18th Century petticoat update and the beginning of a new dress

I started this petticoat a while ago but then things got too busy to do any further work on it. I've finally dug the poor thing out of the bag it was languishing in and given it some much needed attention. This is what the petticoat looks like so far - unfortunately it's rather large and difficult to get a photo of it all in one shot.



This is the back - you can see where it fastens at the waist with ribbons.



The front view - which is should hopefully hang smoothly when I'm finished with it. The outward length over the panniers is adustable by pull cords so it could in theory fit over a set of smaller panniers. All that remains is to sew in the pleated side panels and finish the hem.

I have also started cutting a pattern for a new dress, which I have for now nicknamed the "fairytale chiffon dress". This is the final draft of the bodice - it's princess seamed and will be constructed from several layers.

18th Century petticoat - progress

My petticoat to fit over my finished panniers is coming along nicely albeit slowly. I'm sewing it all by hand in methods as true to the 18th Century as my knowledge allows. This first picture shows off the colour of the fabric best. It's a soft gold and has a not so 18th century pattern on the front so i'm using the wrong side which is plain and has a nice shimmer.



I'm finishing all my inside raw edges with bias tape which is hard work but I love the way it looks and I think it's worth the effort.



To finish the raw waist edges which are visible on the outside of the petticoat I am using bias tape that I have cut from the fabric to give a cleaner look.

I still have a fair few more edges to finish by hand before I move on to sewing channels for the drawstrings.

18th Century petticoat

Now that the panniers are done I'm starting to think about the petticoat to go over it and how it might be trimmed and decorated. After much trawling through images and weighing up options this scrumptious robe a'la francaise is my favourite.



I think the proportions of this gown are lovely. I love how striking the box pleated trim is on the gown itself, I wonder if each one is padded slightly to give them a little more oomph!

The flounce that decorates the front of a petticoat is called a furbelow and for reasons of expense only covers the part of the petticoat that is visible. Women would often wear the same dress to different occasions but change the trims to create a slightly different look.