Gored Petticoat, c.1873

Over the horsehair bustle pad goes a gored petticoat. Per a note in Demorest's (1875), the order for skirt supports is a short underskirt, then the tournure, then the upper petticoat, and finally the dress. This upper petticoat is meant to be cut along the same lines as the skirt which will be worn over it. Various sources explain the necessity for gored skirts to be worn over gored petticoats (examples from 1865 and 1873, and even some doll dress instructions from 1872).

For this dress and petticoat, I used the gored skirt instructions in The Complete Dressmaker (1875), using only 1 gore to each side on account of the fabric width. I ended up making the petticoat 4" longer at the back than at the front, allowing for the bustle. The skirt is attached flat to its waistband along the front panel and the start of the side gores; the rest is knife-pleated, meeting in a double box pleat at the center back. If I had more time, I meant to gauge this back section, but I'm satisfied with how the pleats have held shape, and don't plan to change them.

Original: 17th Century Printed Petticoat

 Dutch petticoat from the second quarter of the 18th century; the fabric is a printed cotton made in India.

Petticoat, c.1725-49, VAM.

While there's unfortunately only the one photograph, the magnified view is excellent: you can see every detail of the intricate four-color floral pattern. The fabric is described as glazed, and from the image, the petticoat appears to be faced in a plain white (possibly also glazed) fabric, with a narrow tape waistband.

Petticoat Quantities, c.1838-1865

This developed as both a side-project off of my research on flounced petticoats, and of a long-running project I've had to document the use of corsets and petticoats among the poor. I'm mostly looking at sources for pre-hoop petticoat arrangements, approximately 1850-1856, with the earliest source being the 1838 Workwoman's Guide. A few relevant passages featuring hoops, c.1856-1864, are also included.

Petticoat, c.1850s, in The Met.

General Remarks on Petticoat Layers

The clearest reference I know of for the number of petticoats worn is in Hints On Dress (1854), which advises wearing two petticoats only, in materials suited to the weather. The author mentions ladies wearing 3-4 petticoats to achieve their desired silhouette, though the author advises a 2.5 petticoat approach with a horsehair bustle/apron when additional loft is needed.

Harper's jokes in 1856 about women wearing ten layers including the dress, lace petticoat, hoop petticoat, cotton petticoat, corded petticoat, moreen petticoat, etc. This is definitely exaggerated for comic effect, though most of the garments named are attested elsewhere--they're just not all worn at the same time.

In this anecdote from 1850, a woman wearing four petticoats is perceived as being pregnant, when she is actually trying to prevent her clothing from being stolen. To me, this implies that the norm was less than four petticoats, or else it would not have looked odd to the narrator.

A pickpocketing victim (the wife of a pawnbroker) described her pocket arrangement, which includes a pocket in her under petticoat, accessed through slits in her gown and over petticoat. 

Meigs' A Practical Treatise on the Diseases of Children (1858) describes the standard dress for children (which he deems insufficient) as including a flannel petticoat and one muslin petticoat.

Mrs. Weaver's instructions for a crochet petticoat (1862) advises that little girls wear them under hoops for warmth--along with the "usual" flannel. 

 

Late in the hoop period (1864), diminishing skirt fullness is supported by a single white petticoat worn over the crinoline, or a horsehair petticoat with a starched one above it.  

 

Clothing Allowances and Packing for Travel

British workhouse inmates at Gorey Union c.1842 are allowed 1 flannel petticoat and 1 cotton or linsey-woolsey petticoat as part of a whole suit of clothes. This outfit, intended to last for 11 months, includes one of each article of clothing, plus an extra pair of stockings.

In the same source, workhouse women and girls in Nottingham are also allowed 1 flannel petticoat and 1 woolsey petticoat as part of a single outfit. At Rathkeale Union, the budget also allows each woman 1 flannel and 1 woolsey petticoat. In this list, girls only have the flannel petticoat named, but this may be because their budget line is abbreviated in other ways relative to the adults (unlike the women, the girls' list has no shoes, caps or aprons). In the Clifton workhouse, women and girls are both allowed two petticoats; in Killmallock the two petticoats are specified to be flannel and linsey.

At a rather higher class, Miss Leslie's (1852) advice for sea-travel refers to both upper petticoats (of linen, worsted [wool], or silk) and wadded petticoats (silk). She does not give numbers for each, but her phrasing implies singular, at least while aboard the ship.

 

The Emigrant in Australia (1852) advises packing for 4 months without reliable laundry facilities. It gives "two flannel petticoats" (and no others) in the minimum supply list for female passengers; the middling example has two flannel petticoats and four other petticoats. To me, this suggests the wearing of one flannel petticoat at a time is possible for the destitute, but that 1 flannel petticoat along with 1-2 other petticoats at a time is assumed of the the middling emigrant, though this is speculative. Alternatively, the poorest woman could be wearing her two flannel petticoats at the same time, however that would mean having no changes for 4 months.

Real Life in India (1847) distinguishes between cambric slips, petticoats, and flannel petticoats, recommending that a lady pack for her trip 24, 36, and 4 respectively. The duration of the trip is not specified, but the packing list calls for 48 chemises (as well as 6 evening gowns of various types, if you were wondering about class), which suggests to me both an expectation of 6-7 weeks between laundry opportunities, and that the wearer is a relatively well-dressed individual. The distinction between cambric and plain petticoats might be related to activity or to different layers, with the different quantities allowing fresh (clean and pressed) petticoats to be substituted as needed. Proportionately, this wardrobe has 6 cambric slips and 9 petticoats per flannel petticoat. I'd guess that the lady is likely wearing at least two petticoats at a time, possibly 3 depending on the activity and weather.

 

At the opposite end of the social spectrum, a group of workhouse orphans traveling from England to Bermuda c.1851 had 3 flannel petticoats and 2 upper petticoats allotted to each girl (for scale, each had 6 shifts and 4 frocks). The terminology of "upper" and the ratio suggest to me that one flannel petticoat and one upper petticoat are worn at a time, with the flannel petticoats being changed more often. 

 

An 1853 charity school dress code allows each girl a white flannel under petticoat and calico upper petticoat. The pupils are poor residents of Marylebone (London), aged 10-14, primarily being trained for domestic service. Upon leaving the school at age 15, each girl is allowed to take her best gown and upper petticoat, a new flannel petticoat, two new shifts, two new pairs of black stockings, and a pair of new shoes.

Similarly, a clothing allowance for female prisoners in the UK in 1841 includes both a "petticoat" and an "upper petticoat" in the Kirkdale and Preston gaols. At nearby Salford, only one linsey petticoat is mentioned, though as it is in conjunction with a jacket and waistcoat of the same (and no dress/gown), this might indicate the skirt of a three-piece outfit rather than an undergarment. At Lancaster Gaol, a woolen petticoat and an under petticoat are issued. Leicester's list has "two petticoats." At Louth, one petticoat is supplied (worn under a gown). Cold Bath Fields has one flannel petticoat issued per prisoner.

Lower-paid female servants are advised to purchase 4 petticoats per year (and 3 gowns), while more highly paid servants with a 150% higher budget are advised to either purchase 6 petticoats total, or to buy 4 that are more expensive.  

The Careful Nursemaid (1844) advises girls going into domestic service to plan sufficient clothing to last between washing days; this includes two changes of linen per week, as well as "two flannel petticoats and two colored upper petticoats."

 

Instructions for Making Different Kinds of Petticoats

I'm including these sources because they flesh out the distinction between flannel and upper petticoats, and offer some insight into what kinds of petticoats were being made.

The Workwoman's Guide (1838) only has flannel petticoat instructions (in adult sizes). 

Plain Needlework (1852) likewise only gives cutting instructions for flannel petticoats. Which isn't conclusive, but I find it interesting.

 

Miss Leslie gives instructions for how to make a wadded or quilted petticoat out of old silk dress-skirts, and how to stitch flannel petticoats. She also has sewing and washing tips for brown holland petticoats and for making stiffeners and scallops on white petticoats.

 

Another example of the upper/flannel dichotomy occurs in this list of garments made at a needlework school. I like that they include the yardages used per garment, which works out to 2 panels for the flannel and 3 panels for the upper petticoats, each approximately 45" long when cut. An instruction book for such schools names the materials and amount of fabric to use for both flannel petticoats and upper petticoats.

 

The Common Things of Everyday Life (1857) advocates for wearing flannel near the skin, and gives instructions for flannel petticoats. The only other references to petticoats are for how to starch a 'supportive petticoat' (apparently with hoops) and how to pack a trunk (in which "petticoats that can bear weight" are listed separately from 'flannels").

These doll instructions (1860) include a flannel petticoat, hoop petticoat, and white petticoat.

Petticoats in Fiction & Miscellaneous Notes

Flannel petticoats appear multiple times in the 1836 central criminal court findings.

Not so helpful on the number's front, there's an amusing passage from Arthur's Magazine (1857) complaining about hoops and dress reformers alike: it gives preference to crinoline petticoats as being more graceful than hoops, while corded petticoats take second place: 

 

The always amusing Why Do the Servants of the Nineteenth Century Dress as They Do? (1859) complains about servants wearing corded petticoats, white petticoats with trimming, and hooped petticoats, instead of more practical dark petticoats without hoops. Three of these dark petticoats are sufficient to last one girl the whole winter. In one anecdote, a servant girl wears three starched petticoats over hoops, which prevents her from getting through doorways easily. 

 

In  "The Cage at Cranford" (1864, set 1856) Mary is judged by the Cranford laundresses for having two corded petticoats (deemed excessive).

 

In another short story, a lady wears her silk petticoat directly under her dress, with a flannel petticoat below the silk one.

In a third parable,  a wealthy lady rewards two poor orphans with sufficient flannel and stuff to make each of them a petticoat and a dress.

I'm not sure how to interpret this story, but it uses "corded petticoats" as a topic of conversation among sensible women with domestic knowledge (in contrast to elegant ignorance and accomplishments).

 

 

Conclusion

 

Depending on the year and occasion, the number and type of petticoats worn seems to vary between two and four, with two apparently being both the bare minimum and the most common number. Some English jails allow prisoners only a single petticoat, but otherwise two petticoats seems to be the accepted minimum, even for servants and for destitute women and girls in prison, workhouses, or charity schools. 

 

The most common arrangement seems to be a flannel petticoat worn below, with an upper petticoat of cotton, linsey or silk above it. The specific materials and colors vary with the season and the wearer's occupation: warmer fabrics in winter, lighter ones in summer; dark petticoats for work, exercise, or poor weather; finer white cotton or silk under fancy dresses. Ideally, servants should not be wearing fine white cotton petticoats with adornment (though that doesn't stop them from wanting to dress nicely).

January Mending

This is probably not of interest to anyone else, but I have a resolution to keep re: maintaining my living history clothes, and posting is an easy way to cajole myself into actually doing a little repair work each month. 

For January, that was mostly my 1850s petticoats: my plaid petticoat got some simple tapes ties as a fastener to replace the hooks that came off (and provide some more flexibility in fitting). The quilted petticoat needed three small repairs where the stitching came loose at the waist, hem, and placket. I also have worked on re-setting my corded petticoat onto a new waistband, though the stroked gathers are taking a while, so it's not done yet. With the current weather, I should be fine so long as it's done before April.

About 2.5" of the striped fabric came off the waistband.

Flounced Petticoat Research (c.1840-1865)

In response to a research inquiry, I started compiling the primary sources I could find about flounced petticoats in the period 1840-1865. For this project, I looked at petticoats or underskirts worn as foundational garments, and not the visible petticoats used in court dress or walking ensembles (Balmoral petticoats). I was mostly searching for evidence of how commonly flounced petticoats were used (especially before the advent of hoops), and how they were constructed.

Written sources 

 

For this part, my search terms where for the word "petticoat" along with: ruffle(d), flounce(d), frill(ed), and/or tier(ed). The results included both descriptions of flounced petticoats, and passing mentions. In some instances, the ruffled petticoats are described as being stiffened; flounces are sometimes described in structural terms, and elsewhere treated as decorative elements.

 

I) Flounced petticoats as structural garments and alternatives to hoops. 

 

I started this project aware of one written reference to a flounced petticoat as an alternative for hoops. It is described the first paragraph under "chitchat" in the August 1862 issue of Godey's. Rather than being constructed like a flounced skirt with visible tiers of ruffles on a base, this garment is said to have graduated ruffles, where the upper ones fully cover the layers below. As far as I'm aware, this description of a novelty from France is something that never became popular in the US. A British publication and another American magazine, also from 1862, attribute this petticoat exclusively to the French Empress Eugenie, opining that the material and necessary pressing of such a garment put it out of reach for women of  'moderate fortune', but would provide ample work for seamstresses and laundresses.

Earlier references to supportive flounced petticoats pre-date the hoop:

"...Petticoat with four flounces well starched. The starched petticoat is indispensable for ball toilets." -Fashion plate description in Blackwood's Lady's Magazine, April 1852. [The plate is unfortunately not included in scanned document.]

"A lining or petticoat of crinoline is frequently adopted as a means of supporting the dress. More recently, petticoats of thick cambric, trimmed with two or three deep flounces reaching to the height of the knees, have come into fashion. The dress falls in graceful folds over a petticoat of this latter description and at the same time has sufficient support ."

-Peterson's August 1854

Flounces are also associated with stiff crinoline petticoats. Hints on Dress (1854) has decided opinions on petticoat numbers and materials, but only mentions flounces in conjunction with crinoline petticoats.

A remark in Peterson's two years later recommends that crinoline petticoats (and other stout fabrics) should have a single flounce, and that such garments are superior to hooped petticoats:

"A grass-cloth, crinoline, or moreen petticoat, should always be flounced, if the dress is desired to "stand out." Nothing can be more ungraceful than a hoop, whereas, a flounce on the petticoat always makes the skirt fall elegantly. Some have two flounces on the petticoat, the lower and wider one passing all around, but the upper one not meeting for the space of nearly half a yard in front." 

-Peterson's, July 1856

The only example I've seen of a petticoat with flounces extending all the way up is this English patent from 1857. It calls for four straw or steel-stiffened flounces, which are spaced from hip to hem--though one variation dispenses with the flounces entirely in favor of the straw. From the description, I'd classify it more like a hoopskirt than any other kind of petticoat. It's also a patent, which does not guarantee that such garments were actually produced for wear.

 

II) Flounced petticoats worn with wrappers.

 

While intending to look for true undergarments in which the flounced served a structural purpose, I did note several instances of white petticoats with flounces worn under open wrappers, like so. In one instance, an 1854 Peterson's description, a petticoat with a single deep fluted flounce is used to add volume to a wrapper. Elsewhere, the flounces are implied to be decorative:

 "White embroidered wrappers...are usually made open in front, exposing a embroidered or flounced petticoat. These are divided into several categories as follows: First, rich petticoats embroidered full almost up to the knees or with insertions. Next, those trimmed three deep flounces, hemmed and fluted a la Pompadour. Then, those ornamented with small plaits about half a yard from the bottom, and lastly those having a deep hem and edged with lace." 

--Peterson's, August 1856

Open wrapper over a frilled petticoat. The Lady's Friend, 1864.

In some circumstances, ruffled petticoats under wrappers may carry a connotation of being over-dressed. In a short story from 1864, a petticoat with lace and ruffles worn under an open morning gown is dubbed 'too elaborate' for wearing aboard a ship. A story in the Lady's Friend that same year mentions a soon-to-widowed lady (with the questionable taste to wear rouge) donning a ruffled petticoat under a crimson wrapper. 

 

III) Other References to Flounced Petticoats

Peterson's (1855) mentions flounced petticoats replacing embroidered ones. I set this reference apart, because it goes on to mention straw sometimes being used to stiffen the hem, in order to continue the line of the underlying hoops. So, this appears to be an instance in which the flounced petticoat is being used with hoops, but the flounces themselves are implied to be decorative, and there's an additional structural element for shaping (the straw-reinforced hem).

A short story from 1855 mentions a character wearing petticoats trimmed with tape and frills under a flounced silk dress. These are not described in more detail.

A ruffled dimity petticoat is appropriate for wear under a ballgown in a 1859 story.

 

The "simply ruffled petticoat" is contrasted with the expensive embroidered and fringed petticoats currently in fashion (1859). 

'Ruffled petticoat' is used as metonymy for 'a pretty girl' in an 1865 narrative.

IV) Pre-Made Frills.

Towards the end of the hoop era, ready-made frills are sometimes named as a petticoat trim.

An 1862 ad for ready-made cambric flounces recommends the largest size for "the new Paris fashion of frilled petticoats." The reference line suggests these are about 2" wide.

In 1864, The Lady's Friend gives instructions for a muslin petticoat. The skirt is made of gored panels, then finished with two 3.5" gauffered frills around the edge

 

Original garments 

 

I've yet to see an original petticoat from the 1840s-1860s constructed like a flounced skirt. There are a couple examples of surviving petticoats with a single ruffle or flounce near the hem, like this:

 

Petticoat with one small frill around the hem.
American, 1850-1860, in The Met

The Kent State University Museum also has an 1840s quilted petticoat with an "applied tucked ruffle at [the] hem." A tucked petticoat from the 1840s in the Smithsonian has a scalloped edge slightly gathered into a frill. There's also a petticoat with a deeper single flounce in the V&A, though I suspect it's from the 1865-1874 part of its date range rather than the 1850-1860 part--the shape is awfully narrow up top, apparently gored to join the waistband smoothly with no fullness.

As described in contemporary texts, there are also flounced crinoline petticoats. The few of these I've seen tend to have their single flounce higher up on the garment, like so:

 

Crinoline Petticoat, 1840s, The Met.

I searched my main online collections (LACMA, the Met, V&A, MFA, also Kent State, Williamsburg, and the Smithsonian), and didn't find any other petticoats with flounces from the 1840-1865 period. Their collections are full of quilted, corded, embroidered, tucked, and even petticoats trimmed with lace, but not flounced ones. The relative scarcity of flounced petticoats in museum collections may arise from a variety of causes. Flounced petticoats may have been uncommon, with few ever existing in the first place. Alternatively, they may have been so common that they were not deemed as worthy of preservation as petticoats with expensive lace or embroidery. The flounced petticoats may also have been good candidates for re-making and re-modelling as styles changed.

 

Conclusion

 

From the textual evidence, flounced or frilled petticoats did exist and were used prior to the invention of the hooped petticoat. Some sources from the late 1850s to early 1860s put flounced petticoats into competition with steel-hooped petticoats, while others imply or outright state that frilled petticoats were worn over hoops.

 

Surviving garments and detailed descriptions of flounced petticoats are not abundant, but the ones I have found so far indicate that the norm was 1 or 2 ruffles extending no higher than the knee, with 4 flounces as the maximum. Some of these garments may have used the flounces or frills as adornment, not just for volume. Mentions of flounced petticoats not infrequently pair them with open wrappers.

 

I have so far found no evidence for white cotton petticoats being constructed like tiered skirts, with flounces extending the length of the garment.

18th Century Linen Petticoat

 Another project from the "to do" basket: a basic linen under-petticoat from The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dress-Making. Three years later, I finally made a project from the book.

The material is a mid-weight linen from Fabrics Store, with the waistband of 3/4" linen tape (bleached) from Burnley & Trowbridge. The petticoat is entirely hand-sewn, which went a bit quicker than expected. Considering that it languished in the in-progress basket for most of a year, it was a little embarrassing to realize that I could have finished the whole thing in the span of two Christmas movies.

Quilted Petticoat, Part 3: Finished

Continued from here, there, and everywhere.

Reproduction Quilted Petticoat, c. 1835-1860.

And voila!

My finished petticoat is slightly shorter than the original (35" versus 36.5"), because I have short legs; it is 87" at the hem circumference.  The quilted panels are knife-pleated into the waistband, with the batting cut away from the top edge seam allowances and the raw edges encased in the waistband.  It ties closed at the waist; note that these are ties attached to the fixed waistband, not drawstrings.

This petticoat is entirely hand-sewn; the quilting took about 40 hours in total, with another 5-6 hours in the hemming, seaming, and pleating.

Overall, I'm happy with how the petticoat turned out.  It's wide enough at the hem to allow easy movement, but stiff enough to keep away from my limbs (just like my corded petticoat).  It's also deliciously warm.  If I were making this again, I would cut back the batting even further from waistband, as the bulk at the hip makes it hang a little weird--stiff and jutting out directly from the top then hanging down straight, rather than flaring out as it goes.  I wonder if the top row of quilting on the original marks the upper boundary of the batting.  I was gratitifed to note, in reviewing the description from Sturbridge, that the placket is knife-edged on one side and has the lining folded over on the other--I ended up doing this to deal with the felling of the lining, and now feel vindicated in how that portion went together.

Quilted Petticoat, Part 2: Seams

After quilting the panels this summer, I finally started assembling the petticoat. First, I seamed up the panels.  This was slightly complicated by the multiple layers--I made the placket by folding in both fabric layers and top-stitching through them; the rest of the seam was made by sewing the print and batting right-sides-together, then folding the lining over the seam and stitching it down. 

Once the seam was done, I added a facing along the bottom of the petticoat.  This is just like the facing I put on my skirts, except that I let the facing go over the bottom edge, as with the inspiration petticoat from Old Sturbridge Village.

Quilted petticoat, hemmed and seamed.

Interior of petticoat with facing over the quilted lining.

Placket.

Now, to finished the upper edge and gather it all on a waistband.

Quilted Petticoat, Part 1: Quilting

The first (and longest) step is complete: quilting the petticoat layers together.  The outer fabric is a paisley floral stripe (#2829-0116) from the Old Sturbridge Village Anniversary line; the back is a solid green cotton, and the batting is wool.

The main source of inspiration a petticoat from the OSV collection (26.35.31). The quilting pattern used is 2" diamonds along the bottom 1/3 of the petticoat, with horizontal lines 2" apart above the diamonds, and horizontal lines spaced 3" apart nearer to the waist. This is a hybrid of the graduated horizontal lines from the OSV petticoat, and the diamonds on this petticoat in the Met.

With two of us working, it took three days (at approximately 6 hours per day), with one worker on the fourth day.  Admittedly, this was not without interruption.  I expect that a repeat of the project would progress much more quickly (I, for one, was sewing faster by Tuesday than I had on Saturday or Sunday).

Quilting under the locust trees.

The stitching is more visible on the back.

With thanks to Elise (stalwart sewing companion, keeper of lore, and mistress of the quilting frame), Quinn (vanquisher of the hunger-dragons), Jessie (slayer of tedium), and the various persons conscripted into snapping chalk lines.

Quilted Petticoat Research

For the upcoming petticoat-quilting weekend (ie, test-driving Elise's new quilting frame)

My inspiration piece is a c.1835-1860 cotton print petticoat from the collection of Old Sturbridge Village: (My inspiration experience is the really cold weather at Santa Train last December.)

Quilted petticoat, c. 1835-1860 from
Old Sturbridge Village (object 26.35.31).

Both this striped petticoat and another in their collection (#26.35.30, a wool twill petticoat c.1840) are quilted in horizontal lines, spaced closely together near the hem and further apart near the waist. From the given measurements (and taking proportions from the picture), I think this petticoat has a hem around 90" in circumference; it is 36.5" long.

I'm having trouble deciding between following the simple lines, or trying a more ambitious quilting pattern, like this one from the Henry Ford Museum done in overlapping waves (they also have a fun silk petticoat with much clearer quilting lines).

Perhaps a diamond pattern would make a nice compromise between an easy quilting pattern and a fun one?

Cotton petticoat with diamond quilting,
c.1860-1870, in The Met.

While the OSV petticoats have set waistbands and close with ties, the Met has about a dozen quilted pettis which appear to use drawstrings. [Er, had. The on-line collection has been updated since 2017, and none of those garments are now appearing in any search for petticoats, or underskirts. They were woven-striped/checked cotton, attributed to France, and (photographed flat) appeared to be quilted tubes with drawstring waists. On the upside, while searching for them, I found some more loveky quilted petticoats, including a suprisingly utilitarian silk petticoat, a bodiced petticoat, and a wadded down petticoat.]

The Met also has some lovely silk quilted petticoats, made very full.  From some references in my casual readings, I suspect these silk petticoat are meant as an outermost under-layer, to support a delicate skirt, as opposed to the narrower quilted pettis worn near the body for warmth.

Tucked Petticoat

I made it for the Civilian Symposium needlework contest--and also to have something pretty to wear.

Some wrinkling occurred
while travelling across the country.

A closer look at those tucks.

It's four panels of 44" wide pima cotton broadcloth, which gives a nice full petticoat for wearing either over hoops or over my pile of 1850s pettis. 

The decoration is based on this 1850s original from The Met:

Cotton petticoat, c. 1850-60.

Tucked detail on the original.

Unfortunately, my item information request was never answered; so, I used the given center back length (41") to scale the other design elements on the image of the petticoat.  From that, I calculated the following:

Height of ruffle: 2.5"

Ruffle hem: 3/8"

Hem of petticoat: Greater than 9/16" (1.5 ruffle-hem-depths) but less than 2.5" (total ruffle depth), based on the solid, whiter shadow which shows under the ruffle where it stands out, which does not extend above the cord.

Fullness of ruffle: The gathers below the cord are neat, regular, and fairly compact. Without measuring the skirt and ruffle hems I can't know the ratio, but I suspect the ruffle is around 1.5x the petticoat width.

Cord diameter: Less than 1/16" width, looks closer to 1/32" (scaled to ruffle hem depth, at highest magnification).

Distance from ruffle top to first tuck: 1/2"

Width of tuck: 1/4"

Distance between tucks: 1/4"

Distance from top tuck to insertion band: 1/2"

Width of insertion border: 1/4"
Width of insertion between borders: 2.5"
Total insertion width: 3"
Width of diagonal tuck in insertion: 1/4"
Space between diagonal tucks in insertion: about 1/16" (three tucks and the space to the right of each takes up approximately 1").  In some places, this spacing increases to 1/8".
Distance between insertion and next horizontal tuck: 1/2"
Waistband width: 1"
Material overlap in waistband (shadows through): about 3/8"
Waist material controlled with gathers.
Machine top-stitching through tucks and on the insertion edge-bands measures approximately 16-18 stitches per inch.

The width of the petticoat at the hem is not given. The shadow-through of a seam on the right side of the picture suggests that the seam allowances are approximately the same width at the horizontal tucks (1/4").  Interior seam treatments at not visible.

For my petticoat, I ended up reducing the tucked design elements from 5 to 3 (I miscalculated the yardage, and ended up about 20" short on the second diagonal band).  Though I did make a ruffle, I decided not to add it to the skirt, as I didn't think it looked well with the smaller number of tucks--and, honestly, I don't care for it much on the original, either.  The fullness is controlled with stroked gathers at the waist, and fastens with a bone button.

It ended up winning both the faculty and popular ballots in the Needleworker's (open) division of the contest.  My thanks to the judges and everyone who voted. :)

Corded Petticoats

I've been looking for images of original pre-hoop corded petticoats (inspired by my "Ladies' Layers in Detail" series over the 4th US blog), and here's what I've found so far.  Unfortunately, there aren't many closely dated ones, especially for the 1850s.

There are two main ways of cording a petticoat: one is to use fabric which has cords woven into it; the other is to sew cording between layers of plain fabric.  This may be accomplished by making small "tucks" in the petticoat, or by extending the hem facing to provide the second layer of fabric.

Genessee Country Village and Museum has two blog posts up about weaving corded material for petticoats. The first shows the fabric and the original it was based on; the second post has the finished petticoat. [2022 edit: GCV has discontinued their blog, but the Wayback Machine has mirrors of these posts, like so.]

Cotton corded petticoat with drawstring waist, c. 1840-1860.
I think this example has the cords woven into the material
rather than sewn in, but it's hard to tell from the picture.

 

The FIDM museum has an 1830s corded petticoat photographed on their blog (with the corded stays and sleeve supports of the era).  Like the Met original below, it appears to have individual cords sewn into small tucks all up the skirt.  The cords are set closer together near the hem and further apart towards the waist.

Petticoat with cords sewn into small tucks.
From The Met. 1830s..

Here's another that I wish I could see in person; it has a yoked top and lots of fine cords run parallel to the hem.  Again, I can't tell from the picture whether these are woven or sewn, though the final effect is consistent with petticoats I've made using the "sandwich" method of sewing cords into a deep hem facing.

Linen corded petticoat, c. 1840-55,
from Corsets and Crinolines

 

Finally, it's important to remember that corded petticoats aren't the only pre-hoop option for fluffing one's skirts. Quilted petticoats are also important (though I won't be wearing one in the summer anytime soon). There's also the original "crinoline":

Horsehair ("crinoline") petticoat, 1840s.
From The Met.

 

[Edited: For completeness, there's also this 1820s corded petticoat at the VAM; it caught my attention, in part due to the wrinkles between the cord sets, which happen on all of my corded pettis.]

Plaid Work Petticoat

Finished just in time for Fort Nisqually's fashion show!  The patterned work petticoat (possibly made-over from an old dress) helps protect one's dress during dirty chores.  I'll be using it in the fashion show tomorrow to demonstrate how accessories can change an outfit.

In both cases, I'll be wearing my green shirting-plaid dress.  To "dress it down":

• Neck-kerchief at the throat 
• Sleeves rolled up
• Skirt pinned up over the plaid petticoat 
• Print apron with bib
• Sunbonnet

Note that all of the accessories or modifications serve to keep the dress clean in some way: shielding it from grime (sleeves, apron, petticoat), sweat (kerchief), or sun discoloration (bonnet).

To "dress it up":

• Collar and brooch at throat
• White cuffs on sleeves
• White petticoats for fashionable loft (not seen)
• Belt
• Gloves
• Fashionable white crepe bonnet

Edited to add: check out this original madras plaid!

Plaid handkerchief c. 1855, VAM

1865 Dress Research, Part II: Skirts and Skirt Support

More thoughts and sources since the first iteration.

Pictures provided by K. Krewer at the Sewing Academy got me thinking along the lines of layering the skirt (the striped silk in my first research post also had the "en tablier" front, but with a back bow instead of the puffs in Mrs. Krewer's example).  It's a cool effect, and one I'd like to try if I can make the fabric (metaphorically) stretch.

"The petticoat is ornamented with the same lace as the train, sometimes in flounces, sometimes in puffings or bouffons of tulle, sometimes en tablier, that is, down either side."
-Description of Court Dress from The Habits of Good Society, 1865

(In this context, the "petticoat" is meant to be seen... because Court Dress.)

The same term 'en tablier' is used in 1864 (in the February issue of Harper's New Monthly Magazine) to describe a morning costume with a contrasting front panel.

From Frank Leslie's Ladies' Magazine and Gazette of Fashion, August 1865 

"Dress of black silk, trimmed en tablier with a wide band of violet silk."

The French, however, seem to actually mean 'apron-shaped' instead of  'open/contrast panel' when they use it:

La Moniteur de la Mode, December 1864

"La jupe de taffetas blanc forme bien la traîne, elle est ornée d une haute dentelle s'arrondissant derrière en habit-traine et en tablier plus court devant."

For the less high-fashion minded, here's what Peterson's had to say about dresses in February 1865:

Summary: High waists, waistbands, gored skirts, and narrow sleeves.

As for what's going on under those skirts (forgive the expression):

Peterson's, February 1865

Peterson's, May 1865

Der Bazar, March 1865

Footprint of the above hoop (Der Bazar, March 1865)

Gored petticoats to support gored skirts, and the crinoline shape itself is morphing along similar lines (fuller in back than front; less "bell" and more "conical"/"pyramidal" in shape, with an egg-shaped footprint instead of a round one).  As I'm not about to make two new crinolines for one event, I'm working on some gored and/or full-backed petticoats (with a small 'tournure'/'dress improver') for use with with my existing cages, to simulate the full-back look.  My 1865 persona is apparently an economically-minded woman who already has a perfectly serviceable cage, and is being cautious about this new 'fad' in skirt shape, while trying not to look too out-dated.  

Corded Petticoat (human-sized)

Recently finished project (now happily winging it's way to a certain deserving lady in MN):

Vital stats: 90.5" circumference at the hem; finished length 35" at CF, 37" at CB; 20.5" self-fabric facing, containing 58 rows of cotton cording, or approximately 145 yards; fastens at center back with two bone buttons; total weight 1 lb 6 oz.

Making a Regency Petticoat

The petticoat bodice combines the petticoat with a sort of short stays; but for use with my long stays and chemise, I need an actual petticoat.

Period Petticoats:

 Petticoat, c. 1820-1825, MFA

Petticoat, early 19th century
from The Met.

Petticoat, early 19th century, janeausten.co.uk,
also featured on The Oregon Regency Society,
but an original post with context has not been found.  

The petticoat is basically a skirt.  Given that the stylish "waist" of the period falls at the underbust, the petticoat may have shoulder straps to hold it in place, or even an abbreviated sort of bodice.  The two (admittedly not closely-dated) examples with back views show significantly more gathering at the back of the petticoat than at the front, with what may be a drawstring or tie fastening the center back.  The description of the MFA (bodiced) petticoat mentions waist and neckline drawstrings and a tie closure at the back.

For my petticoat, I cut a rectangle of white cotton 45" x 90"; sewed it into a tube, leaving a 12" opening at the top back; and hemmed the bottom (1.5" doubled).  I then gathered upper edge by hand, prepared a waistband to my underbust measurement (measured over the corset), and enclosed the raw edge of skirt in the waistband.  While doing so, I concentrated the gathers towards the back, as with the bodiced petticoat--ie, half of the skirt gathered to the back quarter of the waistband.  Twill tape ties fasten the center back; this seemed easier than a button closure for dressing oneself.  Shoulder straps of twill tape are attached to the waistband.

Regency Bodiced Petticoat

Getting ready to attend a Regency ball with a certain dear sister.  I've already made my chemise and have a corset in the works.  To save time (in construction and dressing), I'm attempting an all-in-one boned-bodice petticoat for Sis.  Then it's on to the frocks...

The bodice pattern used is a modified version of the Simplicity 4055 bodice (view A).  I converted the 4-piece back into a 2-piece by joining the back and side-back pieces, and taking up the excess material at the waist with a dart; the neckline was also raised to suit the style preference of the intended wearer, and the front darts, side seams, and shoulder seams were all custom-fitted.

Following the bodiced petticoat instructions on sensibility.com, I cut out a version of the bodice with the neckline 1" lower, an expanded center front (1" added at the top, by angling the front bodice piece on the center front fold before cutting), and an extra 2.5" length.

Fitted bodice toile and longer petticoat bodice

Here's where my method diverged.  Instead of using bias tape to make a casing for the front drawstring, I decided to make a channel between the lining and outer layers.  To do this, I joined the front and back pieces at the side seams for each of the two layers.  After pressing the seams to the back, I joined the lining and outer layers along the neck, center back and under-arm edges (leaving the shoulder seams and waist open). Pressed, and then top-stitched along the front neckline, 1/2" from the edge to form the channel.

Joined side seams

At the center front, two eyelets were made in the channel, and the twill tape fed through.  The ends were secured at the open shoulder.  The back shoulder seam allowances were pressed in, and the front and back joined with top-stitching.

Threading the drawstring

Drawstring in casing, shoulder to center front.

Shoulder Seam

The darts were then stitched through both layers, and pressed to the outside.

Almost-completed bodice

For the skirt of the petticoat, I cut a 42" by 84" rectangle of cotton, joined it into a tube (leaving a 10" placket at the top) and put a 2" hem at the bottom.  I finished the raw edge of the placket opening, and gathered the upper edge with a running stitch. Per the originals dresses and petticoats I've seen, I decided to concentrate the gathers towards the back of the skirt.  In this case, I put the back half of the gathered skirt into the back quarter of the waistband. The raw top edge was encased in a waistband, the top of which was left open (it will eventually enclose the raw lower edge of the bodice).

Skirt on outer layer of waistband.

At this point, I basted the waistband to the lower edge of the bodice and had Sis try it on.  As hoped, things fit pretty well, especially with the drawstring to snug up the neckline.  I increased the overlap at back closure slightly (less than 1/2") to ensure a close fit.  With the added bodice length, the waistband fell a bit low, so I decided to move it up, and marked the desired lower-bound on the bodice.  The distribution of the skirt gathers were a good call: there's plenty of room for movement, and the line is very elegant.  I'll probably use a similar proportion on the dresses' skirts.

Fitting accomplished, I removed the basting stitches, and re-attached the waistband along the new marked lower bodice boundary, and trimmed the excess bodice length; the back waistband "lining" was then folded over the the raw edges of the bodice, concealing it within the waistband.  I then added 3 buttons to secure the back.  Featherlight boning was basted over the front darts.

Trimming the excess bodice length.

Final waistband placement.

Waistband lining pinned in place, raw edge of bodice overlap folded to inside.

Back buttons

Front bodice with applied boning.

Finished petticoat.