Category Archives: 18th Century

18th Century Blue Linen Jacket

18th century blue linen jacket, black wool skirt

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 colour was also perfect, as linen could have been dyed blue with indigo or woad in the 18th century. Continue reading 18th Century Blue Linen Jacket

18th Century Spiral Lacing

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

18th century clothing was often closed with pins or lacing (or 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. Here are different kinds of spiral lacing, as well as examples of spiral lacing from the 14th till the 18th century. Continue reading 18th Century Spiral Lacing

18th Century Hand-Plaited Straw Bergère Hat

Hand Braided 18th Century Straw Bergere Hat From Scratch

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