I used a Truly Victorian pattern for this petticoat:

The petticoat is made up of a body that is fitted in front, a gathered flounce that can be made with or without tucks, and a ruffle that is gathered and attached to the flounce. With this easy to follow pattern you can make four different variations:

• Early bustle (1870 – 1878): Flounce goes around the entire petticoat and the back is long enough to go over a bustle.
• Natural Form (1879 – 1882): Flounce in back only, ruffle around entire hem, does not fit over a bustle.
• Late Bustle (1883 – 1889): Flounce in back only, ruffle around entire hem, fits over a bustle.
• Belle Epoch (1890 – 1900): Flounce goes around the entire petticoat, does not fit over a bustle.

Since this is for an 1870 bustle dress, I used the early bustle option. Instead of a fabric ruffle, I used some eyelet lace I had in the stash. For the rest of the petticoat I used cotton organdy, which is very light and stiff. I love this fabric for petticoats! They turn out just as stiff as dip starched petticoats and you never have to starch them.

I sewed the body of the petticoat together and then the flounce. I used a 1/4″ guide foot to sew in the tucks in the flounce. For fun I used some insertion beading in the seam between the body of the petticoat and the flounce. To keep the seams neat, I used my serger on the rolled hem setting to join the two pieces to the beading:

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Then I gathered the eyelet ruffle on the serger, and attached it to the flounce using a serger rolled hem.

Finishing consisted of setting on the waistband. Only the two back pieces are gathered onto the waistband, to keep the front flat. The fronts have darts in them to fit smothly over the hip spring of the corset.

Next Up – The Skirt