I have now finished both the chemise (camisa) and the petticoat (saia) which is my first layer done.
To put the petticoat together I whip stitched the edges of all the pieces by hand and then whip stitched them together to make up the body of the skirt.
Seam inside skirt
I had to trim some fabric off the hem as the gores were making it uneven. To finish the hem I got one of the strips of fabric I had cut off the edge of the fabric and ironed the raw edge inside it as you would with bias binding. This ironed edge I then whip stitched to the hem of the skirt as a binding.
Hem binding
I then got some strips of wool batting and folded that inside the back of this binding. This is similar to a technique used in 16th century Florence Italy where the extant Red dress at Pisa has a doppia or felt padded hem with a satin covering inside the hem, copertura della doppia (See Landini and Niccoli, Moda a Firenze 1540-1580, p. 74). The wool I used is more like a stuffing than a felt but I wanted the bulk to give the petticoat some body. I also could not at that time find any wool felt in the shops so this was a good alternative! This wool batting keeps the petticoat out from the feet and hopefully provides volume under the skirt of the gown. I am hoping to get the A-line shape of the skirt which is so common across 16th century Europe. I then whip stiched the back edge of this binding strip inside the skirt to form the hem
Hem with padding
To make the waist band I got the other strip of the edge of the fabric. I measured my waist to get the correct dimensions and cut a front and back waist band out of the strip. I wanted to interline the waist band in a firmer fabric as the taffeta lacks the necessary structure. I had some wool/silk blend off cuts from my red silk dress so cut a waist band out of this. I then folded and ironed the strip of embroidered fabric over this to provide an edge and then whip stitched the petticoat fabric to the wool/silk to form one edge of the waistband.
Interlining of waistband
I looked at the length of the top of the skirt compared to the waistband. At the front it was an easy match but at the back the skirt was much bigger so I ran a gathering running stitch by hand and pulled in the skirt to the correct dimension.
To attach the waist band I whip stitched the edge of the waistband to the skirt all the way around and then folded over the waistband, pressed it and sewed into place on the inside of the skirt by (guess what!) more whip stitching!
I had left a 7 inch opening on both sides of the front panel. A friend of mine recommended this as it allowed for a greater flexibility of size of waist band. I used my awl to make a eyelit hole on the waist band on either side of these openings. I sewed around the eyelit holes with red embroidery thread that matched the red flowers on the dress. I also made two strips of left over waist band to serve as placards inside these openings. I had some velvet ribbon I had sewn in half some time ago so I got two lengths of this and threaded it throught the eyelit holes to make two tied closures on both sides of the front. I put aglets at the end of these pieces of lacing to make them last longer and keep the ties in the skirt.
Tie and placard
Skirt back
Eyelit hole and lacing
Overall, I am really pleased with the petticoat. I love how it sits and think the Alcega pattern has a lovely shape to it. I love the fabric I chose which although it is not authentic makes for a very pretty petticoat and particularly like how I used the edge as the waistband and hem. I would in future put a bit more fabric in the back of the skirt and make the lacing cord a bit shorter. I am however very happy with how this garment has turned out.
Skirt front
Layer 1 front
Layer one back
