Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2012 - 54

when corseted. The shelf helps to keep the bust-line high and
defined, creating a more appealing silhouette.
The petticoat was made from natural color, mediumweight muslin supplied by the costume shop. The muslin was
washed first before construction. For the petticoat, a simple
large, rectangular piece was gathered into a muslin waistband.
A twelve-inch ruffle was added at the bottom of the skirt so that
the hem of the petticoat and hem of the ruffle were the same
length. A piece of two-inch horsehair was inserted into the hem,
which caused the petticoat to hang farther away from the actress's feet. The petticoat was cut much longer than desired so
that four rows of tucks could be sewn above the ruffle. Tucks
sewn in the lower part of the skirt are found in many period
garments and were used to easily lower or raise the hem. Like
the ruffle, the tucks also stiffen the fabric, which, again, helped
to kick the petticoat away from the actress's feet.
Our research suggested that to complete the silhouette
either a pannier or false rump was needed. This article of clothing would sit on the hips under the underskirt (or gown petticoat), helping to hold up the weight of the skirt and giving
the wearer a more defined waistline. Knowing that the actress's
movements included sitting on the floor, Chiment opted for the
softer choice of a false rump, or bum roll. Although we did
have bum rolls in stock, we built this one to a specific size that
would enhance the actress's waist without adding too much
bulk to her hips. The bum roll was a simple crescent-shaped
muslin tube that in the eighteenth century was often stuffed with
cork. This bum roll rested on the fullest part of the back hip
and tapered to nothing as it approached and tied in the center
front. This style does not vary from how original bum rolls were
made; the only exceptions are the polyester filling and the fact
that it was sewn by machine rather than by hand.
While waiting on patterns to be drafted, Seeley decided to
make a period pocket out of scraps of embroidered silk from
a previous production. She was inspired by an exhibit catalog
the actress had given the shop several weeks earlier. The exhibit was Pockets of History at the Museum of Costume and
Assembly Rooms, Bath, England, Sept. 27, 2006. Using Linda
Baumgarten's Costume Close-Up: Clothing Construction and
Pattern, 1750-1790, Seeley patterned a pocket that would be
proportionate to the actress and made it out of the scraps of
embroidered silk (fig. 4). Unlike an actual period pocket, this
one eventually was placed between the underskirt and the gown
and was accessed by pulling back the front skirt opening of the
gown. In true period style, a side seam in the skirt would be
open to access the pocket. The pocket was originally made as a
period detail but turned into a necessity, since during rehearsals the actress found she needed to store several hand props
throughout the show.

THe GoWN
On Chiment's first trips to New York to swatch or purchase fabrics, she found an antique-gold silk, embroidered with a floral
pattern in colors reminiscent of the colonial period. Although

theatre design

& technology

spring

2012

machine manufactured, the embroidery was sewn with a chain
stitch which looked similar to the embroidery of the colonial period. This fabric became the inspiration for the costume and was
eventually appliquéd to the front quilted panel of the underskirt.
When the skirt of a gown is open in the center front, the
front of the underskirt is visible. The underskirt is often made
of muslin or cheaper fabric, while only the visible, front panel
is made of the more expensive fashion fabric. In this instance,
the designer originally requested the front panel of the underskirt to actually be quilted in accordance with her period research. Machine quilting can be done for the stage to mimic
hand quilting; however, it is still time consuming even with an
experienced seamstress. Choosing this option would take our
focus away on other time-consuming details, such as the appliquéing technique described below. Since the time allotted for
this project was limited, the decision was made to buy fabric
that was already quilted.
The designer shopped for available fabric that was prequilted in the diamond shaped pattern and color range she had
rendered. She found a piece of quilted fabric that was close
in color and had the diamond-shaped stitching that she had
designed. The fabric was beige and needed to be dyed to match
the antique gold of the embroidered silk. It was assumed the
fabric was cotton, since that was what the designer had requested in the fabric store. Unfortunately, the fabric content turned
out to be wool, and when dyed in hot water, the yardage shrank
to half its original size. Immediately we all scrambled to figure
out a quick solution. One solution was to purchase a manufactured quilted bedcover. As I was ordering the bedspread, the
designer rummaged in the shop's fabric storage bins. Luckily,
a piece of pale yellow silk fabric was found. The silk fabric had
a diamond pattern, made by machine-sewn rows of bias tucks,
giving the illusion of quilted fabric. Although the diamond pattern was not as large as the designer had originally envisioned,
the effect was the same. The silk was much lighter in weight
than an actual quilted piece would have been, so it gave the
underskirt a lighter quality and did not add bulk to the costume
or weight to the actress. The pale yellow silk was easily tinted to
match the antique gold embroidered fabric.
Chiment had designed an underskirt that had an eighteenth-century style of embroidery near the hem. Giving the
underskirt more visual interest was an important design element, since during the show, the actress sat facing the au-

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