The 18 Century: Robe a I’Anglaise th
Individual Project By: Amy Diaz-Hablich
Exploring 18th Century Garment Construction Sewing for Women Women’s clothing was subject to more frequent altering and remodeling than the male garments. Since there was no sewing machine invented during the 18th century; it all reflected in the construction and seaming techniques used to make a garment. •
The seams of men’s clothes were primarily sewn with backstitch, which is a strong stitch difficult and time consuming to rip out.
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Women’s clothes on the other hand were sewn with the kinds of stitches and seams that would facilitate easy disassembling while keeping the garment sturdy in its present incarnation.
The process of making a woman’s garment involved a great quantity of interaction between the dressmaker and the client. Since gowns were at least partially draped and fully fitted onto the client herself, over her undergarments. • First, the linen lining was made up and fitted, and then the dress draped and then mounted onto it. Sleeves were sewn at the underarm with backstitch (for strength at a stress point) prior to the fitting, then pleated and tacked down over the shoulder directly on the client.
“Sewing workshop at Arles” by Antoine Raspal, c.1760
Fastenings In the eighteenth century there were no zippers, Velcro, or even snaps. How then were women’s garments fastened? Some bodices were laced or buttoned up in the front. However, the most common method was pinning. The triangular forepart of the bodice (stomacher) was pinned to the front of the stays, then the front edges of the dress or jacket bodice pinned over top of that. The pins went through only the upper layer of fabric on the stays, and the quantity of boning kept the wearer’s skin from harm underneath.
This image depicts a dressmaker’s shop from Diderot’s “Encyclopedie of trades” c. 1769
Methods of Construction The principle seaming technique used on women’s garments was the lapped seam. This consisted of folding under the seam allowance of one piece, laying it over the other and sewing through the layers with a running stitch that was short and unobtrusive on the outside of the garment and long on the underside.
Other sewing techniques used extensively in women’s garments are running stitches for long dress and skirt seams, and slip stitches for bodice construction. Both of these stitches are relatively quick to execute and rip out again. The particular method of sewing the seams of the dress through the lining is impossible to replicate with a sewing machine, and can only be achieved with hand sewing. There is a level of fabric manipulation possible with hands that machines do not afford. A: le surjet = whip stitch B: le point noué ou de boutonniere = buttonhole stitch C: le point de coté = seam stitch, D: le point devant = running stitch E: le point de chaînette = chain stitch F: l'arriere-point = back stitch G: Economy seam: Running stitch with the occasional back stitch H: above: chain stitch sequence middle: flat- felled seam as seen from the outside below: beginning of a button hole M: above: finshed flat-felled seam seen from the inside below: lace K: cross stitch for embrouderinginitials, finished button hole L: decoration for the wrist cuff of a man's shirt
Saving Fabric The greatest expense in purchasing new clothes in the eighteenth century lay in the fabric. Labor was very cheap in comparison to the cost of cloth. Fabric was also very narrow, averaging only 18-20 inches in width (modern standards are 45-60 inches in width). Fabric was, therefore, cut as economically as possible. Â As a result of these two conditions it was necessary to piece together lengths of fabric for skirts and small pieces of material to corners of garment pieces. Between the cost of fabric and labor it was less costly to have a seamstress spend the time on this extra sewing rather than waste any material.
The Iconic 18th Century Gown Women's clothing styles changed just as dramatically as men's. From the beginning to the middle of the century, women's clothing became larger and more elaborate with decorations. Wealthy women wore dresses made of brightly colored stiff silk woven/brocade with bold floral and striped designs, and many chose Chinese fabrics for their dresses. By midcentury the skirts of women's dresses held many yards of decoration, including layers of ruffles, bows, and lace, and were held out away from the hips with the help of panniers, or stiff hoops. A woman's waist was cinched tightly in corsets. The front of their gowns cut deep to display the tops of their breasts and were so revealing that some women tucked lace scarves, called modesty pieces, along their necklines to hide their breasts. Most dresses had three-quarter length sleeves, and many women would add layers of ruffled white lace. By the end of the century, women abandoned the huge and elaborate dresses for the robe en chemise; which was a simple white cotton dress with a high waist and tiny sleeves.
Low Neckline
Ruffled Sleeves
Gown/ Dress The Stomacher
Panniers underneath
Petticoat/ Underskirt
The Pannier The smallness of a woman's waist became a very important fashion element by midcentury. To accentuate the smallness of the waist, the skirts of gowns were stiffened and padded to increase their size. Panniers were metal and wooden supports used to hold the skirt out away from the legs. They looked like baskets fastened around a woman's waist. Panniers expanded skirts to widths as large as five feet. Women needed to be careful when walking through a doorway or even sitting down. Women's large skirts during the mid-1700s influenced the widening of furniture at the time. When panniers had already spread skirts to enormous proportions, fashion shifted to prefer slimmer silhouettes and panniers were no longer in style. However, skirts would later be billowed out and supported by crinolines in the following century, just as they had been supported by farthingales in the 16th century.
The first step was taking a trip to my local fabric store. There I was able to purchase my pattern, fabric, lace, thread, and anything else I needed.
Once I had my pattern cut into the pieces I needed, I traced them onto my fabric. Once they were all traced, it was time to cut all the pieces once more.
Using my mannequin was a lifesaver, because it allowed me to visualize the garment on someone. I was able to pin all my pieces in place, and at the same time see how the bodice was going to look after sewing it together. Â
Once pinned, I began to hand sew all the bodice pieces together with a basic basting stich. This was the most time consuming, because everything was made by hand.
This is how the bodice looked once it was completely done. All of it was hand sewn together.
Putting on the sleeves was difficult, but the pattern did a good job of explaining how to do it. Also in this image, you can see the lace details added around the neckline.
Since I had no idea how to make a corset, I just added snaps to the back of the garment. Although, I did struggle a bit hand sewing the snaps.
By the time I got the skirt, I needed to machine sew the rest of the garment if I wanted to finish on time. Since the skirt is all about volume, I needed to gather all around the skirt. Also, because women back in the 18th century used to wear another underskirt, I added another layer of solid colored fabric to give it the effect of an underskirt.
Final Look: Front without pannier
Final Look: Back without pannier
Final Look: Front with pannier
Final Look: Back with pannier
Final Look: Side with pannier Â
The pattern I used for the gown also included how to construct a side pannier. Since I wasn’t able to find bonding, I utilized wire. Although it didn’t come out as sturdy like the original ones, it still works fine.
The wire is sewn inside ribbon. In order for it to hold its shape it had to be cut in a circle and connected by the ends. Before, I tried placing only half the wire in the ribbon, but it would loose its shape and collapse.
Final Look: Pannier
My Inspiration
Felicity Merriman: An American Girl Williamsburg, 1765 Â