Dear Venturers, Good evening! Today I would like to talk about some 18th Century undergarments, why you don't need patterns for most of them, and instructions for making them.  Stays: Please, please, please buy a pattern!!! Shifts: Shifts are surprisingly easy to make. Here's how I made mine...  fold your white linen in half and cut out a rectangle (long enough to reach from your shoulders to below your knee) with the top end (one of the short ends) on the fold.  cut a semi-circle into the center of the folded edge (this will be your neck hole) cut an elongated triangle and two more rectangles (sleeve length) from the linen unfold the main body of the shift and sew in the pieces as shown fold it over again and sew the remaining seams Petticoats: Again, it's not to bad. Here's how I did mine...  You'll  need to start with a very long rectangle of fabric that is as wide as your waist to floor measurement (don't worry about seam allowance because you'll want it...

Dear Blog,  Greetings! As we venture into the past today (in my very first post!), I'd like to talk about  how I made, or, am making, my 18th century cap.  The history: In the 18th century, and way before and after, it was very common for women to have some sort of usually white cap. This could go under another hat such as a, "pancake hat" (the proper name is a bergere hat), or by itself. I wont go too far into detail because I want to talk about the pattern, and I have just shared all my current knowledge on the matter ;)... Here is an example of the cap by itself:  and another... And under a Bergere.... And here is another example, but on a richer woman: And to add in some examples other than 1700 styles, here are a few more: (these two are from the 1800's being sold as antiques)  And these are earlier versions... And then there's this monstrosity... :/ The style: And so, I began to narrow down the styles.The first step is always to look at reliable sources su...