This
illustration shows typical working women. They wear petticoats, bed
jackets, caps, kerchiefs, shifts, and aprons. There is very little
fitting involved in 18th century clothing, and most
everything is made from simple squares and rectangles of fabric, with
the exception of underarm gussets which can be triangle-shaped. It is
generally not necessary to have a pattern if you can enlarge from a
graphed drawing, or if you have someone who can help you with this.
Please inquire if you need assistance, or see the following approved
books:
Tidings
from the 18th Century. Gilgun, Beth. ISBN
1-880655-04-7. This book is made up of a series of fictitious first
person letters. Each letter describes an article of clothing,
cookware, or some aspect of 18th century material culture.
It is reasonably priced, well researched and well written, and
something you will refer to often as you develop and improve your
impression.
Fitting
and Proper. Burnston, Sharon Ann. ISBN 1-880655-10-1. Sharon
has filled this helpful book with photos of clothing from the 18th
century collection of the Chester County Historical Society and
supplemented it with excellent graphed patterns and descriptions of
the clothing. Seeing original garments is the best way to recreate an
accurate wardrobe. As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand
words”. This book will be of tremendous help in understanding and
making 18th century clothing.
Everyday
Dress of Rural America, 1783-1800. Wright, Meredith. ISBN
0-9625656-0-1. The author has done an excellent job in illustrating
each piece of clothing for women, men, and children, and has provided
easy to work with graphs to use as patterns. She has also included
sewing instructions and descriptions of the sometimes unfamiliar
garment names.
With any one
of these books, or better still all three of them, and a supply of 1
inch graphed paper purchased from a sewing supply store to use in
reproducing the patterns from the drawings the need for purchased
patterns is eliminated. When Anne and I first started making clothing
we purchased three patterns and to date have not used any one of the
three, using instead patterns made from these graphed drawings.
We found the
instructions too difficult to decipher, or the patterns not
historically accurate enough to suit us once we got them and gave them
a serious going-over.
Fabrics
should be wool, cotton, linen, or silk, or some combination thereof –
no synthetics, and be careful of your colors and patterns. Checks or
plaids should be woven and not stamped. Stripes are a good choice,
with the stripes going vertical whenever possible.
PETTICOAT:
A petticoat might today be called a skirt. Women wore them in
multiples, one serving the purpose of a petticoat in the true sense of
the word, the outer one serving as an outer garment.
STAYS:
Stays are the 18th century version of a boned corset.
They sometimes have shoulder straps, sometimes not. They have a
distinctive shape which molds the body differently from the 19th
century corset. They have tab skirts at the bottom which fit over the
hips. It is not mandatory to wear stays for a working impression
since it can be documented working women often did not.
JUMPS:
This garment is worn by some women as an outer garment, however,
it is not documented historically accurate for outer wear. It is
generally accepted that these are undergarments, and worn as such
under a jacket or short gown. They should be cut long in length to
fit over the hips with the petticoat coming over the top of the lower
portion of the jumps. They provide support when needed without the
rigidity of stays.
BED JACKET
OR SHORT GOWN: These loose jackets are held together with pins or
by tying the apron around the waist. There are no buttons or hooks
and eye closures. The bed jacket is not something worn to bed or to
lounge, but rather an outer garment often seen in illustrations and
paintings. The short gown is also open down the front with no
closures. It is shorter than the bed jacket which is generally
mid-thigh length. The jackets have sleeves, however, they are not
always long sleeves. The sleeves were sometimes removable and taken
off for working in hot weather. Both types of jackets are cut in the
shape of a “T”, in one piece if possible, and stitched down each
side. The sleeves can be pieced, and in fact, many originals survive
which have been pieced in ingenious ways in order to have enough
fabric to make the garment.
CAPS:
The circular gathered “mob” cap is not correct. Please see the above
books for photos and illustrations of period correct caps. Most
women wore caps on their heads. Peter Kalm wrote, “All women in the
country without exception wear caps of some kind or other”. Most caps
are made of fine cotton or linen, and are white. In place of a cap a
woman working outdoors might wear a kerchief on her head.
NECKERCHIEF:
These are approximately 30-34 in. square and worn about the neck.
They later evolved into the fichu of the 19th century.
They may be triangle shaped, or square folded corner to corner. They
can be made of cotton or linen for summer, and heavier fabric or wool
for winter. They can be worn tied, pinned, or tucked into the front
of a bodice.
APRONS:
18th century aprons are not nearly as full as those of
the 19th century. Since few women wear 19th
century aprons full enough perhaps some could be recycled. They have
narrow cotton tape for ties which when worn wraps around the back,
back to the front and is tied in front.
SHIFT:
A shift is the 18th century term for what became known
as the chemise in the next century. The basic shape is no different
except that the sleeves are elbow length. It can have a ruffle or not
at the neck to suit the wearer’s preference.
FOOTWARE:
Working women may go barefoot, weather permitting, or wear an
appropriate documented style of moccasin, especially if your
impression is Native American or Celtic. 18th century
shoes had a distinctive shape and heel so ask, and do your homework
before investing in a pair.
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