I made this doublet and petticoat in 2005. The doublet is made of black wool and lined in black silk satin. The inner structure of the doublet is based on the woman's doublet depicted in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion. It is interlined in fustian and boned with reeds. The collar and cuffs are decorated with pinked wol and the sleeves and body of the doublet are trimmed with black silk satin tapes applied by had to the doublet. I had orginally intended to close it with buttons but in the end I changed my mind and descided to use hooks and eyes.

The petticoat is made of 5 yards of red shot dupioni silk that is cartrige pleated to the waist band and guarded with a wide black silk guard.

The whole outfit is hand finished and there are no visible machine stitches.

I made these purple wool bodies (and the orange linen petticoat) because I wanted a more working class outfit for days when I wanted comfort and something that I didn't mind working in. The bodies are made of purple wool and lined with fustian. It's boned with reeds. The chanels are all hand worked and it is fully topstiched by hand with yellow cotton thread to add a little decoration. To make it more comfortable to working in it is cut flat at the waist and boned fully in front but on an angle like the Dorthea bodies in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion. They are completely hand finished and have no visible machine stiches.

The petticoat was made of 3 yards of orange linen that is cartrige pleated to the waist band and guarded with a 1 inch wide red linen guard.

What I love most about these bodies is that they allow nearly complete freedom of movement at the waist which is necessary when one is working but not generally found with bodies that are more pointed in the front.