Saturday, January 1, 2011

Tucked and Tatted Drawers


So here are my finshed drawers. I am so pleased with how they came out, though I am not wild about the fabrick they are done in. They were drafted to my measurements and cut out. I used a tightly woven muslin/cotton sheeting. They are quite sturdy which is historically accurate, but they aren't as soft as I would have liked. I really had trouble finding just the perfect muslin for these. They aren't uncomfortable by any means, but a little stiff and "rustly", this is the perfect fabric for tucked petticoats. (Pictures in a later post) I added free style waves of feather stitching between the tucks and a fine tatted edging with sz 100 tatting thread.
Drawers in the mid 19th century were meant as a serviceable garment, and didn't gain the lace and fancy stuff until later in the 1800's. Laundry was still quite a rough task and laces and flimsy fabrics just wouldn't have held up to the boiling, scrubbing, and soaps that were used. Our foremothers had a good dose of healthy economy and would not have added anything that would have just fallen apart after a washing or two. For those particular females that wanted a little feminine touch, white embroidery and tatting in cotton threads were the common and logical choice.

2 comments:

  1. Did you make the tatted lace yourself? These are really lovely! I never took out the time to make really nice drawers, because I figured, hey...no one else will see them. It's nice to see people who really take pride in their work and go the extra mile. I'm just lazy. I'll go the extra mile on the clothing for my dolls, but never for myself.
    Take Care,
    Robin

    ReplyDelete
  2. Phew, sorry Robin's Egg Blue, I haven't been here for a while so my blog fell be the way. Yes, I did the tatted lace. What an expirament! Size 100 tatting thread and a very tiny tatting needle.

    ReplyDelete