A c. 1870 Overskirt

The overskirt is lined with three different fabrics, polished cotton, and what I believe to be two weights of linen, one loosely woven which is quite stiff and very sheer, the other is quite firmly woven, but still stiff. The waistband is faced with polished cotton. The hem and edges of the center front are lined with polished cotton with the polished side facing the fabric. The front and back are lined with the sheer linen, and the back piece is cut selvage to selvage and pieced at the edges with the stiff linen.

In addition to several fabrics there are also several lining techniques used. The side front seams, up until the point where the pleats are, have the seam allowances of the silk only folded in and then it's sewn about an eighth of an inch from the edge, creating a slight ridge. The lining then has the seam allowances folded over and is whipstitched to that ridge. Below the pleats, the seam changes to a normal one, with the two layers of silk and one layer of lining (from the front) being sewn in the seam. The back lining then has the seam allowance folded in, and it's whipstitched to the front lining. This is also the method used on the side back seam. For the center back opening, the lining and silk are turned into each other and sewn with a running stitch

The hem facing is extended in back, and the sheer lining is sewn to that. The sheer lining is left loose in the front. It's unhemmed in the front, but the bottom edge is pressed into place. Because of the stiffness of the fabric, the crease is permanant.

Left: The lining is pleated along with the silk. This helps to keep the pleats crisp. Right: The waist of the skirt is enclosed in the waistband. You can see a little of the inside due to the damage near the hook.