Quilted Petticoat thumbnail 1
Quilted Petticoat thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Quilted Petticoat

1740-1760 (made), 1870-1910 (altered)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Woman’s petticoat of Ivory silk satin, lined with unbleached linen and wadded with wool. It is quilted in running stitch with white silk thread in a horizontal pattern of undulating lines against a fish-scale ground around the hem and a chevron pattern above. At the hip level there is a narrow horizontal border of lozenges. The petticoat is made of 6 panels of silk with pocket openings cut into each side panel and self-bound. The hem is bound with ⅞-inch (2.0 cm) wide pale blue silk ribbon.

The petticoat was altered, probably in the late 18th century for a taller wearer and the embroidery was probably added at this time. Floral sprigs worked in silk twist in yellow, cream, shades of brown, blue, pink and green were embroidered in satin and stem stitches randomly over the quilting.

The petticoat was altered in the late 19th century, probably for fancy dress. The waist binding and ties were removed, the back waist gathered and rebound.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk, linen; hand-woven, satin weave, hand-sewn, hand-embroidered, hand-quilted
Brief description
Woman's petticoat, 1740-1760, British; ivory silk satin, quilted and embroidered with floral sprigs, altered 1870-1910
Physical description
Woman’s petticoat of Ivory silk satin, lined with unbleached linen and wadded with wool. It is quilted in running stitch with white silk thread in a horizontal pattern of undulating lines against a fish-scale ground around the hem and a chevron pattern above. At the hip level there is a narrow horizontal border of lozenges. The petticoat is made of 6 panels of silk with pocket openings cut into each side panel and self-bound. The hem is bound with ⅞-inch (2.0 cm) wide pale blue silk ribbon.

The petticoat was altered, probably in the late 18th century for a taller wearer and the embroidery was probably added at this time. Floral sprigs worked in silk twist in yellow, cream, shades of brown, blue, pink and green were embroidered in satin and stem stitches randomly over the quilting.

The petticoat was altered in the late 19th century, probably for fancy dress. The waist binding and ties were removed, the back waist gathered and rebound.
Dimensions
  • Waist to hem at centre front length: 102.0cm (approx)
  • Side to side at hem width: 123.5cm (approx)
  • Silk, selvedge to selvedge width: 43.5cm (approx)
  • Quilting pattern, top of stitching to hem depth: 84.5cm (approx)
Credit line
Given by Mrs H. H. Fraser
Collection
Accession number
T.430-1967

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Record createdSeptember 24, 2007
Record URL
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