ABSTRACT
In this chapter you will learn to drape and construct the Elizabethan basque and the Elizabethan cartridge pleated skirt. Scaled patterns are also included at the end of this chapter. This chapter assumes you already have an Elizabethan corset, farthingale and/or petticoat, and bum roll for your performer. If you wish to create any of these, please refer to Chapter 10. Draping the basque along the waist. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_3_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
To drape the skirt basque, begin with a 10″ × 20″ piece of muslin. Mark a center front guideline 1″ from the 10″ long edge. Mark a waist guideline 3″ from the 20″ long edge. Working on a dress form and over your bodice mockup, pin the basque center front to the waistline center front. Smooth the fabric a few inches along the waistline and pin to the bodice waistline. You will discover the fabric does not want to do this smoothly. If you snip into the fabric from the top edge to just above the waistline, the fabric at the waist will be free to curve smoothly around the body. Continue pinning and snipping around to the side seam. Marked basque drape. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_4_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
Mark the waistline and the side seam. The side seam should run perpendicular to the waist seam. Mark the placement of the front bodice edge by tracing the lower edge of the bodice while on the form, as shown. Add a notch mark where the waistline and bodice meet. Make note of the distance between this mark and the center front of the waistline—this distance will be used later when draping the skirt. Draping the back of the basque. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_5_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
Repeat this entire process for the back section. Remove both pattern pieces from the dress form.
Lay both pattern pieces out on pattern paper. Transfer lines using a tracing wheel and tracing paper. The width of the basque should measure 3″ down from the waistline. Mark this width on your paper pattern. At the center front, the width of the basque extends to 1″ below the bodice placement line. Using a ruler, blend the 3″ width line down to the point on the center front line that lies 1″ below bodice placement. Using a ruler and French curves, true the lines. Truing the seams on the paper pattern. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_9_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
True the seams and cut your patterns from paper. Mark with the appropriate cutting information. The front piece should be cut on the fold and you should cut two of the back pieces. Also note that the grain line on these pieces should run on the bias. This means the grain line is marked at a 45 degree angle from the center front and center back lines. Fabric laid out for cutting. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_11_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
On a cutting table, lay out your skirt mockup fabric as well as flat lining fabric. Pin all layers together, lay your pattern pieces out and pin into place. Trace all seam lines and add seam allowances by measuring out from the perimeter of your pattern. Suggested seam allowances for this basque are:
2″ at center back
3/4″ at the waistline
1/2″ at the hem
1 1/2″ at the side seams
The basque during construction. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_13_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>Cut out your basque pieces, keeping the layers of fabric together by pinning in the interior of your marked basque pieces. Refer to chapter 7, step 9–17 for more detailed instruction on laying out fabric and patterns, adding seam allowances, pinning, and cutting.
To construct the skirt basque, baste stitch the flat lining fabric to your mockup fabric on the marked seam lines. Serge the edges together around each piece and sew the side seams together, matching marked stitch lines. Press the side seams open. Place on a dress form after construction to check the fit. Stitching grosgrain ribbon to the seam allowance of the basque. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_15_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
Pin grosgrain ribbon to the waistline, aligning the bottom edge of the ribbon with the waistline seam. Sew the grosgrain ribbon to the waistline making sure the ribbon is smooth and flat as it is sewn. Snip into the waistband seam allowance at regular intervals to allow the ribbon to lie flat against the body. Do not cut into the ribbon itself. Sew a second length of grosgrain ribbon to the back of the first ribbon, stitching along both the top and bottom edges. This effectively encases the raw edge of the waist and builds a sturdy base for your cartridge pleated skirt. Completed basque. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_18_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
Congratulations! You have completed the skirt basque. In the following steps you will learn how to draft and construct an Elizabethan skirt, which will use this basque as the anchor for the cartridge pleats.
Begin draping the skirt with a length of muslin 8–10″ wider than the center front waist-to-floor measurement for your performer and 2 1/2 yards long. If you desire more fullness in your skirt you will need to cut a longer piece of muslin, but 2 1/2 yards is an appropriate level of fullness to start with. The fabric will be oriented on the body so that the selvedge edges run parallel to the floor. Draw a center front guideline 2″ in from the cut edge of the fabric; this line should run the full width of the muslin. Mark a point on this line 4″ down from the top selvedge edge; this mark indicates the level of the waistline at the center front. Mark another point on this center front guideline that extends below your original waistline equal to the distance of your performer’s waist-to-low-hip measurement. In our example this was 8″ down from the waistline. This point indicates the placement of the horizontal balance line. Extend this into a line that is parallel to the selvedge edge of the fabric and runs the full length of the fabric. Pin the fabric to your dress form, matching the center front waistline mark on your fabric to the center front waistline of your form. This should be done over any undergarments such as a petticoat or bum roll. Pinning fabric in large sections. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_20_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
Keeping the horizontal balance line parallel to the floor and the center front grain line perfectly vertical, pin the fabric to the waistline in large sections moving around the body to the center back. Allow the circumference of the hem of the skirt to lay flat against the petticoat. Some drapers will find it helpful to use a length of elastic pinned around the waistline to help control the fabric as they work. Fabric may be pinned to the waistline in either pleats or gathers. Marking waistline on skirt. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_24_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
Continue gathering or pleating the fabric around the waistline, working each larger section into a series of smaller gathers or pleats. Check your center front grain line and horizontal balance line often to ensure the skirt doesn’t pull from the front and hangs level to the floor. Once you are satisfied with the fullness and arrangement of your skirt, mark the waistline directly onto the muslin. Also, transfer the notch marking you made on your basque in Step 2 to your skirt muslin. You can do this by measuring the distance from the notch mark you made in Step 2 and the waistline center front point on your basque. Then, measure this distance from the waistline center front point on your skirt muslin along the waistline and over all gathers.
Mark the placement of the side seam and the center back seam at the waistline. In order to extend these marks the full length of the skirt you will need to establish a plumb line to assist you in drawing a true vertical. Pin a length of cord or string to the center back at the waistline. Attach a small weight to the other end of the line and let it hang freely. In this example I have used a small pair of scissors. You can use this line to mark the center back line.
Now remove the fabric from the dress form and transfer to the cutting table. Using a hip curve and a ruler, smooth out all marked straight lines and curves. At this point, you will transfer the draped skirt pattern to paper. Lay your fabric out onto pattern paper and transfer the corrected lines to the paper with a tracing wheel. Remove the fabric, true the seams, confirming that the measurements of corresponding seams are the same, and cut out your paper pattern. Label your pattern with the necessary cutting information.
Lay your mockup fabric out on a cutting table, aligning selvedge edges with the edge of the table. Lay your pattern pieces out on the fabric, aligning grain lines and pinning into place. Mark seam lines by tracing around your paper pattern, add seam allowances, and cut out your skirt pieces.
Suggested seam allowances are:
4″ at the hem
2″ at the center back seam
1″ at the side seams, and
3″ at the waistline.
Congratulations! Your skirt pattern is complete and you are ready to begin construction. Measuring out bias strips. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_31_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>For the construction of this skirt you will need approximately 5 yards of 3″ bias strips cut from baby flannel. These may be purchased or created. To create these strips from yardage of baby flannel, you will need to identify the bias grain of the flannel which runs at a 45 degree angle from the straight-of-grain. Draw six or more cutting lines 3″ apart, cut out the strips, and sew the ends together as pictured in Figure 9.33. Press the seams open and trim the tips of the seam allowance even with the fabric edge. Center front seams of skirt sewn together. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_35_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
Sew center front seams together along seam lines and press open. Sew two lines of basting stitches 1/8″ on either side of waistline between the notches marked in Step 11. These are gathering stitches and will be drawn up later in the construction process. Bias strip pinned to seam allowance. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_37_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
Lay bias strips on the waistline seam allowance from the notches to the center back. Topstitch the bias strip to the seam allowance just above, but not directly on, the waistline seam.
Serge the edge of the skirt seam allowance with the bias strips facing down to reduce rumpling. Fold over the seam allowance at the waistline seam, along the edge of the bias strip, and press. At this point, the bias strip will be between two layers of muslin.
To create your cartridge pleating you must first mark a series of placement dots, which will guide your sewing. To do this, refer to the Cartridge pleating template provided at the end of this chapter. Transfer the markings on this template to 3″ × 5″ index card as shown in Figure 9.42. Punch a hole through each mark in the card to create a stencil for your dots. Mark the cartridge pleating dots along the folded edge, starting at the notch and continuing to the center back.
Pin the skirt to the basque, oriented as shown in Figure 9.44 and matching center fronts and front waist notches. Pull basting threads on the skirt between the notches to gather the fabric up. Arrange and even out the gathers, pinning along the basque waistline.
Machine sew the skirt to the basque at the waistline from notch to notch. Sew through all gathering stitches. Long double-layer thread. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_48_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
With very long double-layer heavy thread or Hymark, hand sew through the cartridge pleating dots. Begin threading at the front of the skirt so that the knotted end of the thread is secured at the the front waist notch. Pull the threads evenly to create pleats. For this step, I prefer to have five needles threaded and ready to go before I start. This allows me to sew and pleat entire sections at one time, rather than sewing each row separately. Cartridge pleats evenly arranged. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_52_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
Line up the top edge of the pleats with the waist seam on the basque and evenly distribute the folds from the front waist notch to the center back. Pin the pleats to the waist seam and hand sew the top of the pleated folds to the basque at the waistline. If your fabric is especially heavy or thick, you may want to stitch each fold twice. From the inside of the basque, sew the lower edge of the pleated folds to the basque from the notches to the center back. Make sure the pleats remain straight and are sewn perpendicular to the waistline, not angled. Add a skirt hook and bar to the waistline and snaps along the placket facing as closures. Try the skirt on over a corset and bum roll to ensure a proper fit. Adjust the cartridge pleating threads as necessary to even out the pleats around the body. Tack the end of the pleating to the basque to hold everything in place. Bodice pinned to skirt. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780240825113/1cbdc1b5-f77a-47ce-8b3d-f811a3670fa2/content/fig9_56_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
Place the skirt on your performer or on a dress form with a waist to floor height adjusted to that of your performer. With pins, mark the hem level to the floor. This will show where the hem hangs evenly around the body. You can find the final hem level by measuring 1–3″ up from the pins for your desired skirt length.
Add seam allowance to the hem and serge the raw edge of the skirt hem. Turn up the hem at the desired finish length and hem stitch in place.
To attach the bodice to the skirt, put on all costume pieces, including the corset, petticoat, bum roll, skirt, and bodice. Align the center fronts of the bodice and skirt. Pin the bodice to the skirt at the waistline. Next, remove the costume from the body and, working with Hymark thread, hand sew the bodice to the skirt from the front bodice notch (where the cartridge pleating starts) around to a point 2″ from the center back. Swing-tack the bodice center front point to the skirt, anchoring it through the basque layer.
