I made my first half-hearted attempt at a Regency petticoat last year. I was trying to use up scraps of the same muslin I made my shift out of, but it was way too much piecing and I was tired of looking at beige and would a beige petticoat even look good under a white dress?
So I gave up on it.
Until recently! I finally got around to ordering fabric for a basic white neo-classical Regency dress. Decisions were made, and I ended up with just enough fabric to make a petticoat. And I do mean just enough.
I was able to get two yards of 90" wide cotton muslin from Joann's. One yard has been set aside for lining the dress bodice, and the rest (about 90"x33") became this petticoat.
With my short stays, my underbust measurement is about 28.5", and I wanted the length of the skirt to be a little over 40". I split my fabric into two 45"x33" panels, then split one of those panels into two 45"x16" panels.
Confused yet? I was.
The 33" wide panel was seamed to one of the 16" wide panels to make up the petticoat skirt. I left the top of one of the seams open so I can get in and out gave the un-seamed edges a rolled hem. I used french seams on the panels because I wanted a quick, clean finish, but I would have used felled seams if I was finishing it by hand.
I used the remaining 33" panel to make three 3" wide strips - for the waistband and shoulder straps - and a back/bum pad.
The opening was designated Center Back and I used that to find and mark Center Front. A .75" pleat was pinned a few inches to each side of Center Front, and I put two more pleats of the same size (forming a box pleat) a few inches beyond that. The top then got pinned to the waistband so I could pleat down the back to fit.
Once the waistband was attached to the skirt, I added a short ribbon drawstring to the back, just over the pleated area, to act as a closure and make the petticoat slightly adjustable.
The 3" wide strips for the straps were sewn into tubes, turned, and pressed. I attached one end of each strap to the back of the skirt, then tried it on to figure out the exact length and placement of the straps in the front.
When I tried it on, I also made note of how much shorter I wanted the skirt to be. I was aiming for about ankle-length, but at that point it dragged on the floor. (I had hemmed it some point prior to this, folding a half-inch up twice to conceal the raw edges.) to shorten the skirt, I added five tucks, alternating between a half and a quarter inch.
And then it was done!
I mentioned something about a back pad though...
In later 1790s and very early 18-aughts, skirts might have a small back or bum pad to poof out the back of the skirt a bit. I used the pattern from "The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking," which results in a half-circle approximately 6" wide and 3" deep, and stuffed it with scrap fabric and thread (in white only, so it wouldn't show through the fabric). I then sewed a small bar/eye at each corner of the pad, and put corresponding bars in the petticoat. Corresponding hooks were sewn to the bottom edge of the petticoat waistband.
My back pad is maybe a bit flatter than it could be, but see how it kind of helps keep the hem of my petticoat from tilting forward? (With the pad on the left, without on the right.)
I'm terribly pleased with how my petticoat came out and more than a little in love with the tucks near the hem! I do have one concern though - the circumference of the hem. The skirt is just a rectangle pleated down a little at the top, it doesn't flare out at all, which limits my stride a bit. I can walk (even scurry), but running and jumping isn't likely to happen without my hiking my skirts up a bit. (How scandalous!!)
Stay safe and stay healthy.
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