I made weird Victorian underwear (it's a knit onesie!) & a pretty 1890s corset || historical sewing

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Well, well, well, here we are, yet again, another sewing video (what is this insanity?) and more corset content (not because I want to, but because I have to, tbh). Today, we're talking about two garments that I've added to my late Victorian wardrobe - my knit combinations and my late 1890s corset. Mostly though, I want to talk about the knit combinations, cause they're the coolest.

Knit combinations are basically a onesie, that women (and men) wore as underwear. They could be made out of wool, silk, or cotton knit, be full-body (a la long johns) or be sleeveless and just go to the knee (like me), but they were always open crotch/have easy access so you could do your business.

Look, so often we see Victorian women's undergarments as frilly, lace-covered, chemises and drawer combinations that look over the top, uncomfortable, stuffy, or like they're not actually meant to be worn for very long at all (if you get my drift...). Frankly, I find them a bit boring. So, I dived into my research to see what else was out there, and low and behold I found out that late Victorian women also weren't fans of the chemise, but instead were opting for knit vests (re: tank tops) or knit combinations (onesies) to wear under their corsets and dresses.

So, in this video, we are discussing the history of late Victorian women's underwear, going through how I patterned and sewed my Victorian Knit combinations (or Union Suit), as well as my 1890s Victorian Corset. If you want to make a knit union suit - I 10/10 recommend it! It's a great beginner's sewing project for those of us who are new to sewing with knit fabric as well as those of us new to historic costuming. (when it's knit, it's easy to fit!) Just remember that you have to use a different type of needle and a different stitch on your machine, but most modern sewing machines have a stitch for sewing knits!) I hope you enjoy this mix of fashion history video essay and sewing vlog combined into one!

🖼References & Images Used:

HERE IS THE CORSET PATTERN I USED: https://www.etsy.com/listing/89974661...

Shift, 18th-early 19th century, MFA Boston, https://collections.mfa.org/download/...

Lady's Combination, 1905-1910, MFA Boston: https://collections.mfa.org/objects/4...

Combinations of Elliot of Hawick, c. 1906, Victoria & Albert Museum, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1...

(what I used to draft the drawers) Margaret Blair System of Sewing and Garment Cutting, 1904, Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/margaretj...

(used for guidance in adjusting my combinations pattern to look better and fit better) The Cutters' Practical Guide [...], 1892, Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/cutterspr...

***Most of my combination/chemise research was done going through magazines like Good Housekeeping & Ladies' Home Journal. While the particular archive I used isn't publicly available, there are some Ladies' Home Journal available here: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record...

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