It’s not everyday that one is fortunate enough to handle an 18th century robe a la francaise. While dressing for the upcoming Timeline exhibit I snapped a couple of details to share. None of the expensive silk faille went to waste. The widths of fabric making up the skirt and petticoat were stitched using the selvedges as seam allowance. In the picture below you can catch a glimpse of the pink and blue stripes of the selvedge peeking out behind the small hand stitches.
Just wait until you see the entire dress. It’s in the photo studio right now so be sure to check in tomorrow!
Joanne Arnett, Curatorial Assistant
how many stitches to the inch does this represent? There is nothing to identify the scale.
Hello Jean-Marc,
The seams on the petticoat and the skirt of the robe, like the one pictured above, average around 8 stitches per inch.
Thank you for this post! Visual stitch documentation, like fabric documentation, is rare and wonderful. If you all have a chance and interest, we’d love to know more!