Category Archives: 18th Century

Medieval Stockings

7th July 201718th Century18th century, accessory, blue, finished historical costume, hand sewing, medieval, sewing, underwear, working womanLina

I wanted to sew woven fabric stockings for a long time, and now I’ve finally sewn a pair of medieval fabric stockings! I like how they turned out. And they’re more comfortable to wear than I thought! Continue reading Medieval Stockings →

Making A Clocked Stocking Pattern

29th November 201618th Century, Sewing & Crochet18th century, DIY, sewing, tutorial, underwearLina

I used my stocking pattern to make a pattern for 18th century clocked stockings. Continue reading Making A Clocked Stocking Pattern →

18th Century/ Victorian Cotton Pockets

12th June 20151840-60 - Victorian, 18th Century18th century, finished historical costume, underwear, victorianLina

Pockets in the 18th century and the 1840s-60s were worn over the petticoats and under the skirt. The skirt had openings in the side seam to access the pockets. Continue reading 18th Century/ Victorian Cotton Pockets →

18th Century Winter Clothing

26th March 201518th Century18th century, dress, finished historical costumeLina

I thought it’d be fun to take some photos of my 18th century clothing in the snow. It was a very cold winter day and everything was covered in snow. Later it even started to snow! 😀 Continue reading 18th Century Winter Clothing →

18th Century Blue Linen Jacket

24th March 201518th Century18th century, blue, dress, finished historical costume, hand sewing, upcyclingLina

For my mid-18th century blue linen jacket I repurposed the fabric from an 1980s dress – I was thrilled when I tested the fabric and it was linen! 🙂 But it meant I just had a limited amount of this fabric. The color was also perfect as linen could’ve been dyed blue with indigo or woad in the 18th century. Continue reading 18th Century Blue Linen Jacket →

18th Century Spiral Lacing

12th March 201518th Century18th century, corset, dress, tutorial, underwearLina

18th Century Front Lacing Stays Spiral Lacing — 18th Century Linen Stays

18th century clothing was often closed with pins – like the bodice of the 1780s “The Watercress Girl” – lacing, buttons or hooks & eyes. If lacing was used, it was usually spiral lacing, not crisscross lacing. For spiral lacing, two of the lacing holes at the beginning and end are spaced closer together. Continue reading 18th Century Spiral Lacing →

18th Century Hand-Plaited Straw Bergère Hat

12th March 201518th Century18th century, DIY, finished historical costume, hat, haymaking, straw, upcyclingLina

Bergère hats were popular in the 18th century. A bergère is a hat with a low crown and wide brim and was usually made of straw. Despite the name – bergère means shepherdess in French – bergère hats were also worn by rich women.

Inspired by antique 18th century straw bergère hats like this 18th century straw bergère hat at the MET museum, I made this straw hat from scratch! I used wheat straw, soaked it in water to make it bendable, braided it into a long braid and then stitched the straw braid together with invisible stitches. Continue reading 18th Century Hand-Plaited Straw Bergère Hat →

18th Century Lappet Cap

28th February 201518th Century18th century, accessory, cap, hand sewing, working womanLina

18th Century Dress, Fichu And Cap — 18th century short gown

This is my 18th century lappet cap. It’s suitable for a mid-18th century working woman. You can see working women wear lappet caps in these two paintings by Chardin and Hendriks. The lappets can also be pinned up like here. Continue reading 18th Century Lappet Cap →