The Bodiced Petticoat

I had planned to do this before Christmas, but ran out of time.

Here are some pictures of Olivia's 1780s bodiced petticoat that goes with her dresses, 1, 2 and 3 I used the Sense & Sensibility Pattern that I used for the dresses and made the petticoat. Using linen, self made binding, and lacing, I whipped together a very practical petticoat for her dresses. To make the dress last longer, I added 1" to the bodice length, and took up a 1/2" tuck on the inside. This will allow for me to length the bodice as she grows. I have three 1/2" tucks on the skirt that I also added for growth room.



If you look closely, you can see that the 1/2" tuck on the bodice is on the inside of the dress. I do that so when she wears a sheer dress, that tuck does not show through the fabric.


inside view


The linen cording

The lacing cord I made from linen string/thread that I picked up along with a Lucet to make the cord. I really, really like using the lucet. Being able to make my own cording the length and width that I need is wonderful. I will attempt a post on a lucet in the future. A tool well worth having if you find you need cords often. You can even make great shoelaces with a lucet. ;)



For the back of the bodice seams, I used french seams to finish them off. The front binding I hand stitched down, using a small stitch on the outside with a larger stitch inside.

If you plan to make many of these dresses, I would encourage you to consider making one of these. Olivia feels like a princess with all her 1780s dresses and her petticoat. Nothing like a little girl who feels special when she dresses up. :)

Carol