one petticoat down...

I have a petticoat – yay! Well, actually it’s not that exciting but anything crossed off my list excites me these days. :> I also finished up the bum roll, taking out a bit more stuffing and stitching the ends again. Here are a few pics of the cotton petticoat and bum roll in all their glory, along with a few pics of the newly finished stays on Narcissa.

For the petticoat I used two panels cotton fabric (45”x46”) and 2yds 1" cotton twill tape. The front is one panel and back another. The pocket slits are 7.5” long and unfinished, being on the salvage of the panels. The skirts are pleated in fairly large pleats, then gathered to the exact width required. The hem is 4.5” deep and allows for the bum roll in the back. I stitched my initials into the front inside of the waistband so I can easily tell which way to put it on. *wink* The petticoat actually turned out a little long somehow, so I think I’ll take a tuck in it when I attach the bottom ruffle. I’m waiting to do the ruffle, as it’s one of those “optional” projects this week. :>

All in all an easy project, and one I can now simply copy for the rest. (Yeah, all the specific measurements are here in case I loose the paper the are also scribbled on... feel free to icnore. :>) The one difference I will make for the linen petticoat is make a flatter front. It means the pocket slits won’t be on the salvage but oh well.

The 90” (or more precisely 88”) skirt circumference seems adequate, so I will cut down the 54” width of the linen and use the extra pieces make a nice wide ruffle at the bottom of that petticoat as well. I love those 18th century box-pleated ruffles! Okay… enough of a break, on to the linen petticoat!

I guess my day was going too well

Looks like it is a good thing I’ll be spending most of tomorrow in Richmond… I need a break from the sewing thing. I just tried on my linen petticoat, so Mom could mark the hem, and I’m not happy.

1. The super flat front doesn’t look good. Maybe if I was flat in front… but as it is, I need a bit more fullness there.
2. I’ve made the front section too small. Because of the way I’ve cut, sewn and attached the ties, there is no place to get extra fullness from without pulling the pocket slits to the front. Problem is they are already barely on the sides as it is.
3. This petticoat is going to be worn with a jacket on the 21st. I totally forgot about that fact when I was measuring, calculating and snipping. Drat. Obviously the too small issue is really a problem, since those slits are going to show.

*grinds teeth* So I can either just live with the slits where they are and take out some of the pleats in front to give me even gathers (and ultimately more fabric) in the very front or I can take both waistbands out and start again by cutting new slits. I’m thinking I’ll be able to simply whip the old slits together and hide them in the back fullness. I am very tempted to do the whole waistband redo, more work but a result I’ll be happier with. Of course Mom might kill me since she already pinned the hem. The linen was not being friendly either, so she was being really lovely to help me. *sigh*

Good news is the brown is very pretty with the dress. The color combination shouldn’t work but it does… I really like it. Well, I’ll have a few hours to escape, ponder and reflect on the issue tomorrow. I was starting to resent the hours taken away from my sewing time but now I’m glad. I love how these things work out…