Back at the Reed Homestead... the ladies and I are pulling out old petticoats that have not yet been cataloged. Nancy Wexford never got to this pile.
We cleaned a corded petticoat last week. Date-wise, we're guessing maybe... 1840s -1860s? That's what I wrote down, anyway. We have pieces that date back to the 1820s, so... ? "Originals by Kay" claims they worn into the 1880s. I've read many different tutorials on how to make a corded tutorial. I followed Elizabeth Stewart Clark's instructions and made my own. However, I've never seen anything like this described anywhere: The fabric was pre-corded at the factory; the cords were actually woven into the fabric. It was woven so that the top was cord-free and could be sewn to a waistband, and the bottom had the cord in sections so that tucks could be inserted in the cordless sections to determine finished length. The fabric was obviously intended for this purpose. We're in North Central Mass., so it's conceivable the fabric was made in a Lowell mill. Or not. I really have no clue. Has anyone ever heard of pre-corded fabric for petticoats? Dede _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
