This is my Victorian corded petticoat. It’s just a short petticoat – about knee-length. Usually, stiffened underskirts, such as horsehair crinolines, cage crinolines and corded petticoats, were shorter than over-petticoats in the mid-Victorian era: 1858 painting, ca. 1835 short whalebone crinoline, 1858 cage crinoline and 1857 cage crinoline at the MET museum.

I used a stiff, green and brown checked cotton fabric which I had in my stash. By the way, not all underwear was white: Old patterned skirts were sometimes refashioned into underwear when they became too frayed to be worn as skirts, particularly by the lower classes. I based the cording on antique Victorian corded petticoats such as this 1830s corded petticoat at the MET museum.

With the many rows of cording my Victorian corded petticoat is really stiff and creates the fashionable mid-Victorian bell-shaped silhouette, but I find cotton petticoats without cording more comfortable to wear.

Related: Comparing Victorian Skirt Supports: Corded, Tucked And Quilted Petticoats

Update: I made another Victorian corded petticoat.