The AMERICAN DUCHESS Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking How to Hand Sew Georgian Gowns and Wear Them with Style Lauren Stowell Founder of American Duchess And Abby Cox Begin Reading Table of Contents About the Authors Copyright Page Thank you for buying this Page Street Publishing Co. ebook. To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters. Or visit us online at us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: http://us.macmillanusa.com/piracy. This book is dedicated to all the nameless dressmakers and milliners throughout history. Thank you. What This Book Is All About Dear Reader, Welcome to the wild world of eighteenth-century historical costuming. Within these pages we will take you on a dressmaking journey through the Georgian era, helping you to learn about, create and dress in four types of gowns and their accessories. Our goal with The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking is to turn our research and experience into an accessible book that will take you from your first project to that fabulous finished ensemble. We encourage you to use our instructions stitch-for-stitch or as jumping-off points for creating outfits that represent your unique style. Finally, when we set out to write this book, we wanted above all else to show how fun and exciting the eighteenth century can be. Though it might seem intimidating, we know you can do it! Stay fabulous and sew fearlessly! So You Want to Sew an Eighteenth-Century Gown, Eh? The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking is divided into four beefy chapters, each representing a different type of gown common in the eighteenth century. We’ve also included the accompanying accessories, or millinery, needed to create a full, accurate ensemble for each gown. You will find caps, hats, aprons, mitts, kerchiefs, muffs and more, plus a section at the end of each chapter showing how to get fully dressed in all the wonderful things you just made. Our intent is to illustrate how important the combination of all of these pieces is in creating that “stepped out of a portrait” look. All of the projects in this book are hand sewn with period-correct methods, which differ greatly from modern techniques. Scary though it may be, we encourage you to learn and follow the hand-stitching techniques. For Georgian gowns, these methods genuinely make construction easier, and the resulting gown and accessories are more accurate, attractive and well-made than those sewn on a machine. Time- consuming? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. With hand sewing in mind, you will notice that we use thread of two different weights. The choice to use “quilter” weight (#30) thread for our seams and bodice construction and the more normal weight (#50) for hems and finer sewing, follows the same decisions made by eighteenth-century dressmakers. You will also notice that we used silk almost exclusively, but it is just as accurate to use cotton or linen thread for your gown construction. We’ve chosen linen for all the gown linings in this book, as it was ubiquitous in its use as lining fabric for women’s gowns during the eighteenth century. While we talk about the benefits of linen as a textile here, using linen for your linings will help provide a stable and authentic structure for your gowns. Finally, we have not included patterns or instructions for making your own stays (corset). Stay making is a complicated and time-consuming endeavor that warrants even more publications than what already exist. For every gown in this book, we wear a different style of stay, essential in creating the specific silhouette of each time period. Though we could not include stay making here, you will need to have stays before making your gown. Just remember to have fun, be bold and sew without fear! PATTERNS: PAPER OR GRIDDED OR DRAPED? OH MY! While we all strive to be as historically accurate as possible, sometimes modernity and life make it borderline impossible. For example, one of the biggest issues with eighteenth-century dressmaking is finding the balance between paper patterns and draping. Most modern seamstresses prefer to use paper patterns, but in the eighteenth century, mantua makers cut and fit the gowns directly on their clients. It doesn’t mean that paper patterns didn’t exist; tailors used paper shapes when constructing men’s garments, and milliners used them for different accessories. Mantua makers did not seem to work this way, though. But that doesn’t always work for us, does it? Sometimes finding that balance between accessibility and accuracy is a struggle. When we made the gowns for this book, we used gridded or scaled patterns in published books or websites for our starting points, noted at the start of each chapter, and then draped the shapes directly on the model. We realize that draping is an advanced, complex technique in itself, so to help find a balance between paper patterns and draping, we have included gridded patterns of the linings used in our gowns. This way, you can see the shape of the gown lining you will need, scale or drape and adjust them to fit you and build the gown upon your fitted lining. It’s important to note that these patterns are direct copies of our linings, and they reflect our different proportions, measurements and quirks. You will need to make adjustments for your own proportions, measurements and quirks. FITTING YOUR MOCK-UP When starting with our lining shapes or a paper pattern, it is essential to first create a muslin mock-up to sort out any major fitting issues. Below, we walk you through how to fit a mock-up using our gridded patterns. If you choose to use a preprinted paper pattern, cut out the larger size to fit your mock-up. This reference can also be used in correspondence with the fitting guides seen throughout the book. 1. Measure yourself (or your model) and compare the measurements to that of the lining you wish to use. Adjust the lines accordingly to better accommodate your shape. 2. Cut out the lining shapes in muslin, adding 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) seam allowance on all sides. Check grain lines to make sure they correspond with the pattern. 3. Roughly pin the seams together and try the mock-up on over all the underpinnings. Pin the front in place. 4. With a pencil, mark and/or adjust where the muslin bodice is too short or too long, if the shoulder straps are too loose or the neckline gapes open, if the armscyes are too low and open, and if the fit is too loose or too tight. Refer to the Troubleshooting Guide (here) for common fitting wrinkles and rumples. 5. Smooth the bodice, pinching up the seams and repinning to adjust the fit. If needed, clip into the waist edge, pulling down on the bodice while folding the excess upward, and pin. Smooth the excess toward the center front and center back seams, repinning and marking as you go. 6. With a pencil, sketch along the waist fold, the base of all the seams on both sides and the shoulder straps. Also take this opportunity to draw the neckline just as you want it. 7. Need to extend or fill in a bit? If the waist is too short, shoulder straps too broad or your armscye too low and wide, pin a scrap of muslin in