I was asked a few weeks ago how to create this hairstyle with shoulder length hair: Post on how to create this look HERE
Now women in the 19th century would use hair rats, which are little rolls of their hair that either fell out or was brushed out. Of course going that route is still an option, but I did a little research and found a great way to create a hair rat for your 19th century hairstyles the 21st century way! All you need is a sock bun and a pair of scissors!
Piping is a fantastic way to add a little extra flair to your historical gowns, as well as added durability. It is very easy to make your own. All you will need is bias tape, cording, pins, and a zipper foot for your machine.
Step 1: Assemble all the needed materials.
Step 2: Pin the cording into the bias tape by folding the tape in half and pinning right next to the cording.
So I am working on a new outfit which requires a lot of pressed ruffles. I thought that I would show you how I made the ruffles that are attached to the skirt. May I recommend a good movie to help with the monotony.
So however many yards of fabric you want your skirt to be, you will need that many for the ruffles. I had 5 yards for the skirt, thus 5 for the ruffles.
Start by cutting the ruffle yardage in half. You will end up with four very long pieces.
Then fold each strip in half and hem.
Then take the strips and press them so the seam is in the middle. The side with the seam will be your wrong side and the non-seamed side will be the right side.
Attach all the strips together so you have one long strip.
Begin pressing the pleats. You can make them as wide as you would like. Don’t worry about the pleats falling apart as you press. The “crimps” you make with the iron will hold until you sew the pleats together.
Then stitch the pleats on the right side. You can place the seam anywhere you want. I put mine around an inch from the top.
Then attach the ruffle to your hemmed skirt. Again, place the ruffle anywhere you want. I have my ruffle extending 2 inches from the hem of the skirt.
Stich away.
I also am using a lot of black velvet ribbon for trim so I attached the trim to the ruffle and stitched over the original stitching line so it won’t be seen.
This is how it will look after the ruffle and trim is attached.
Make your skirt as usual, press and voila…a beautiful pleated skirt!
