Ruffle Attachment

All six petticoats have a ruffle starting just below knee level. There are variations in how the ruffle is attached to the main body of the petticoat; there is even variation in how ruffles are attached within the same petticoat!

There are a number of instructions for attaching ruffles in the sewing manuals I studied that do not describe any of the techniques used in the six petticoats we’re analyzing. American Dressmaking Step by Step gives 15 different ways to attach a ruffle (lessons 124-139), many of which are similar but not identical to the methods used in our petticoats. Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques describes putting a flounce onto drawers which results in a look similar to the upper flounce on Bess Moser’s Petticoat, but hers uses an applied strip rather then cutting the hem fold.

“A gathered ruffle of either the plain material or of embroidered edging makes a good finish, and this should be inset in the hem, which is cut though its folded edge for this purpose. Each of the two edges of the material thus separated is turned under a quarter of an inch for a seam, the two turnings facing each other, and the gathered and stroked ruffle is basted to the lower edge, and the upper is basted over the seam and stitched to it”(Harris 107)

Bess Moser Petticoat

There are three different ruffle attachment points in Bess Moser’s Petticoat. The first is the top of the tucked tier, around thigh level. Then there are the two decorative ruffles, starting around knee level. The ruffle heads for all three are done differently.

Tucked tier ruffle head	Reverse	Tucked tier construction

 

The tucked tier (also described as the bottom "half" of the body of the petticoat) was gathered and then sewn edge-to-edge with the upper body of the petticoat. The seam allowance faced outwards. Then a 3/8" bias tape (the seam allowance is not included in the measurement) was top stitched over the seam.

The tucked tier is only slightly gathered (about 1.16 times), as the ruffle head measures 53" around and the circumference at the first tuck is only 61.5".

The top ruffle is inserted into a ¼” tuck in the body of the petticoat. The ruffle is about 1.7 times the length of the ruffle head. (The ruffle head measures 70” around and the circumference is 118”.)

Top ruffle head	Reverse	Top ruffle construction
Bottom ruffle head	Reverse	Bottom ruffle construction

 

Lacy Petticoat

This decorative ruffle was basted to the petticoat (some of the basting stitches still remain), and then a ¼” ribbon was topstitched over the join. The ribbon has a raised decoration, which almost looks like embroidery. (It is the same decorative ribbon that tops the dust ruffle). The ribbon is topstitched with very tiny stitches along both edges, sandwiching the top of the ruffle between itself and the petticoat. The decorative ruffle is quite gathered, it’s about 1.9 times the length of the ruffle head. (The ruffle head measures 83.5” around and the circumference is 157” at the first pin tuck.)

Ruffle head	Reverse	Decorative ruffle construction

 

Woven Lace Petticoat

The Woven Lace Petticoat’s decorative ruffle is rather different from all the other decorative ruffles being analyzed; the entire decorative ruffle is one piece of lace. The beading at the top of the lace is woven as part of the lace. The lace is attached to the petticoat by two lines of machine stitching along the top and bottom of the beading. Despite the back of the petticoat looking like it was gathered along the beading, the beading is sewn lat to the petticoat – the gathering effect is due to a slight shrinkage in the lace beading, but it irons flat.

Ruffle head beading without ribbon	Ruffle head beading with ribbon in the beading	Ruffle head from inside

Eyelet Petticoat

The ruffle head at the top of the decorative ruffle (around knee height) is sewn differently then the ruffle head attaching the eyelet ruffle to the hem of the petticoat.

The decorative ruffle is attached to the bottom of the petticoat body by a topstitched bias tape. The raw edge of the petticoat body has no seam finish; it is left loose on the inside of the petticoat. The ruffle is about 1.7 times the length of the ruffle head. (The ruffle head measures 61” around and the circumference is 105”.)

Top ruffle head	Reverse	Top ruffle construction

The eyelet ruffle is only about 1.25 times the length of the ruffle head. (The ruffle head measures 105” around and the circumference is 133”.) The ruffle head is easier to draw then explain.

Eyelet ruffle head	Reverse	Eyelet ruffle construction

This could’ve been achieved in a number of ways; the simplest is:

1. Gather the eyelet ruffle (use a large seam allowance)
2. Fold the seam allowance on the petticoat edge up, towards the inside of the garment. Iron it in place.
3. Pin the gathered ruffle to the folded edge of the petticoat, so that the gathering line is just above the folded edge.
4. Topstitch the edge of the petticoat to the eyelet ruffle along the fold.
5. (Optional) Trim the seam allowance off the petticoat half of the seam allowance.
6. Fold the eyelet ruffle seam allowance around the edge of the petticoat seam allowance. Pin and iron into position.
7. Topstitch along the top folded edge of the seam allowance. (The seam lines should be about ¼” apart).

Embroidered Petticoat

The decorative ruffle in the Embroidered Petticoat is inserted into a ¼” tuck in the body of the petticoat, just like the top decorative ruffle in Bess Moser’s Petticoat.

The Embroidered Petticoat’s ruffle is about 1.4 times the length of the ruffle head. (The ruffle head measures 71.5” around and the circumference at the first tuck is 103”.)

Ruffle head	Reverse	Ruffle construction

 

Cutwork Petticoat

The Cutwork Petticoat is the only petticoat we’re analyzing that use the same method for attaching multiple ruffle heads. The ruffle heads of the cutwork petticoat are inserted into ½” tucks. (Similarly to how the ruffle head on the Embroidered Petticoat was done.) The body of the petticoat does not continue beneath the tuck, instead the bottom edge is folded up into the tuck.

The knee-height decorative ruffle is about 1.6 times the length of the ruffle head. (The ruffle head measures 72” around and the circumference is 116”.) The cutwork ruffle is only slightly gathered; it’s about 1.3 times the length of the ruffle head. (The ruffle head measures 116” around and the circumference is 155”.)

 

Ruffle Hems

There are two kinds of hem treatments seen in the petticoats we’re analyzing:

• Embroidered ruffles that have buttonhole-stitch scallops at the hem
• Ruffles that have lace edging at the hem

 

Embroidered Ruffle Hems

Three of the petticoats hem finishing is the fancy embroidered ruffle at the bottom. In all three cases the bottom of this ruffle is edged with buttonhole-stitch scallops. For more details see the embroidery section in Part 1 of 1890-1910 Petticoats.

Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques says that a gathered embroidered ruffle makes a good hem finish (Harris 107) but none of the manuals give special instructions for attaching an embroidered ruffle rather then a plain ruffle. In fact, most of the 16 illustrations describing ruffle attachment in American Dressmaking Step by Step (lessons 124-139) show embroidered ruffles. None of the instructions for doing buttonhole-stitch scallops given any extra tricks one should use if the scallops are likely to come into contact with the ground.

Eyelet Petticoat hem	Embroidered Petticoat hem	Cutwork Petticoat hem
Reverse	Reverse	Reverse

 

Non-Embroidered Ruffled Hems

Three of the petticoats have lace edging as their hem treatment. For details on how that was attached see the lace edging section in Part 1 of 1890-1910 Petticoats. In the sewing manuals, applying lace edging to the hem is something they talk about for dust ruffles, “Dust ruffles may be finished at the lower edge with a narrow hem; very narrow lace may be used on the edge applied by any of the various methods for finishing.” ( Baldt 241) Lace edging is not specifically called out for other ruffle edges; however both hemming and attaching lace edging tend to be dealt with in the “basic sewing” sections of the manuals, rather then the sections on particular garments. American Dressmaking Step by Step gives 17 different methods to hem and/or face a garment (lessons 85-102) most of which could be easily decorated with lace edging.

Bess Moser Petticoat lace edging at hem	Lacy Petticoat lace edging at hem	Woven Lace Petticoat hem
Reverse	Reverse	Reverse