More Regency Underpinnings Drama: I don't know what to do for the petticoats!

[nuranar]

I went ahead and cut out two shifts (one for me, one for M.) on Monday night. I'm going to seam the back on mine because I hate how much fabric is wasted with the S&S cutting layout. Grr.  When I do my 18th century shift, I'm using the cutting layout from Costume Close-Up. That looks so neat.

I ordered the Mantua Maker drawers pattern. I also threw in the long stays pattern in as well, because I've been eyeing it for years anyway. I guess she's based in Texas - better be, because I had to pay sales tax!

And I also bought white drill from Hobby Lobby to make short stays. I wish I'd know or thought to check there, back when I was getting supplies for Atlanta to make my 1860s corset. Then I'd have an all-white corset, instead of white sateen cover and unbleached drill inside! :p


I'm still up in the air about what to use for the petticoat skirts, though.  I'm using Pimatex for the bodices, but the skirts are holding me up.

While at Hobby Lobby, I checked their Kona cotton. It is the famed Robert Kaufman stuff, just like what I remembered at Joann, and I still don't like it! :/  I tried, I really tried. But it looks coarse, it feels heavy and non-drapey, and feels rough to me.  I'm sure it's great for quilting and more ordinary clothing, for sure.  Keep in mind that I've been working with nothing but pimatex and lawn and voile for a long while, too.  I went back to Dharma Trading Co., too, trying to find some more info. (Unfortunately, they didn't have batiste to compare, or buy.)

Pimatex:        3.7 oz/sq yd       thread count 133x72
Broadcloth:   3.5 oz/sq yd       thread count 133x72
Lawn:           2.5 oz/sq yd        thread count 90x88
Voile:            1.9 oz/sq yd       thread count 80x72
Muslin*:        4.0 oz/sq yd       thread count 78x78
Kona:            4.4 oz/sq yd       thread count 60x60

It's not just me being prejudiced; Kona really is both heavier and coarser than what I want to use for these petticoats. It's heavier and coarser (slightly) than even Dharma's "economy" muslin.  To be sure, that's a good thing when one needs a sturdy medium-weight cotton.  But not for Regency petticoats.

So I really don't want to use Kona.  I can use the Pimatex I have on hand, if it comes down to it, although I really want something not so crisp for the skirts.  I've got loads of fine voile, thanks to jaelie, but I'm afraid it's too light to really be effective.    I think batiste or lawn would be ideal. However, I've found it only for $8-10/yd.  Does anyone have any cheaper sources to suggest?  Besides Dharma, I've checked Martha Pullen, Farmhouse Fabrics, and Baltazor. Which last has $6/yd "Nainsook," sounding awesomely old-fashioned, but is supposedly lighter than batiste. Will it still be less translucent than voile?

I hate to sound a skinflint, but I'd really rather save a couple dollars a yard and spend them towards fine stockings or something. :D (Speaking of, are any of B&T's silk stockings a good idea for this?)

Comments

[suededsilk.livejournal.com]

Well, it's Fashion Fabrics Club, but they do have white lawn for $5.75/yd, only it's 30" wide.

http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/catalog_itemdetail.aspx?ItmID=VV003

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

Interesting! Strange width to sell. It might actually be very convenient for things like shifts that are cut out geometrically to use all fabric and integrate selvedges as seam finishes. I did find some at Farmhouse Fabrics that was 60" wide for $10/yd, so that's a possibility as well.

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

How much batiste would you need? I have some off-white (cream? I'm terrible about naming colors) batiste I could spare - I got it from the same place I got the voile. :P

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know! That's partly why I'm so excited about finding those costume books. I need some skirt diagrams to figure out the best way to make the petticoats. If it was just me I wouldn't worry, but estimating for three is worrisome. ;) FWIW, I think off-white is like ivory, while cream is a little more yellow. It's hard to tell with batiste, though, since it's so lightweight. Thanks for the offer!

[msmcknittington.livejournal.com]

Have you looked at Silk Road Fabrics (http://www.srfabrics.com/)? I can't remember what part of Texas you're in, so they might not be local as they're in Austin, but they have batiste at $9/yard and lawn at $14-$20/yard. (Eek! No, I don't think I'd buy lawn there.) They also have English Pima Cotton Broadcloth at $8/yard. I'm not sure how that compares to what Dharma has or your Pimatex.

Are you set on using cotton? The handkerchief (3.5 oz) linen from Fabric-Store.com is pretty reasonably priced, and linen was very popular as undergarment fabric in England throughout the 19th century for people who could afford it. The 4.5 oz linen from Dharma might be an option, too, though it might be a bit heavy, depending on how delicate you want to be. About $7/yard.

Harts Fabrics (http://www.hartsfabric.com/cotton-voile-lawn-fabric.html) has an entire voile and lawn section, but it looks like most of them are prints or colors. Blech. You'd have to order swatches, most likely, but it might be worth poking through their discount section.

Thai Silks has a 60/40 silk/cotton blend batiste, though it's nearly $11/yard and you might as well just order a 100% cotton if it comes to that.

There's one more online store that sells fabric ready for dyeing that I've bought from before, and for the life of me, I can't remember what it's called. Argh! This is going to drive me crazy.

ETA: Silk Connection! (http://www.silkconnection.com/products/fabric/cotton/) koshka_the_cat figured it out. :D That link goes to the cotton and linen page. They have cotton lawn for $3.90/yard, but also cotton poplin percale for $3.54 and 3.5 oz linen for $7.95.

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

I'm in the DFW area, which is 3-4 hours from Austin. Not exactly local, unfortunately. I'll be going to that area in July, but at pretty much the same time as the first Regency event anyway. :p Those prices are pretty much the same as Dharma (except for lawn), but with the benefit of seeing in person. Hmm... maybe I can manage a side trip anyway!

The Fabrics-Store.com 3.5 oz linen is what I'm using for shifts and drawers; it's great stuff. The handful of petticoats I've found in museums so far have been cotton, so that's why I've been going that way. And I was hoping to find it cheaper than the linen, too, although it's not hideously expensive anyway.

Ooh, I've never seen Harts Fabrics before. Like you say, not appropriate for petticoats, but a couple of those prints would work for mid-century sheer dresses. I might have to pass that on!

Yay, Silk Connection! Thank you and Katherine so much! I ordered from there once, way back in college. GREAT place. I thought of it briefly, but like you I couldn't remember the name, and it was several computers and Favorites folders ago. Now I have to decide what I want! :p But those prices are terrific.

[bonatirer.livejournal.com]

What's your dress going to be made of, that would be my question. If you're making a dress that isn't see-through ignore all this nonsense I'm about to type.

With my blue sheer dress I have always had to wear two petticoats to make the skirt "shadowproof" as they used to say in petticoat advertisements, and my petticoats are plain muslin or heavier. So I tend to think something lighter or more drapey might defeat the purpose because it would also neccesarily be more translucent.

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

Nothing will be truly sheer, but most of mine are semisheer; i.e., indecent for modern wear without lining or a slip. How shadowproof do you think things have to be? I'm not expecting to try to hide all leg outlines; if fashion plates and drawings are any indication, that's unnecessary. I'll also have drawers and long shift.

[koshka-the-cat.livejournal.com]

I generally find Kona cotton to be heavier than I need too--not just you! And it seems to be what fabric.com has as their premium broadcloth. It worked well lining my new Regency stays :)

I think I said this before, but my petticoats are all batiste or lawn. With the drawers, show through isn't really an issue :)

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

Whew! I certainly wouldn't call it broadcloth; thread count is way too low. It does have excellent uses, though!

That's kind of why I've been leaning that way instead of toward something stiffer/heavier. (Although now I'm really curious about Silk Connection's poplin percale and broadcloth. :D Thank you so much for remembering that one!) I'm honestly not too concerned about show through. I suspect that material heavy enough, or enough layers, to prevent shadows even when backlit by strong light, is going to keep the skirts from draping and moving properly. Fine for 1820s, but not earlier. It's so interesting, learning to sew a new period!