order Made to Measure from ReconstructingHistory.com: https://reconstructinghistory.com/product/rh711mtm-made-to-measure-1670s-1720s-stays/ Suggested Fabrics: plain or twill weave linen or silk lightweight silk or fine linen for lining 5oz. linen for interlining Yardage Requirements: Outer Material 1 yd at least 45" wide lining 1 yd at least 45" wide interlining 2 yds at least 45" wide sleeves (optional) 2 yds at least 45" wide Notions: thread 7mm or ¼" half oval or round reeds or ¼" corset boning silk ribbon, cloth tape or leather for binding wood or horn busk corset lacing ribbon or metallic braid trim to taste Let us help you! At Reconstructing History, we want to see you wearing the best garments you are capable of making. Email us at info [!at] reconstructinghistory.com and we will answer any questions you might have.
Jean-Baptiste Thierrée and Victoria Chaplin’s Le Cirque Invisible is now showing at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Here are some photos of their delightful antics from the opening night. The show only runs until 25 August – book your tickets now! www.southbankcentre.co.uk/lecirque Jean-Baptiste Thierrée and Victoria Chaplin’s Le Cirque Invisible is now showing at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Here are some photos of their delightful antics from the opening night. The show only runs until 25 August – book your tickets now! www.southbankcentre.co.uk/lecirque
My well known love of fast progress made me decide to start the “Sew 17th century challenge” with one of the faster pieces – the skirt. Close-up of the skirt. Staying true to my p…
It's not every day that a mistake turns in to a Eureka! moment, but luckily yesterday was that kind of a day. Petticoat cartridge pleated to waistband. If you need a neat, historically accurate way to cram 5+ yards of fabric into a teeny tiny waistband, cartridge pleating is your insane but awesome friend. I LOVE the look and extra volume cartridge pleats give skirts and petticoats, but they are labor intensive and take forever and a day to do. If this type of pleat is a new thing to you, check out Historical Sewing's tutorial on how to make cartridge pleats here, and you'll see what I mean about how time consuming they are! Since I wanted as much floof and poof as possible for my 1830's tucked petticoat, cartridge pleats were really the only way to go. I pulled out the partially finished petticoat and resigned myself to spending an hour or more painstakingly marking out the usual dotted guides for stitching. Only then did I notice that I had made the silly mistake of flat felling the back seam all the way up to the top, leaving no opening for getting in and out of the petticoat. Curses! Out came the seamripper, and out came the stitches. But look what they left behind on my nicely starched fabric... Usually this is a bad thing. Extremely clear needle marks that could possibly act as stitching guides. Of course, the holes left by the two separate lines of stitching don't match up, but what if I used a double needle and stitched two rows of marks at the same time? Now with twice the stabbing power! I've got a pretty big double needle meant for topstitching jeans that was left over from a failed pintucking experiment. The needles are spaced about 1/4" apart, which is a little close for cartridge pleating, but totally workable. Since the double needle is meant for heavy denim, the needles are quite thick and sturdy, which means they'll leave pretty clear holes on certain types of fabric. I popped the double needle in my sewing machine and set the stitch length to the longest possible stitch. I only wanted the marks left by the needle, so I took the bobbin out and unthreaded the machine, then stitched all the way around the top of the petticoat, keeping the right needle about 1/4" away from the edge of the fabric. It worked! Clear, even marks that are perfectly aligned, and it only took a minute or two to do the whole top edge of the petticoat! The largest stitch my machine can make is about 1/8" long, which was a bit small for what I had in mind. However, it's really quite simple to skip every other dot, or more for wider pleats. I've stitched a sample with red thread so that it's easier to see, though of course you'd use a matching color. Sadly, this method won't work for all fabrics; only those that will show the marks left by the needle will do, so YMMV. The marks are extra clear on my cotton petticoat fabric because it's been starched within an inch of its life and is practically paper-like. I tried a sample of wool fabric, but the holes closed right back up. Wool experiment fail. However, silk taffeta worked splendidly, as did various types of crisp cottons. Silk taffeta works! I still have another hour or so of hand-sewing each individual pleat to the waistband ahead of me, but using this trick shaved off more than a third of the total time it takes me to complete cartridge pleats, so I'd call it a win!
This pad bolsters the hips creating a 17th century silhouette (a style also common in parts of the 16th and 18th centuries). The 17th Century Bum Roll has adjustable ties in center front. This pad creates the proper volume at the back making the waist look smaller in contrast, the appropriate shaping for this era. Costuming optical illusions! Last photos are shown worn underneath our 17th c. Petticoat. and c. 1660 corset, found here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/84813056/c1660-cavalier-restoration-moliere?ref=shop_home_active_3 and with our Cavalier Ensemble: https://www.etsy.com/listing/592490055/cavalier-17th-c-costume-ensemble-4-piece?ref=shop_home_active_4 Available in White 100% cotton twill with poly batting with or without a flange. (first photo shows with flange, 2nd photo, without flange) Added flange option is an alteration point that can be let out and stuffed further or also work as a spot to attach yardage or tulle to create more volume. Available in size small-2XL Ø Small= 23" to 26" Ø Medium= 27" to 30" Ø Large= 31” to 34" Ø X-Large= 35” to 38" Ø XX-Large= 39” to 42" Ø Custom = Send us your waist measure see our size chart here: https://www.periodcorsets.com/sizing-and-custom photographer credit: Raul Campoverde property of Period Corsets®
