18th C. Help

[nuranar]

This is kind of a weird/obvious thing, but it's been bothering me for some time.

How is the skirt attached to the bodice?

For comparison, in 1860s, the bodice waist is totally finished with either a waistband or piping, sewn down. Then the top of the skirt is folded down, and gathering or gauging stitches run or pleats set, then the folded edge is whipped to the bodice waist edge.

I keep poring over my 18th century references. There's some variety in how the bodice seams are sewn, and it LOOKS like the skirt can be folded down (almost?) all the way around, part of the way, or not at all. But what I can't see is what is done with the bodice waist. The seam allowances are completely invisible.

I might assume that they're just turned in to each other, finishing off the bodice. But that only works if the bodice has a bag lining. The variety of seaming techniques still keeps the fashion fabric and lining attached to each other at the waist, keeping the seam allowances visible.

Grr, this is so frustrating! Any hints?

Comments

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

If you are doing a full gown, the bodice and skirt are one. The back bodice and the skirt are cut out of one very wide, very long piece of fabric. The fabric is then gathered at the bottom to make up the skirt of the dress. A picture to explain what the heck I'm talking about (http://s306.photobucket.com/albums/nn264/Idzit/18th%20century%20costumes/Patterns/?action=view&current=1787robealanglaisepattern.jpg&sort=ascending)

The skirt is pleated up to the finished bodice and attached, facing fabric to fabric fabric. The lining of the bodice is then folded under to encase the seams and stitched to hide the seam altogether. However, to make it sounding far more complicated than it really is, each piece of the bodice is sewn so that the lining and the facing fabric are turned under on all sides except the bottom where the skirt goes. Each piece basically looks "finished" on it's own and then they are sewn together to form the bodice.

I really hope that makes sense. I have an extant bodice from the 1780's and the way it looks to be sewn is each piece of the lining is folded under to form casings for some very light boning. Then, when sewing up the seams, the facing fabric is also folded under but you sew it so that the two facing pieces are right side up together, and the two lining pieces are covering the inside of the facing pieces- it's a sandwich of lining right side out (folded edges), facing fabrics right sides together, lining right side out. Then, you sew up that seam.

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

I'm doing one with a separate bodice and skirt, including the back, but that does make sense. Thank you!

[koshka-the-cat.livejournal.com]

On my 1790s bodice, the fashion fabric and lining are sewn separately for the last inch or so of the seam. This allows the lining to be turned up separately. You can sandwich the skirt between the layers this way.

[quincy134.livejournal.com]

I do something similar when I construct my 18th c gowns. I make them semi-flat lined (one pattern piece will treat the fashion and lining fabric as one, and attach in the seam to the fashion fabric of the next piece, then the lining for the next piece will be laid over the top of the seam), not bag-lined, but if you sew the lining totally separate from the fashion fabric for the bottom bit of the seam, you can turn the lining and fashion fabric into each other to finish things off.

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

That's one of the simplest descriptions I've found of the way to put bodices together. And then leaving the lining separate for a bottom inch or so, so it can be turned in. Thank you!

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

This is what I do too. :-)

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

Ah HA, that's what I was looking for! *Something* like that had to be happening to hide both the skirt and the bodice seam allowance. Thanks!

[rvqavalon.livejournal.com]

And then there are examples like this one at Winterthur (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24031486@N08/5570247121/in/set-72157626254587791) where nothing is finished at all and you can see the giant stitches from the outside (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24031486@N08/5570252823/in/set-72157626254587791/).

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

Ha, that is awesome!