Dress

With my understructure complete and my bodice lining in place, it was time to start the dress.

A Sack back dress is a mid to mid late 18th century item that had 4 large box pleats of fabric on the centre back from the neckline to floor. The idea was to suggest wealth by having this large amount of essentially unneccessary fabric. The panel would preferably be cut in one piece to further imply the wealth of the owner, although these days a seam is often needed as fabric is not always wide enough for our 21st Century heights.

The pattern of a sack back is almost L shaped - there are the back pleats then the seam that joins to the bodice on the side which goes down to the waist, although it is easier to cut this on the stand than to try and estimate it flat. That said I started the pleats on the back flat as I felt this was an easier approach than fighting with fabric on the stand. Although they are described as box pleats, there is actually only one box pleat and a knife pleat either side.

I pinned this to the neckline then smoothed the fabric towards the side and pinned along the seams of the bodice lining below.

I then cut away the excess down to the waist and cut across from there. I made a box pleat where the sack back joined the bodice then made a series of knife pleats all the way round to the front.

So there you have a sack back dress....citing