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[Heather]

You can always use a tape measure to figure the back length. Start by measuring at the center back line and mark the length you want. The come forwards on the waistline a few inches, and run the tape to the hem again, making sure the tape is perpendicular to the waistline. (A few inches over on the skirt should be many more inches at the hem, forming gore shapes.) Keep marking the length you need until you get it matching the hem you already drew. I usually figure that in a normal skirt, the sides should be 1" longer than the front, and the back 1" long than the sides. But measure your personal lengths, front, side and back, to get custom lengths.

I made a maid outfit for amanda when she was in a show called "Somethings Afoot"


She played a "sassy" maid named lettie, and I tacked the top piece to the bodice on the corners. I wanted to make shoulder straps but i didn't have time. I also made the hat!

Just a quick note, safety pins such as the one show in Dana's post existed in Roman times. They are just hand bent wire. I saw a few at the Museum of London several years ago.

Thank you for the help, Heather, I will see about playing with the back length tonight.

Tinman, that looks great! What did Amanda have to say about it? And Kit, I didn't know that they had safety pins then!

Although I will only use safety pins if I run out if time and if they won't show (I WILL have this apron and cap complete for the convention ).

By the way, can anyone recommend a good source for inexpensive buckram? The less stiff kind (not the kind for a hat), because I'm going to be using it to stiffen the back and sides of the new petticoat, to really hold out the skirt hem. I may use it in the hem facings too.

Thank you very much!

Doesn't buckram lose it's stiffness if you wash it? (I thought it was just starched to high hell...)

You might want to consider using some very heavy twill. I have a 12 oz twill that I made into a petti earlier this year. The damn thing stands up by itself. It was actually too full for the skirt I was planning to wear it under, so I had to make up a lighter one instead.

I'm not sure valleyviolet. I have a quarter yard of stiff buckram from my clothing class teacher, and it doesn't feel starchy. And the really heavy stuff is used in shoes, in the back area that cups the heel of the foot--it's wetted, molded to the shape, and then it dries, just as stiff, in that shape.

And it's not as though I'll be washing this skirt--with all that fabric and then the stiff hem facings, it would be, at best, inconvenient to put in a bathtub and handwash.

I'm torn between putting the buckram in the skirt itself, or in the petticoat I have to make for it. Of course, a straight buckram petti might end up giving a hoop-like effect to the skirt.

[Heather]

I would stay away from the buckram. The sizing will soften when wet, and I envision it bleeding onto your fabric. And it will definitely be unwashable. A spritz to make it damp and shape is not the same as a rinse.

I agree that a canvas or twill would be better. Or you can use the felted interlining for the hem if you want. (no stress to tear it up.)

Okay. So I should instead interline the back pieces with several layers of cotton organdy? Or would it be better to interline a petticoat with the organdy? Maybe it'd be better to do the latter, since I can starch the petti full strength, and with the outer cotton plus the organdy it would be pretty stiff. My only problem is that I would be starching it and then stuffing it into a suitcase for 4 hours, which would probably make it collapse-prone when I wear it later that night.

And the hem facings....I can use the cotton duck again, but I can interline them with another layer of the organdy plus a layer or two of net (I can't afford $20 for wide, stiff horsehair braid at the moment. Maybe I will before I get to the hem, though).

The twill petti is an interesting idea, but our fabric stores don't stock any weighty enough for that. Plus, I'll have so much weight in the skirt itself that a heavy twill petti plus my other three cotton ones would be a bit too much.

Edit: I just thought of another reason to make the new petti with the organdy instead....I can use it with any other skirt, as well.

I ended up cutting out the front piece and the side gore pieces, running out of fabric, and finding that Joann's no longer had a match for it (it had a little bluish tint to the black, and was a thinner twill).



So I bought 6 yards of a heavier, solidly black twill, and found to my pleasant surprise it is 60 inches wide, not 40. If I'm careful I might be able to squeeze the bodice pattern out of the remaining yardage, but it's the more expensive twill so Joann's should be getting more if I can't.

All the major pattern pieces are cut out now (the gores and back piecing). I just need to cut out the waistband and placket, and find the pocket pattern I made months ago, so I can reuse it. I also need to trace off the bottoms of the pattern pieces for the hem facings.

I flatlined all but the two rear side gores and the massive right rear pieces; I'll be doing those with the serger in class tomorrow (we didn't have school today).

Pics to come soon!

I ended up cutting out the front piece and the side gore pieces, running out of fabric, and finding that Joann's no longer had a match for it (it had a little bluish tint to the black, and was a thinner twill).

That is the story of my life, don't you hate that???? Some years back, I was in on the formation of a mounted tournament company. (Long story, NOT Victorian). We had 10 people to outfit in matching 12th century gear. We ordered matching blue linen for the over tunics (almost 30 yards) and when the order showed up at my door, it was with an apology note that they were five yards short, they had run out but sent what they had anyway. They sent another five yards two days later that was obviously a different dye lot. We ended up putting that on our banner bearers because they were out in front, not next to those of us on horseback.

We raided every JoAnn's in a 150 mile radius for a specific 100% cotten linen look white weavers cloth. That made banners, under tunics, cloaks and caparisons. At one point I had 130 yards of fabric bolts stacked in the corner of my dining room. I swore it would be the last time I did a huge matching group project.

If you are staying at a hotel, perhaps you can do the heavy starch on the petti, then retouch it with spray on starch and a good hot iron before you wear it.

Kudos to you on the serging...I have a serger, it sits on the table where it's been for months while I still try to figure out how to thread it.

Wow, Kit, and I thought I had it bad! I haven't quite had that much trouble yet....

That actually crossed my mind. There is a "heavy duty" spray starch available at Target that I could buy and take with me.

The serger....I don't know how to thread it either. XD It's my teacher's machine. I just know how to use it.

I sewed together all but one side seam of the skirt today, and my goodness is it huge. I'm going to love it when it's done though.

I have to add the side seam pockets (yay, more handsewing ) and the waistband, and then I can work on the hem facings.

I noticed there are a few pin-sized holes in the hem of my green skirt, unfortunately. It was prone to them, since the waist was a little large due to the misplaced hook, and it slipped down, sweeping the floor a lot. This skirt will be around two to three inches off the floor, so I won't have to worry about it as much. I can sew nylon horsehair braid into the seam, though, with a tiny width of the edge sticking out of the hem to take the wear and abuse of dragging on stairs, etc., right?

How wide should the hem facings be? I know period ones were sometimes 24 inches high, but that would make the skirt insanely heavy, especially with the cotton duck. Maybe 8-10 inches as a compromise?

Also: does anyone know of a cheap source for the wide, stiff horsehair braid (6-8 inches) besides Farthingales CA? I don't want to have to deal with the duty fees, and the L.A. store doesn't carry horsehair braid.

Thank you!

Well, I have this big red "S" for sucker on my forehead, so I've done lots of insane group projects, but that one was the biggest. 12th century is fortunately pretty easy as far as fitting, so that helped. It was all the trim and applique' work on the over tunics and cloaks that took time.

I'm far from an expert on this period, but I would say that 8-10 inches should be sufficient for a hem facing. Again, not being an expert on this period, but I can tell you that proper foundation garments do help distribute the weight of a skirt which makes it easier to wear. I have a heavily decorated Elizabethan skirt that weighs almost 25 lbs. Without a farthingale and a bum roll on, it gives you a back ache. With them on, I've worn it for over 12 hours and never had a problem. I much prefer my 1630 to 1649 clothing though, just lots of poofy petticoats and a good corset.

Are you doing the powdered starch and soaking method or the bottled starch method for this? I would try the spray on starch for refreshing, it just might do the trick. Are you flying or could you put the skirt in a large garmet bag to lessen the crush?

My serger is taunting me but I just don't have the nerve yet

I don't know what your time constraints, etc are but Townsend and Sons has pinner aprons that are VERY reasonable.

They are on this page, scroll down. http://jas-townsend.com/index.php?cPath=2 They have them in Muslin and Osnaburg.

I'm using the bottled StayFlo (formerly Vano) starch. I only used it half strength last time; this time around I'm going to plunge ahead and dunk the pettis into full strength starch, for the maximum stiffness.

Those pinner aprons are nice, but I will have to draft mine to get the correct look. I have until the end of January, but I'm aiming to finish the entire outfit with at least a week to spare. Considering how long I usually take (months) on just one component of an outfit, I'm moving along pretty quickly. I have one pocket sewn into the skirt, one left to add, and then I can put it all into a waistband, and draft the hem facings and sew them in. Then I can work on the bodice and the apron plus the mob cap.

I am a little concerned about the skirt's weight; I'll of course be wearing the corset I made with it. With the hem facings, I'm concerned about two things: Will they be stiff enough to hold out the skirt, and will wider ones be so heavy they would cause the skirt to actually squash down the petticoats? I want to find a happy medium, because I would love to have it pouf like Heather's Ripple Skirt, but she used a netted bridal petticoat, and I can't because the heat retention of a wholly synthetic petti would make me really uncomfortable and miserable. I *might* break down and buy some cheap synthetic taffeta to use for the bottom petticoat ruffle, though, to add a little rustle when I walk.

We'll be driving down to Columbus...four mind-numbing hours, and if it snows, another hour or more. I will see about packing the pettis in a softer duffle-type bag, instead of a suitcase.

We'll be driving down to Columbus...four mind-numbing hours, and if it snows, another hour or more. I will see about packing the pettis in a softer duffle-type bag, instead of a suitcase.

If you can put them in a garment bag and lay them on top of the other luggage you should be totally fine. I recommend bribing the other folks in the car with brownies in order to get better luggage space.

Also, for the hem facing, what I found with the 90's skirt was that putting in a very heavy canvas facing (it was only 4 to 6 inches) made the skirt stand out in more graceful waves rather than collapsing around me more limply. This was my experience without pettis mind you, since I only made up my good pettis since I last needed to be in a 90's outfit.

If you're really concerned, try pinning it in, and try it on, just holding it up with the petti under it. If you think the facing is beating the petti down too much you can always cut the facing down a little. It doesn't take much to stiffen the edge very nicely.

I think the canvas would be a much better idea than the cotton duck...it is a lot stiffer. I'll have to try to get to a Joann's tomorrow, then, so I can pick up a few yards.

Joann's doesn't show the canvas they sell on their website. All they list is the home decor canvas, not the canvas located in the utility section near the quilting fabrics. And I don't remember how much it costs per yard...

Because of the possibility of inclement weather, my friend's mom might drive the Ford F-350 they have. It has a HUGE cab over the back pickup bed, so we'd be able to fit all the luggage back there if need be. I can probably squeeze the petticoat bags in there somewhere, of course. We'll also have two other sedans to spread the luggage out in, so I'm pretty sure we'll be okay.

I finished machine stitching the pockets! Now I can either handstitch them around the opening to keep the edges flat, or attach the waistband first. I think I want to do the waistband, since I can then try it on and get the gathering/pleating over with.

Photos of the pockets will come within the next few hours. If anyone is interested, I can show the step-by-step process I used to make and insert them (I just made the process up without any reference or outside advice ).

I cut out the placket, and discovered that I actually know how to do a buttonhole stitch by hand, but I had never done it before. I used it to finish the edges since I don't have a working zig-zag machine right now.

The placket got basted in, and I got almost completely done "halving" the pleats on the left rear half of the skirt, when I realized the waistband center was supposed to be one inch offset, to allow for the placket overlap in back. So I've left it for now, and I'll continue tomorrow.

Thank goodness I don't have school tomorrow; I don't think I could survive another day there this week.....and I'll have more time to fiddle with the pleating. The pocket pictures aren't really important; they can come later.

Thank you for all your help so far!

I cut out the placket, and discovered that I actually know how to do a buttonhole stitch by hand, but I had never done it before.

A friend of mine says past life experience doesn't count Scary thing is I feel exactly that way when I wear certain periods, hehe.

Also, on the pettis, a large 50 gallon trash bag with drawstrings makes a really nice cover to transport fluffy things in. Pin it to a hanger at the waistband and scoop the trashbag up and tie it around the hanger.

Just an idea. Sounds like you are cruising along!

The pleats and waistband are sewn in!

I haven't done the hem facings yet; those will have to wait until I can get the canvas (maybe tomorrow). I will see about taking a few photos in the bathroom mirror of the skirt with my pettis on tonight before I go to bed.

Those will follow soon!

Yay, rushed and semi-decent photos!

With just the three pettis underneath (note how there's a "bump" in the back showing the top petticoat's profile):



The rectangle of net I gathered with ribbon to make a quick "mockup" petticoat:


And the skirt with the net petti (absolutely wonderfully full, but so danged uncomfortably hot):


Joann's did not have stiff canvas, unfortunately. I bought three yards of black cotton duck instead, and some very stiff (turqouise ) nylon net to flatline it with (several layers).

And the hem dips at the very center back (I guess I didn't need the extra length, and since the back is on the partial bias is stretched a bit). I'll have to carefully mark it on a dress dummy at school tomorrow, and then trace off the hem facings.