Before you can get down and dirty (like … really dirty) with dressing your hair, you need something to protect your clothes, furniture, etc., from the hair powder blizzard. Sure, a towel or tablecloth would work fine for this situation, but Georgian women had more pizzazz than that! Long, full and covered in ruffles, the peignoir is the eighteenth-century equivalent of a hair salon cape, but much prettier. We drew inspiration from the large assortment of images depicting women at their toilettes. [20] The pattern is basic in its shape and easy to construct, and most of your time is taken up with hemming the ruffles, which are completely optional.
• 2½–3 yards (2.5–3 m) white cotton voile
• #50 thread
• ½ yard (0.5 m) ½-inch (1.2-cm)-wide ribbon
1. Cut out the peignoir according to the pattern (here) and pin the triangular pieces to the main body as shown in the diagram.
2. Seam the peignoir together using a running backstitch (6 to 8 stitches per inch [2.5 cm]). If you’re seaming raw edges together, use a mantua maker’s seam (6 to 8 stitches per inch [2.5 cm]).
3. Fold the raw edge of the fabric up onto the fashion side of the fabric and running stitch into place. We’re going to cover this raw edge with a ruffle, so it will not be visible. If you have omitted the ruffles, hem this edge to finish.
4. Baste up the edges of the collar, then fold the width of the collar in half and press.
5. Stitch stroke gathers (3 rows) at the neck edge of the peignoir. Gather up the neck to fit the collar, and pin the neck to the inside of the collar.
6. Applique stitch the neck to the collar, catching every bump of the gather.
7. Fold the other half of the collar over the gathered neck, and repeat the applique stitches.
8. Run your ribbon through the collar so it can gather up around your neck when tied.
9. Join the many ruffle pieces together using a mantua maker’s seam.
10. Hem 12 to 13 yards (11 to 12 m) of ruffles using a narrow hem. You’ll want the finished hem to be between ⅛ to ¼ inch (3 to 6 mm) wide. This will take you many moons. Keep hemming. You’re not done yet.
11. After your hands, fingers and eyes have recovered from all of that hemming, whip gather the ruffles to fit around the entire peignoir. The length of the ruffle is 1.5 times the edge of the peignoir. Gather the ruffle in pieces by sewing 12 inches (30 cm) and then drawing up the thread to 8 inches (20 cm). Tack stitch and move to the next section until the entire ruffle is complete.
12. Attach the ruffle to the peignoir using a prick stitch (4 to 5 stitches per inch [2.5 cm]) and you’re done!
