18th Century Stays and Quilted Petticoat - The final pieces of my Delilah set

 Moving on to the next and most important pieces in this “Delilah” ensemble.

I used Simplicity 8162 for the stays. This pattern is by American Duchess for Simplicity, and I was pleased with it. This brown cotton twill was in my stash. But I thought this project needed a bit of pizzazz.  I am obsessed with the leopard print bias binding I used (found on Etsy). It really elevates this garment to the next level. As per usual for my boned garments, I used heavy duty zip ties. Getting the boning channels marked on the twill was quite annoying and tedious, but I managed in the end. All the channels were stitched by machine. I used my machine to sew almost everything on her. I think the only handstitching on this is the eyelets. I set small eyelets up the front and back, and then hand embroidered around each one.  I really don’t care that the sewing machine wasn’t invented in the 18th century. I’ll say this again, in case it isn’t obvious. I am aiming for historical accuracy in shape and silhouette, and not necessarily in materials and technique.  Because who wants boring white clothes when one can have fun leopard print garments instead? Life is too short to make boring projects.

Really, this whole set was inspired by this leopard print quilt I found at a thrift store. I immediately knew that this was what it needed to become. And I’m pretty sure my mom, who was with me at the time, thought I was crazy.  I cut the quilt in half and cut a bit off the sides. The final measurements were 52” wide and 35” tall. I knew that a quilt would be way too thick to pleat down to the waist nicely. The thick cotton batting layer in between the two fabrics had to go. So I, very painstakingly and slowly, unpicked the stitching from the top 10 inches of the quilt and removed it. (Turns out, 35” tall was too tall for my very short self and I had to cut off 3 inches off the top) This took the whole first season of “Cabinet of Curiosities” on Netflix, plus multiple episodes of “Star Trek Discovery”.  (Cue the “14 Hours Later” meme)

I then applied regular bias binding to the sides of each piece. I used the "divide and conquer" method to pleat the top edge to some quilt binding. Finally, I made ties with bias binding and sewed the front to the back at the sides. I added my label from Dutch Label Company and the whole ensemble was complete!

This piece is funny to wear. I tie the back skirt on, and then tie on the front skirt separately. This has the advantage of making the skirt highly adjustable. When worn, there are slits on the sides which are used to access the pockets worn underneath. 

I love this set. I think it all comes together with this fun red wig that I bought at a costume shop sale years ago.

Yours in hard work, creativity, and a dash of Pixie Dust

Sarah