I’m on partial bed rest, so I made hand-sewn Edwardian combination underwear with tons of lace insertion. Combinations were a Victorian underwear fashion, but this style is from the 1900s, covered with frothy ruffles and lace trim everywhere! I cut out and sewed these combinations entirely from bed, so I could take care of my disabled self and still create beautiful things.
Victorian combinations were a merging of the chemise and drawers, or separate top and bottom underwear, into one garment. As bodices became more and more fitted later in the 19th century, combinations did too. The expanding skirts and full-fronted bodices of the Edwardian era were echoed in 1900s combinations, with the drawers so flared they look like a petticoat! Ruffles, frills, and lace trim also became more and more common on underwear, so I chose to embrace the slow, detailed nature of handsewing and decorate my combinations with a shaped leg ruffle, lace edging, and a lace insertion design. They are made up in extremely fine, semi-sheer 2.4 ounce linen, and cotton crochet lace.
With my fibromyalgia and scoliosis both flaring up, I haven’t been able to sew by machine or work on bigger projects. Sewing with a disability is hard, but the things that can be made by hand, or slowly, or while on bed rest are just as beautiful and worthwhile. I found the experience of sewing from bed oddly freeing, because I wasn’t feeling ashamed that I couldn’t sew the way an abled person could. Making art is an essential part of my mental health, and it’s been hard to keep that up when my chronic pain is bad, but letting myself do it in an accessible way makes it much easier! While I do look forward to being back at the cutting table when I can, these combinations have been the project I needed to keep me going until then.
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