1780s Dress Trimming

When you start looking at 1780s gowns you notice that a fair number were untrimmed and that many were made of linen or cotton chintz. I have chosen to make a special gown of printed silk, and to trim it as was done on the Snowshill gown.

Above is a diagram of the trim from Janet Arnolds Patterns of Fashion I of another gown, yet it looks similarly folded to the cream silk polonaise I am copying. The trim is sewn around the neckline and down the front edges of the overskirt. In the drawings of this gown it is hard to see the whole trim, and only on close examination do we see how it is actually made.

The skirt trim is shown above. Below is a close-up of the trim, showing a stuffed circular puff at regular intervals.

I plan to cut long strip of self-fabric and then to sew narrow trimmings onto each side of the strips before folding and attaching. I don't think I will have a chance to bring out my new 'old' hand pinking tools with this dress unless I choose to do a pinked flounce on the underskirt.