Horsehair petticoat

[Spinster]

Having gotten my hands on several yards of woven material with a cotton warp and a horsehair weft, I'm looking for surviving examples of 1840's-1850's petticoats made of such.

The only thing I've come up with is this example in the UK

http://www.corsetsandcrinolines.com/timelineitem.php?index=185036

Does anyone have images of American examples of such, line drawings of construction, or written instructions?

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Horsehair petticoat

COOL PROJECT! I'll see what I can dig up in my notes this week, Terre. Do you have a specific time-frame for beginning construction, or a particular "class" window you want to hit for the 40s/early 50s?

I believe Kendra VanCleeve (of http://www.demodecouture.com ) has her notes on a project of similar nature (and while you're poking around the site, look for herself and her companions at Costume Con, doing a Winterhalter painting! http://www.demodecouture.com/projects/eugenie/ Sorry--please, no one follow my poor example and thread-jack, but it's a very cool project, and it nearly killed me to know "what was up" but not say anything for almost a YEAR!)

[Spinster]

Re: Horsehair petticoat

Gracious a'me, what fancy ladies! And what a project. I do hope they went somewhere after that picture was made. :p

As usual, these horsehair petticoats are lower class southern--and we are looking at them for heavy work impresion--as much for protection of legs near fires as anything else.

In working in and around the large dyepots, my normal layers include wool apron, wool dress, starched petticoat, wool petticoat, starched petticoat, linen chemise, wool stockings. Those starched petticoats are a pain to maintain and more apt to catch fire in an environment full of boiling water and flame. Numerous experiments with even very modest cages have proved that either they are unfit for the work, or I am too clumsy to wear them while navigating flame and hefting steaming wool.

Plus, while its possible to run a spinning wheel while wearing a cage, its not comfortable, and the knees are constantly getting caught in the hoop steel. Stiff, but less wirey skirt support gives some relief, especially when the job often requires being up and down to do more than one task.

Petticoat #1 of 3 is actually already under construction, in straight panels gauged into a waistband in back, pleated in front, and tucked at intervals. This allows both experimentation in what is utilitarian for the work, while leaving the fabric in large panels sewing only with hand running stitches, making it easy to remake if it does not work out.

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Horsehair petticoat

One variation you might try is interlining the lower reaches of a very plain petticoat with crinoline fabric--it just gets basted into a shorter (above ankles) petti.

I'll go through notes and such this week.

[Spinster]

Re: Horsehair petticoat

I was considering just that option for Darling Daughter's version of this petticoat--as her day job takes place primarily in the 18th century, she needs the support and protection, but not the fuller 19th century profile.

Several years back, we used some other 'horsehair' as the hem guard on some dresses, sewing a panel about 10 inches up and all the way around inside the bottom of the skirt. While we had NO problem with dampness on the dress bottom, that experiment was less than satisfactory for a number of reasons: (1) It wasn't particularly good 'horsehair'. It was meant for modern men's suit construction and the man-made content was too high. (2) The weight of the dress fabric was not compatible with the weight of the horsehair. (3) The horsehair was too stiff to hang well (again, probably part of the 'man-made' problem.