How to sew Belle Epoque Underwear, or: Recreating 130 year old drawers with TV102

[@EngineeringKnits]

I'm so close, yet so far from finishing my Belle Epoque underwear (just 10982334856 hours of lace knitting to go)! What do you think of my extant victorian drawers and the closed-crotch? (p.s. in the undergarment reveal footage I'm wearing something underneath since it is split crotch, so it won't be indecent!)

[@Griiisetryne]

This cold Norwegian immediately looked up the knit combination pattern 😂 Maybe if I start now, I may finish it 'till next winter :D

[@alexismontez4230]

I knit too, but the endless stockinette would kill me. Lace or nothing! I'd either get my knitting machine out, or sew them from knit fabric, like long johns

[@inchb.wigglet640]

I am making a set from a wool silk blend and they are lovely.

[@rhondacrosswhite8048]

My grandmother made crochet lace. All her bed linens, doilies, antimacassars and gloves were made of or trimmed with her lace. It looked to be a fairly swift project for edging lace.

[@sandrareed9640]

I've been stuck on the drawers for about a month simply because of the same issue you had with the drawer opening! Thank you so much for explaining this. I'm a big visual learner and so far I've found only your video and one other on these. The other video skipped this step because of the same confusion. Thank you for solving this horrible explanation in the instructions.

[@SachiNighte]

I think that the crotch was probably sewn shut later, maybe in the teens or twenties when foundational wear became less structured. I would think teens because drawers came back into relative popularity during that time due to fabric shortages.

[@lunegarcia4087]

They look really nice! About the closed crotch on your extant garment, it was probably sewn shut at a later time, after closed crotches became a thing

[@Alweenify]

I am one of the ones who loved your sweater last time and immediately went looking for the pattern - so I watched this video whilst working on my very own Rowena sweater! I am far more of a knitter than a seamstress, but these drawers look amazingly comfortable - I also wear a lot of long skirts and dresses so if I manage to conquer my fear of the sewing machine I think I'll definitely attempt them for more everyday use.

[@zenpenaloza7189]

Love bloomers 🤩 with dress

[@NemuiLiz]

Omg thank you so much...the front and back drawer facings were making me crazy! That explains alot!!! Thank you so much!

[@l.m.2404]

My grandmother did the type of knit lace that you are learning to make. I can hardly wait for next week! :)

[@speedfinder1]

Beautifully made under garments and they look comfortable for you to wear. They are an excellent example of what "Real Women" would have made for themselves in days gone by. As to the "Practical needs of women in the 1890s" We have to remember that our buildings from that time, were very much less warm, and draught free. Domestic homes in the 19th century also lacked most of the generally accepted sanitary installations that we now see as commonplace. The sewn up "Genuinely period drawers" you managed to find, may have belonged to a lady who had a very well appointed home with modern plumbing and a dedicated bathroom which was not a "Thing" until well into the 20th century Perhaps, as some other comments mention, the drawers could well have had a long life and been worn well into the 1920s or later.....

[@CrystalPegasusCostumes]

The chemise and drawers look lovely as they are, and I can't wait to see them with the lace!

[@JamieTheMime]

So excited to see the knitting next time! I'm glad they're so comfortable :D

[@JustSaralius]

Just before you said that the drawers were so comfortable you didn't want to take them off, I thought "man, those drawers look super comfy!" XD The ensemble looks great already, so I bet it's gonna look stunning with the lace trim! 😍 That lipstick looks fantastic btw! 👌

[@JustSaralius]

About why the extant garment is not open crotch - I would recommend Bernadette Banner's recent video (if you haven't already watched it) on how women went to the bathroom back in the times of big dresses and multi-layered undergarments. Link here for convenience: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2eqkJ9_eZmCgsk In reference to Bernie's video, my guess is that they were always closed, but since that made them rather impractical, they weren't used much, which would explain why they survived and look quite pristine even now. But it's hard to say without looking at the stitch-work. Try looking at the thread and stitches of the side seams versus the crotch seam and see if they look at all different. If they look the same or very similar, I'd say they were always closed. If they had been sewn shut decades later, odds are the seams and thread would look at least somewhat different in the crotch compared to the other seams.

[@caroline7420]

I absolutely love the ticking of your watch!

[@aquaaurora2747]

Thank you for going over the front and back facing! I am still a new sewer and this step just stumped me for a long while so I came looking for a video to help figure it out.

[@laurensternenberg7635]

I’ve just started this same pattern, but I’m going to use them as pjs. I do believe I’ll sew the split crotch closed.

[@fiesehexe8133]

Acutally I could imagine that that's why they have been sewn closed later on. Someone reused them as PJ bottoms maybe

[@celticgoddess81]

OOO this is going to be lovely! Have you thought of making a new dressform cover for your display one and stuffing it to your size? Rebecca from Pocket full of posies did that for her and she really likes it. You can find the pattern from Bootstraps Patterns. :D

[@CastielWillow]

Yay! I've been eagerly awaiting this series. You never disappoint!

[@martyquinn_6784]

Try to look at the seam: if they are different, someone modified tham at sone point. There are some pairs of drawers that were close(for some reasons😅)

[@Chrisflowgrows]

Thank you!!!! I struggled with the drawers on this pattern so much! Thought I was going crazy

[@janisi9262]

You did an especially lovely job on those drawers - they look great! Imagine that sweater in City Tweed DK...

[@mandylavida]

Can't wait for part 2!

[@marinalenzi3150]

Can’t wait to see the finished project!

[@westervonburgermeister9877]

Nice looking pair of binoculars in the background, curious about the brand/vintage.

[@magic_sjs5623]

This was a fun video as always!

[@1990Phillip]

Back in 1890 as a hobby / sport for women was bicycling and women cycling uniform looked more male like. Women needed to wear closed drawers or bloomers so that when riding there bits would not show. Also they were like that for riding horses too and to do sports. Here are some examples of Lady's cycling uniform. ophelia.sdsu.edu:8080/henryford_org/03-25-2015/exhibits/pic/2005/june.asp.html www.victoriana.com/Fashion/cycling-clothing.html i.pinimg.com/originals/9f/61/ac/9f61acfe442a4bab0ae2cb48aa912ed6.jpg www.sheilahanlon.com/?p=2140

[@louiseedgecumbe318]

I have drafted patterns before and you are correct that there should be 3 notches to match the back. When drafting it is known that anything that goes to the back has 2 notches, perhaps the facing was drafted later? Or just a mistake that we all make from time to time. I'm dreadful at transferring notches and marks to the material.

[@J8n3eyr3]

Could the sewing closed have been for casual horseback riding?

[@womensarmycorpsveteran2904]

I would have to adapt the lace to crochet just because it’s faster & I can knit but my knitting never seems to come out right, I get frustrated and quit. I can pretty much crochet anything.

[@half-caffcrochet]

You have the same mannequin that I do! I have named mine Chloe. 😄

[@sandrareed9640]

For the leg bands. Since you are leaving out the lace for now, did you sew both leg bands (2 pair) together as if there was a ruffle between them and then to each leg or did you just use one leg band for each leg (instead of cutting out 4 total, 2 for each leg) and just sew it to the leg then flip it and whip stitch it inside? Not sure if this makes sense.

[@kikidevine694]

My mum grew up in the sixties, and she bought these, and sewed the crotch so she could wear them as summer clothes.

[@constanzeheim]

Drawers were sold either open or closed, they would be the exact same pattern though.

[@TheCrazygeekgirl1]

I really need to stop watching costube videos it makes me want to make too many things at once

[@cliffp.8396]

If you haven't already found her may I recommend Cathy Hay (KZbin), she's a fiber craft creator and mathematician. I'm thinking of her video wherein she demonstrates the measurement and pattern drafting of famous dress maker 'House of Worth'. Your engineering training will lend itself easily to understanding her in the pattern creating technicals. I hope the helps you in your pattern drafting efforts.