VICTORIAN ✨SECRET PANTS✨ | Making an 1890s Split Skirt
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Thanks to P.R. McIntosh for extant split skirt perusal.
prmcintosh.ca/
/ parker_mcintosh
Jumper: borrowed from @stanceymackenzie
Satchel: bearabeara.co.uk/product/flor...
Boots: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/JOBEARBOOTS
Hat: www.lockhatters.com/collectio...
@Leeam's video: • Skill Swapping With Be...
Materials:
Pattern: trulyvictorian.info/index.php...
Wool (approx. 3.5 yd): Beckenstein's, NYC
Horn buttons (x20): etsy.me/2ZTN5J9
Pocket fabric: bit.ly/3bZ19DD
Tarlatan: shop.takachpress.com/tarlatan...
1" cotton tape: East Coast Trimming, NYC
1/2" cotton tape for pocket suspension: East Coast Trimming, NYC
1/2" black cotton hem tape: William Gee bit.ly/3wigkAY
hook & eye for waistband
x2 sets hook & bars for fall front
Cotton thread
Silk buttonhole twist (for buttons & buttonholes)
NOTES:
[1] Winterhalter, Franz Xaver. “Portrait of Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1822-1857), Duchess of Nemours”, 1840. Palace of Versailles, accession no. MV 5116 ; INV 9996 ; LP 4478. Wikimedia Commons bit.ly/3q9v2ZW
[2] Pieneman, Jan Willem. “Bruidsportret van Agatha Petronella Hartsen”, 1841. Rijksmuseum Twenthe, accession no. BR0561. Wikimedia Commons bit.ly/3mGEUIB
[3] "Every Woman's Encyclopædia". London, ca 1910-12. bit.ly/3mOSdXD
[4] "Multiple Display Advertisements." The Designer and the Woman's Magazine, vol. IV, no. 3, 1896. Nineteenth Century Collections Online, on.nypl.org/3CGFueN. Accessed 5 Jan. 2021.
[5] "Ferris Athletic Waist." General Federation Bulletin, vol. V, no. 9, 1908. Nineteenth Century Collections Online, bit.ly/304r1vb. Accessed 2 Jan. 2021.
[6] "Secret Pants": Maksy, Rachel. "Sewing Some Autumn Clothes! (even tho it's still too HOT lol)", September 5, 2020. • Sewing Some Autumn Clo...
[7] Illustration from Puck, v. 37, no. 954, (1895 June 19), back cover. 1895, Keppler & Schwarzmann. Via bit.ly/2ZX2lEJ (and an interesting discussion generally on women’s cycling.)
[8] "The Bicycle Suit”, Punch, 1895. Wikimedia Commons bit.ly/3EOPinI
[9] The Illustrated London News. United Kingdom: Illustrated London News & Sketch Limited, 1851. Image via Wikimedia Commons bit.ly/3wctDmu
Amelia Bloomer, often credited with starting the bloomer trend (and giving the garment its now-familiar name) was simply the editor of the women's publication "The Lily" and who published favorably on the garment, encouraging the adoption of rational dress. Elizabeth Smith Miller is thought to be the first woman (who otherwise normally conformed to fashionable Western European dress of the time) to adopt the bifurcated outer-garment: "In the spring of 1851, while spending many hours at work in the garden, I became so thoroughly disgusted with the long skirt, that the dissatisfaction--the growth of years--suddenly ripened into the decision that this shackle should no longer be endured. The resolution was at once put into practice. Turkish trousers to the ankle with a skirt reaching some four inches below the knee, were substituted for the heavy, untidy and exasperating old garment." Smith Miller, "Smith Family Papers", 1851. The New York Public Library
[10] “Physical Effects of Cycling." Woman's Journal, July 25, 1896, 240. Nineteenth Century Collections Online (accessed November 3, 2021). on.nypl.org/3nZ8cBN
[11] “Miss Londonderry (Annie Cohen Kopchovsky)”, c. 1895. bit.ly/3bJoSr9
[12] Dadd, S.T. “Advertisement in The Graphic for Elliman's Universal Embrocation”, 1897. Wikimedia Commons bit.ly/3o0bIf1
[13] "Cycling Suit", 1896-98. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no. 2009.300.532a-d. bit.ly/3GWkK5i
Further reading
Jungnickel, Kat. “Bikes and Bloomers: Victorian Women Inventors and Their Extraordinary Cycle Wear”. London: Goldsmiths Press, 27 April 2018. See also the feature video on sociologist Dr. Kat Jungnickel testing patents and exploring the practicalities of late Victorian cycling dress: bit.ly/3BIsMeh
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Bernadette explaining how the pattern works Me: "I like your funny words magic woman"
Omg me too!!! Every time I'm like "hm yes big brain lady shares wisdom, very good"
SHE'S SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF THE GODS
I feel like Luffy laughing and giving the thumbs-up to somebody who's explaining something he doesn't understand lol
It's like when a human talks to a dog and the dog cocks it head sideways listening. 😂
JFK?
My mother was an exquisite seamstress, she made beautiful clothes for herself and me. I lost her when I was 17 to cancer. I am 65 now. Your channel brings me fond memories of watching her as she created amazing outfits!
Solidarity. I am 71 and my mother also was a wonderful seamstress and found mid-century Pfaffs for all of her 4 girls to have, she passed from cancer at age 49 when I was 28.
How interesting. My mother also made so much of my wardrobe and she past away, from cancer, when I was 17!
My Grandmother was an amazing seamstress and passed from cancer when I was 5. Now I just think back and wonder what I could of learned if she could have just had more time and taught me the basics of sewing!
❤️❤️❤️
Beautiful memories. I feel as if you just let us glimpse them a bit. Thank you. I lost my dad last year to pancreatic cancer. I’m 26. The grace you laced this comment with inspired me in a way. I wish to be able to speak of him in such an honorable and composed fashion one day. As of now, there are still quite a few ugly sobs and snorts that slip out whenever he crosses my mind. I’m okay with that. The pain deserves to be felt. Just looking forward to the day that it doesn’t need so much attention. Thank you again!
Me: *Never once understanding the geometry of this skirt* It's ok, she'll show it at the end. Bernadette: *Does a jump cut* Me: I see... So you have chosen violence.
😅
The geometry is origami of another calibre
I made these secret pants, and honestly nothing makes sense until you start putting things together and trusting the process and then BAM pants. I just started pinning and sewing and checking and pleating and eventually it came together. Though to be fair I did the one buttoning just up the middle instead of her double button situation.
😂
I really appreciate that you tell us when you make adjustments / edits / errors / rip out seams and redo them. It helps take the anxiety out of my own projects when I remember that "The Best" creators still make mistakes sometimes.
Me watching this video as I finish the final stitches on my own Secret Pants: 👁️👄👁️ 🎉📜SECRET PANTS SOCIETY📜🎉
**quakes with excitement** SOON
😂😂
soon we shall rise!
Sisterhood of the cycling pants!
Sisterhood of the traveling secret pants
Rachel Maksy: floor troll Bernadette Banner: table troll
according to Karolina Zebrowska's video with Zachary Pincent Table Troll is more within the realms of Historical Practice...and as we know Bernadette does THE MOST in terms of trying to stick to Historical Practice.
@@cristinadecisneros3987 Well, of course
and i am a Couch Goblin. sewing in improbable places supremacy :D
I do a lot of hand sewing in my living room hammock.
@@emilyreames7748 im a chair/bed warlock myself
My mom made me and my sisters these ALL THE TIME when we were growing up! We LOVED them! Our favorite thing to do was wait for someone to ask why we were wearing skirts all the time so that we could respond "This isn't a skirt" and pull the legs apart 😂 Yes, I know it's still technically a skirt BUT... their reactions were always priceless.😁
My mum used to make a similar garment for me and my siblings and cousins too. We loved it. We used to to show off our magic skirts!
When I was a little girl and lived in Italy (before I became a little man living in weird parts of North America) I had a houndstooth split skirt that had pockets that reached from my waist to right above my knees and my mum would be so upset at me because I put rocks and other shiny things I found in them and would forget to take them out. ._. That's mostly irrelevant but I loved this video and also the thumbnail for it was very relatable and good. 😂😬
this is me, when my inner crow takes the lead of my brain xD love your little story :D
I used to collect all kinds of stones, shells, acorns, conkers, bits of wood etc. too when I was a kid. I was a tomboy so always climbing trees, jumping off walls and stuff so my mother used to get so annoyed at the state of my clothes when I came home from playing. My mother made practically all my clothes - she made my First Holy Communion dress and gloves and I went out climbing trees in the outfit and my mother was NOT amused!
"I will not abide by this no-pocket business" is quotable and put-on-shirt-able
On a shirt with a pocket
10/10 would embroider onto a tie-on pocket if I either owned a tie-on pocket or knew how to embroider😌👌
Something Amelia Peabody would say.
@@KKIcons yeeeees ✌🏻I now have to try to do this
I feel like that would run counter to Bernadette's anti-fast fashion politics but yeah
Coming from a family of seamstresses it's amazing to watch you on treadle machine as my grandmother had a slightly "newer" version herself (I can't remember the year that was engraved on the machine). My aunt is using the machine to make masks for the community church and like my grandmother with her, she had made her daughter's wedding dress with that machine. And i hope my mother will use it to make my wedding dress (not very hopeful though, she loves her 2018 module Singer machine).
I love all these little stories and connections that happen through this channel Thanks for sharing this
I feel like they need to use these pants in a fight scene of a movie of TV, when the character unbuttons their secrete pants... It's about to get real! 😃
And of course Jill Bearup would do a video about that.
@@alonespirit9923 I see we been watching the same channels , and why have u commented on a 8 month old comment?
@@CrimsonAkato And why am I commenting on a 4 day old comment? While you are also commenting on a 4 day old comment (at the time of you writing your comment) LOL It appears,, I need to watch more channels
With the same energy as a woman pulling out her earrings 😂
@@RustyBobbins Exactly!!! 🤣
Secret pants AND pockets?! It’s the ultimate garment 🥺✨
Wide enough to feel like a skirt, but functions like trousers when necessary!
@@ragnkja it’s perfect!
Stealth pants indeed.
agree.
The fashion industry really needs to catch up on what fem people really want!!
I love when you climbed up on the table and assumed the trademark Rachel Maksy Floor Troll position to cut out the fabric, lol. My brain was instantly like, "Gasp! Elevated floor troll!" 😆
Me too 😂
I watched that bit more times than I should have.
I literally said "fancy floor troll" in the way Jenna Marbles says "32 year old lady"
YES!!!
Floor troll-ery does have its benefits that cannot be ignored
this channel is the reason i've been taken by the urge to start mending everything and putting pockets into everything and making pocket extenders on all of my clothes and i thank you for this good energy
As a fellow Singer treadle user, your machine does have a solution for seam allowances! Instead of being part of the foot, it is a T-shaped accessory with a thumb screw that screws into one of the holes on the base of the machine to the right of the foot. The bottom part of the "T" has a long slot so you can adjust the top part of the "T" to be a guide for your fabric as you're sewing your seam allowance. I believe your fiddle base machine works with the Singer Puzzle Box accessories - which is a delightful bunch of accessories that never cease to amaze me at their creativity
My sister still has my great grandmothers Singer treadle sewing machine with this box of accessories
As an accordeonist, I have to wear pants to be able to play confortably, but I love long Victorian skirts dearly (just as I am absolutely fond of the general aesthetic of the Victorian era). So seeing this, secret pants with pockets, it surely fits both my tastes, my needs, and the practicality my job requires, so I'm truly happy ! Thank you Bernadette for sharing this, please do keep up instructing us lowly people !
Happy for you, seems like a great idea
Yay! Did I just find a fellow accordionist scheming to make these?!?
As a hobby cellist myself, I know the struggles and am equally exited about this possibility! Even though being able to play isn't as strictly required for me as it is for you ;)
Stupid question: which instrument is that?
@@sarahbansak6519 Yeah, you did find a fellow friend... 😏🤭
Long live secret pants. And speediest of recovery wishes to his Lordship.
Anxiously awaiting the day Bernadette graces us with a list of her favorite novels
Yes she needs to to drop her good read account name so we can join it. That would be so cool, I might even join Goodreads again.
@@KKIcons maybe we should coordinate a goodreads group on our own!
Quite a while back she did do a brief bookshelf tour, i think it was in her video about her completed workshop video
Bernadette has blessed us with the most dramatic buttonhole sewing sequence in the history of KZhead. Lol 😂
That music must be playing when I next do any fully procrastinated task!
YES MY BODY IS READY FOR THIS. Also you're amazing and whitty and ily. (I SnORTED at "Rachel Maksy cinematic universe) Secret Pants Society forever 🤌😤
Whiskey Grandpa needs his own spinoff series! (ps you're awesome ily)
Only The Best cinematic universe 😤👌
@@bernadettebanner The only one we will ever need!
Seeing my two favourite KZheadrs also using these emojis makes my day. It has the same energy as a prestigious woman sitting with the posture of a queen, sipping tea, and with a dismissive wave of her hand...; "Pretty snazzy of you I guess, dude. So what did she say after that?"
I’m here for the Rachel Maksy cinematic universe!
The time, many, many years ago, I first saw a split skirt, I was astounded. I remember it was on a coworker and I told her, 'love your skirt'. She replied with a smile, put her hands in her pockets (a requirement for a good split skirt), pulled the fabric to the sides and said, with a sly grin, 'they're pants'. Now I know they're secret pants. 😊
I recently bought my 8 year old a pair of 'secret shorts' & they are quite amazing, they even twirl like a full skirt, but also allow her to hang upside on the monkey bars without exposing her undies. She's very pleased, & now wants a longer pair for winter! 😄 I think I'm now inspired to find a pattern for a modern pair for my grown-up self too!
I've had a Bad Anxiety Day (nothing in particular happened, just chronic overwhelm) and your voice, the sewing machine sounds, and His Lordship's adorable little noises help immensely. Thank you so much for working so hard to bring us this lovely content, Bernadette.
Sending love.🧡 (I know the struggle) rest well and be gentle to yourself friend🫂☕ and my rabbits send you nose boops. 🐰 xx
Anxiety sucks big-time! Mine has decided that chronic pain & insomnia weren't enough to prevent me from sleeping. I kinda wanted to punch my old doctor who essentially told me to just force myself into "a regular sleeping pattern"... Yeah I'm sure I can just switch off all these issues stopping me from sleeping, I just hadn't thought about it until you pointed it out Dr. Ridiculous-Statement 🙄. Sending good & soothing vibes your way & the hopes that you have a decent Dr on your side to help.
Same! So distracting too
Hugs to you Colleen 💛
I agree. I listen at night so I can gently go to sleep after the over stimulation of the day. 💖 His lordship is a very welcoming squeek!
Can I just tell you how inexplicably happy it makes me to hear the actual scissor snip, thread pulled through fabric, and sewing machine sound effects? SO happy!
On darker fabrics like the wool, you should use soap slivers as tailor's chalk; it's water-soluble, but will actually stay put otherwise.
I learned this eleventy-hundred years ago and forgot it until *right this minute.* Thank you!
Wow that’s brilliant
I like to imagine Ms. Stacy from Anne with an E wearing these. Not only is it period appropriate, but she could ride her bike wearing trousers and arrive at school with a skirt. I’m sure Anne would have been even more enthralled by that than regular pants
I agree!!
i think shes interested in the prospect of pants but keeping the romance of the skirt
I was thinking of Ms.Stacy too!
Omg I love Anne with an e! And yes ms Stacey would totally rock these
I love that this project demonstrates that it's okay to buy the wonderful fabric even when you don't know at that exact moment what you're going to do with it.
You know you’re a sewing fanatic when you sit on your table for a better angle instead of disturbing the pattern piece! Props!
Or because that’s where the best light is, as it almost always was in the times before electric lighting became common.
PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one who immediately Googled "When were button hole scissors invented?" when I saw you procrastinating the button holes. (BTW, they were invented in 1853, so YES they are period accurate/appropriate).
I have them, seamstress auntie at the Bonneterie left them to me.
@@tinekejoldersma Oh my, that sounds amazing.
I feel the need to make a petition for all button hole making to be accompanied by an epic adventure theme henceforth. You actually made that arduous task look rather cool. Not to mention being an absolute boss in your secret pants!!
If you need to do something you don't want to, put on the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. Guaranteed productivity boost.
Actually I prefer the Mission Impossible theme. 🤣
Black Sails soundtrack also slaps.
Videogame boss battles ost are also an option for those epic moments needed, just in case 👀
“The dawn of a million souls” by Ayreon also has the requisite level of epicness.
Aww, bladder stones suck. May his lordship have a speedy recovery and gets back to enjoying his afternoon snacks in a timely manner.
Absolutely mesmerized! I have (had) zero interest in historic garments and how they were made. As an actor I've had to wear a fair share of reproductions but as someone who installs cabinets for a living, is an avid reader, a PC gamer, and builds plastic models for fun... Well, I've simply never given producing a garment by hand a thought. Watching Ms. Banner create this skirt was not only eye-opening but had me completely engrossed! What a joy to watch such skill! Rabbit hole? Perhaps. Fascinating? Absolutely! Thank you so much @Berndette Banner !
I love how Bernadette can make the most mundane thing like sewing in buttons and buttonholes the most dramatic thing I have ever seen. It’s a gift!
you can feel the epicness of sewing rhat much amount of buttons
*giggles as she imagines all of Bernadette’s British friends yelling the word “TROUSERS” at the screen.*
Or “PANTALOONS”
cant spell it but also collottes
🤣
@@gerrimilner9448 culottes?
German here: HOSE(N)
Sometimes I ask myself what am I doing watching her videos. I'm a man who doesn't even like fashion. But I love wold history. Anyways this KZhead channel is very enchanting and I like it alot. Keep up the good work Bernadette.
It's kinda fun to see how trends work even in niche groups. Every one of these "We wear only what we make" type channels seem to watch each other. Rachel Maksy stumbled upon secret pants by accident, followed by Bernadette Banner's cycling skirt, and Morgan Donner's Shenanigan Pants
-'SIR! SIR! WE HAVE A CODE S6!' -'You don't mean...?!' -'Seamster slav squatting in a sewn split skirt, sir!' -'The meme potential is apocalyptic! *What are there thinking?*'
Lol I read that with Lukas Arnold's Jenkins voice
@@unrulycrow6299 MEEE TOOOOOO!!!! OH NOOO!
I read in a C3PO voice
Bernadette have a look at Japanese Hakama. Worn both by men and women. It is a similar idea but simpler. They can be split leg, or essentially a skirt. A simple, but ingenious design. Making them is more origami than needle work. They take a lot of cloth, They are everyday wear, worn by Japanese of all classes for centuries, and are still worn to this day
Also no buttons!
Those look intriguing. I absolutely love pants with very wide legs and have stubbornly continued to wear at least slacks and preferably Marlene trousers, while everyone else squeezed themselves into narrow tubes of stretch fabric, these last 10 years. And more fabric is generally not a bad thing in winter, so 👍.
Yes!! A Hakama is literally what popped into my mind when she said a skirt/pant hybrid (๑♡⌓♡๑)
Wow thank you for sharing that, I'm gonna take a look! ❤
I actually am hoping to make some hakama for myself! The versatility and variety of cultural significance and use is something that I adore, and it's something I would love to have in my wardrobe both for style and practicality.
I watch your videos, not as someone who sews (my wife does, not me), but as a historian. I love the way you research, and then put history into living practice. It brings the past to life! Well done as always!
I love your channel, and have slowly started making my own 1900s clothes, as I prefer the silhouette too. I've started making under garments and now have a corset, under shirts and a skirt. However I'm having trouble with my shirts as most modern shirts don't accommodate the structure of a corset underneath them. I'd love for you to make a shirt or blouse from the 1900s. Having your videos playing in the background while I sew often inspires me and helps answer any questions I might have.
I am in awe of how Bernadette could still radiate elegance and refinement despite sitting like a gangsta on the thumbnail. Hood, but make it historical. 😂❤
well put. bad assdom!
Yes - Karolina Zebrowska style !
Her: sees any new pattern strewn among the various other projects she’s working on. Also her: hey ferb I know what we’re going to do today
"Hey cesario"
The fact that the link to Rachel's video has its own proud place in the footnotes among all the other historical sources (and properly formatted, too!) makes me tear up a bit. It's like writing a research paper (on second thought, that's what Bernadette's videos are, fight me) and getting to cite your friend as a source... I love it! Also, now I terribly need a crossover of Secret Pants Society and Catherine de'Medici's Time Travel Society
You know the weird thing is that you probably know a good bit more about the construction of victorian era clothing than literally any of the tailors at the time. You have so much more access to knowledge, patterns etc, and are not limited by months-long shipping times and whatnot. Another great video, thank you :)
That’s an interesting point. I have never considered that and agree that Bernadette likely does knows more about period clothing construction than the average tailor of the time. However, she is also limited to only those things left to us. Most techniques written down were the “expectation” and often considered best practices. What the average seamstress or home sewer did wasn’t considered remarkable and therefore wasn’t remarked on. Bernadette may not also have as
This video blessed us with Cesario squeaks, “Rachel Maksy cinematic universe,” overly dramatic button montage, all the hand sewing and wonderful fabric and Triumph over Sewing Struggles! Amazing. 10/10. *chef kiss*
the epic buttonhole sewing sequence was * chef's kiss * and it motivated me to finally sew the approximately... 2 buttonholes of my linen shorts
who else can’t sew but just loves watching her making these lovely garments
Me! 😂
who else remembers when Bernadette bought this tweed? I got so excited when I saw it again, I've been waiting for it to come to life!:D
“And so it became, that men learned to fear their superior counterparts, for they now needn’t worry over their skirts flying up past their bloomers, and thus were able to chase down rude mannerless men with anger unmatched and hatchets in hand”
Hatpins! You forgot hatpins!!
@@helenebonadio8283 Your right!! How could I forgot!!!
this sounds like an Old Timey version of that one audio going around TikTok and instagram about the guy complaining about how Pants make women act like men. and I love this.
@@cristinadecisneros3987 only it’s the woman speaking putting idiot men down :D
You might be amused to look up the American anti-alcohol activist Hatchet Harriet
Laura Ingalls Wilder HATED making buttonholes too. So she focused on doing them as fast (and perfect) as possible. Goals!
I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder as a kid 😁❤
I thought about that while I was watching the video too!!!
I feel that! I learned as a kid if you hate doing something make sure you at least do it right so you don’t run the risk of having to do it all over again.
I remember when you got that material. I absolutely loved it then and love it more now! When I was in Home Ec in High School I took a tailoring class. I LOVED making buttonholes. Audible is excellent for keeping one occupied while busy with ones hands. I managed to listen to 5 books while crocheting a king-size blanket.
I used to knit at the movie theater! Once I got it down, it's was a great way to keep me focused. Like a fidget spinner, only with a useful result.
Absolutely beautiful craftswomanship. Imagine how much more intelligent this world would be if we had to craft our own secret pants. Truly a brain stretching journey of fashion engineering.
Now if someone could make a comfortable bra we would be golden.
Bernadette: “I will not abide by this no pocket business…” Me at home watching: “PREACH!” My fiancé: “Who are you talking to?” Me: “Someone who cares about pockets in all things!” Fiancé: “um…ok” 🤣🤣🤣
Ah, the ignorance of people who have had extra large pockets all their lives and don’t know what it’s like to be without. Lol
Maybe the other pockets are just extra small
@@laurenconrad1799 my partner somehow managed to wear my jeans to work one day (I have no idea how). He walks in the door after work - looks at me in horror and immediately exclaims "what the actual fuck" while trying to pull the tiny pockets out. While he shimmied out of them (seriously, it must have been an uncomfortable day) he couldn't stop going on about it. He understands now why women and handbags, or offloading things onto him is a thing.
Sew up their pockets on April fools day next year.
He should be glad he doesn't have to worry about pockets
The intellectual and artistic achievements of dressmaking prohibit its categorisation as a subdivision of engineering. However if we keep in mind that engineers and architects predominately work with rigid materials or soft materials that are attached to rigid structures, that control their shapes, dressmaking deserves our undivided admiration. Where a panel can be attached with screws, nails, be riveted, or welded into its position, stones fixed onto a wall with mortar, the dressmaker has only fabric and thread!
I often refer to myself as a “fabric engineer” when talking about my sewing. It’s the figuring out the construction that’s the fun bit! (And what keeps me awake at 3:00 in the morning 😄🥱)
I've often remarked that woodworking and sewing a similar pursuits -- making 3D shapes from 2D materials, precise measuring and cutting, lots of time spent on joining and finishing, etc.
And buttons, along with other fasteners.
@@aprildriesslein5034, I'd prefer constructing things from wood any day. Wood stays wherever you put it, while fabric slithers and wiggles around. I think sewing is much harder. I've never done a sewing project more complicated than mending where I didn't feel like I would have a nervous breakdown before I was done.
the double-button split skirt was clearly from the, then somewhat contentious, military-inspired trend for women's clothing. It was a movement in which women decided to empower themselves by adopting and making their own some of the features of masculine garb, and what is more masculine than the military's uniforms and coats? I personally love such designs, because of how utterly timeless they are. Frills and floofs may come and go, but well-designed seaming, buttons, toggles, and intentional panel designs never really go out of style. The design of that extant garment would be entirely suitable even in the modern day (and seeing how it appears to be made of wool, would be quite comfortable in oft chilly London.) Edit: If you intend to make another set of these split skirts with some reinforcement backing, you may wish to use two separate panels in the front flip panel so that it folds over easily. Just split it down the middle and leave a small gap between the two backing panels to allow the flip panel to fold neatly.
I love that trend of female clothing inspired by military uniforms. I love seeing how the outfits are both masculine and fit for a battle, but still feminine and something a respectable lady can wear on the street. That trend has reappeared to some degree several times over the decades and I own a few items of old clothing from the last time around, and I'll admit those clothes are my favourite.
I am so glad to have found you. My grandmother on my dad’s side did alterations for a big department store in KC, KS back in the 1890’s. She was head seamstress. Seeing your videos brings back memories of her. She later became a seamstress at home to feed my aunts and uncles when my grandfather past.
"Schemes are currently being schemed" is now my favourite line.
T shirt worthy
The squat at the end makes me feel like you're about the drop the hottest Victorian music the world has seen
Right? I half expected her to flash a Victorian gang sign.
MC BB with Bannertime - Victorian mix
Reminds me of some of Karolina Zebrowska's hilarious videos!
Somebody make a bardcore.
The meme mom energy was STRONG
My husband and Nephew have joined a cowboy action shooting club. post civil war up to 1899. They've asked me and my niece to participate with them. Neither of us are thrilled with the idea of dragging long skirts through dust, mud, rain etc. We came across your secret pants video and we are thrilled! You're a stunning lady and I so appreciate your knowledge, skills and talents. Thank you for a great channel.
I have been low key wondering about split skirts since I started reading wheel of time 20 years ago (the characters use them while horseback riding) This was an awesome video, thank you!!!
This gives “SIKE, ITS A JUMPSUIT! You have been FOOLED” vine vibes
i want to get a pair of the Secret Pants just to recreate that omg
kzhead.info/sun/lsd-n66OioFsfpE/bejne.html vine reference for those who are unfamiliar. One of my all time favorite vines
I have two of these and yes I quote this vine almost every time.
I feel the slightly confusing nature of this video accurately represents the confusion and problem solving of your sewing experience. Much like a 'whodunnit' I was happy to try and figure it out along the way and be greatly satisfied with the reveal at the end.
I am 15 minutes through (I paused to scroll and check if anyone else was as clueless as I am currently feeling, but alas!), and still no closer to finding the murderer, but I am starting to feel like the victim... I hope I do figure out how the pattern works by the end...
"I will not abide by this not pocket business" same with me, pockets are top! And so useful!
goodness, i'm watching this video for probably the 50th time, it has been out for two years, i've been watching it for two years, and i ONLY JUST began to understand how this thing works! i feel so accomplished right now
I remember wearing 'skorts' in the 80's. I had no idea that they were a version of Victorian secret pants! (It was a mini-skirt shaped pair of shorts with a panel in the front. A short lived fashion, but fun while it lasted.)
They came back periodically in the ‘90s and ‘00s as well. In the ‘00s they looked like a skirt from the back as well, so they were basically a pair of shorts inside a barely longer skirt.
Not so short lived. Ever watch Below Deck?
@@ragnkja i wore them a lot in the 00's
They have a long life in golf too. Slightly longer so as not to ruin the male member's game with the sight of too much leg.
I had a skort as part of my school uniform in the late 90s and 2000s. Very handy if you wanted to move without a care in the world.
I've wanted to add some "secret pants" to my wardrobe ever since seeing Rachel's. These are some fine secret pants, and with that cycling sweater? Chef's kiss. A very fun watch. 🙂
I've got two pairs. So comfortable. Definitely the thing if you want to wear skirts, but also sit cross legged on the floor, as I prefer.
@@cynthiana8328 do you know where I could buy something like this? I saw them and fell in love
The swoosh on the secret pants, the puff on the cycling jumper... 😮 I love this outfit! Unfortunately, I think I'm not quite there yet to attempt making these secret pants myself 😂
I love this project! I want to try this. I also love the sound of your treddle sewing machine. It's a very cozy, comforting sound. I understand your pain when it comes to sewing buttonholes. My grandmother, when she was 8 years old, was hired out to a seamstress to sew buttonholes because, even at such a young age, she had a fine hand. She would sit all day and sew buttonholes. She absolutely HATED sewing buttonholes. She eventually graduated to sewing hems and ruffles, but her go-to task was always buttonholes. Oh, the dreaded buttonholes! I can feel the tedium vibes coming through the ethernet.
This was the first of your projects where I immediately knew the word for it in my naive language: Hosenrock (literally trouserskirt). My mom has one of these in a light cotton with the panel and the two rows of buttons. I remember her wearing it all summer long. Judging my the pattern and colors (green, yellow, blue in patches next to each other) it must have been from the late 70s, early 80s.
That’s so cool!
Ja, i have some Broekrokken from my mums too, late 80s
I remember them from my childhood in the 80s as well. I'm sure, my mother had one of two as well. Why did they ever go out of fashion? In a country, where at least the city dwellers often use a bicycle to get to work or meet friends, they would seem a very practical addition to ones wardrobe.
@@raraavis7782 If we're talking germany, probably because: 1. Almost no one wears skirts here any more. Or only if they wanna look super posh. Just wear one, u will be stared at a lot ... 2. They are as u urself wrote, in the collective eye tied to the 80s, and almost anything connected to the 80s is out of style. The 80s were "special", but the kind no one wants to associate with. And I'm not talking about if u urself remember the fashion back then fondly, just the general opinion. Also regarding cycling overall, it's only up and coming now. There definitely isn't a majority of people cycling to work or school, especially in cities ( if we're talking actual cities and not smalltowns that call themselves that ) as it can be pretty dangerous. It might seem like that tough because of it being talked about in the media.
@@thisorthat629 Oh, I don't know, if I'd agree with that. I lived in Berlin for 15 years and never even owned a car during that time. I did everything by bike or underground - as did loads of other people. Now, the infrastructure obviously isn't ideal yet (to put it mildly), but it's not for a lack of people wanting to make do without a car. And Cologne, where I live now, isn't much different. I do have a car now, but would never dream of using that to drive farther into the city, if I can avoid it. I also wear skirts and dresses a lot. And yes, I'm in the minority with that, for sure. But as for getting stared at. Nope. I really can't say, that I'm getting any negative attention at all. Sometime people will look twice, sure... that's just what happens, if you stand out from the crowd in any way. But being 'stared at', for me, implies disapproval or ridicule and I'm not getting that vibe from either men or women. There are lots of ways to dress cute or sporty/casual in skirts, depending on the occasion, so one doesn't necessarily need to look out of place in them.
*PRO TIP* literally write LFI [left front inside] and RFI [right front inside] in BIG LETTERS in chalk on the pieces when you are doing french seams and multi-directional seams Honestly, it will save you LOTS of unpicking. Yes it will wear off - but it lasts long enough for you to NOT cock up the seams. NORMAL French Seam - you DONT see chalk on your first pass. You SEE chalk on your second pass.
If that’s insufficient, there’s always “RFO”, “LFO”, “RBI”, etc. for additional marking.
@@ragnkja - I figured people would work those out for themselves. LOL I make bespoke 1900 to 1930 men's trousers mostly and I still sew the seams the wrong way. I have been making them for 2 years - still do it. Its way easier just to assume you are a total idiot and chalk it on in giant letters.
@@piccalillipit9211 it took me many years to allow myself to write that on fabrics. Being dyslexic means you get embarrassed about the coping skills you use and that you should always aspire to "normality ".
@@lenabreijer1311 Please, don’t ever be embarrassed about coping skills. I know professional tailors who do this so they can batch cut multiple projects at once and sew them later on. Personally, I think it is a sign of being thorough and precise.
@@H.R.B. yes I know that now. But when one is young one wastes so much energy trying to be " normal" one gets blinded.
Bernadette, your tutorials reawakened my sewing spirit about a year ago. Watching you hand-sew is a very different experience now that I too have completed many rows of _tiny felling stitches._ ☄️🍍
Glad to see that Lord Cesario is doing well. His squeaks distracted my parrot from his destruction project. Thank you!
This is awesome, and I really need a pair of these! One warning from a cycling perspective: I don't think bottle cages were a thing yet in the 1890s, so you didn't have to worry about catching your secret pants leg on them, which I can say from experience is quite jarring! So if you have a bottle cage on your downtube and plan to wear culottes, be aware of this. And I couldn't help but smile at the idea of a center-back pocket being inconvenient-it's the only part of you that's not moving while you pedal, so it's actually a great location from a riding perspective. Though I think it would be most delightful to make a matching waistcoat with a secret center-back pocket, like a historybounding cycling jersey. 🚴♀️
From my dad's pictures of the early TdF, I believe bottle cages were initially on the handlebars! You do still have to be careful of the gear chain, though (I used to put a strap around my ankle to keep the flare leg of my jeans from getting caught; you can see a lot of bicycle messengers doing something similar/rolling up one pant leg for the same reason).
[ME twirling in my new dress] Husband: " please, don't--" [ME sticks my hands in secret pockets and deep squats like a frog] ME: "Pockets!"🐸 Husband: [SMH]
lmao
🤣🤣🤣
Yes, pockets are something to get excited about because as all of us women know, a pocket is a rare find in manufactured clothes.
@@lyndavonkanel8603 hashtagstopfakepockets
This is the only acceptable way to show off both
I loved your ending pose during the “reveal” portion of the video. Love, love the split skirt!
I've always been pretty hopeless at sewing and I'm filled with admiration for those who are accomplished at it. But I did learn to sew on a sewing machine similar to the one you use and when I needed to mark the measurement for stitching a seam, I just measured the distance from the foot on the plate and marked it with a piece of tape. I'm curious if there's a reason for not doing that? Being no seamstress myself, I found it helpful to have friends who were, with whom I could barter services (I had one friend who would happily hem any garment I had in exchange for a foot massage). One such friend often designed her own clothes and made the patterns, cutting them out of newspaper. But if she was doing anything tricky, she would first cut it out of cheap muslin and piece that together as a trial run to work out the tricky bits. So I was surprised when you went straight to your beautiful fabric. I was holding my breath! I can't quite decide if you're fearless or foolish. Maybe you're simply expert. It's been more than 50 years since I hand stitched buttonholes, but the muscle memory of it came back to me as I watched you. I could feel my fingers doing it. The skirt is fabulous. Although it's authentically Victorian, it would look stylish today and perfectly in place on any fashionable urban street.
I literally squealed with joy upon seeing the thumbnail and realizing that it was the beautiful fancy expensive wool split-skirt project at last. When you began cutting the wool right after finishing the pattern, I cried out in a panic “Make a mockup!” Obviously it worked out, and I suppose mockups are a good deal less necessary when you only drafted a tiny portion of the pattern yourself rather than the whole thing, but I was very stressed out for a moment. I am sorry for His Lordship’s suffering, but I’m glad he’s back and all better now. You have such an incredible mental eye for cinematography. Obviously you have a keen regular eye for editing and cinematography, but you’re also just incredible at blocking out the shots you’ll need for a given sequence before even filming. That absolutely glorious epic button montage had many shots and angles that I’m sure one would not think to film if one was not planning a specific use for them. Your skill in the realm of film, while never exactly shabby from the start of this channel, has grown tenfold, and it’s marvelous to track its progress.
Isn't this the lady Sherlock fabric that she got for like $15/yd and partially synthetic?
@@faameexplains1192 - Nope, although the two are somewhat visually similar. This is a wool tweed she bought from Beckenstein last year as documented in her video “A (rather unusual) visit to the NYC Garment District | Vlog”. Beckenstein specializes in absurdly expensive high-end fabric for men's tailoring and suiting - i.e. swoonworthy tweeds and tartans etc., i.e. her entire aesthetic. She used to pop in while in the area just to feast her eyes and dream of the glorious fabrics outside her budget (11:49 - 13:31 of “NYC Garment District | Fabric Shopping Adventure!”). During her covid-era garment district vlog, she made the mistake of getting a swatch of this particular tweed, and loved the feel of it so much that she couldn't not acquire some. Settup to visiting Beckenstein is 4:49 of the covid-era vlog; a slow zoom on the bolt can be found at 6:06; she handles the swatch at 6:16; and explains what happened at 6:26. In her video “Starting 7 projects at once is probably not a wise decision but here we are. | Workroom Vlogs Ep. 1”, she mentions her plan to use the Beckenstein tweed for the split-skirt project at 16:03. This probably came off as really snooty and even self-righteous, for which I apologize; I simply like to share information when I have it, and I prefer to cite my sources as thoroughly as possible, even for something so minor.
The "wildest" I have ever seen of Bernadette; full arm shown and jumping on tables! The project has driven her mad! XD (Joking aside, it turned out lovely and you rock it as always! Cannot wait to see what next comes from you! ^_^ )
I don't know, Inadvertently Tipsy Bernadette from the hair-care thing was pretty unexpected.
@@theprojectproject01 Touche good friend! I had completely forgotten the hair misadventure. XD She is braver than I with her hair, that much is certain. haha
Don't forget the "gangsta squat" teaser! So unlike Bernadette but now. . . Hahahahaha! Enjoyed the vid.
@Ce Mitchell I think our girl Rachael Maksy is rubbing off on her. ^_^ Much to our delight. haha
i love how even though youre making a skirt its edited like a vintage marvel epic battle
Love it! I made a similar pair a few years ago, and they are my favourite pants! They also have the biggest pockets in the world. I call them my pants of holding 😂
It's nice to see that the supremely-extra scissors are still getting some use.
I'm sure I'm not the only one with a sudden and pressing need for SECRET PANTS 🤩
Well, I do cycle a lot... And there's this checkered poly blend that I got from my mum's fabric stash... 😅
The split skirt is so smart and practical, and I loved the way Bernadette styled it.
All I have to say is I LOVE your sewing machine. And your cutting table. I'm a small collector (1 15-91 from 1947) of vintage machines. A fiddlebase is my dream machine.
Buttonhole time = commence epic battle Hope his lordship is feeling better. I get kidney stones and I know how painful they are for me. Love the pants!
A few notes: I love how you said, "Whilst" and, "Ain't nobody got time for..." in the same video 😂 Also, the sword-scissors are a vision! The secret pants are a triumph! Amazing!
I am SO glad I decided to watch this today!I am working on Laughing Moon's cycling/sports skirt and have stopped, because I have a headache and my brain doesn't currently understand 'place double back pleats.' I actually also have a split skirt paneled skirt pattern just like this and had plans to do it soon, but may wait. It is comforting to see, however, that even the great Miss Banner occasionally crosses paths with flummoxing projects. Fingers crossed that my headache departs and simple instructions once more make sense! I love your boots, btw. I am currently awaiting my third pair of Jo Bears. They are my favorites.
It was fun to watch you put the pant skirt together. And you had a very nice outcome. The fabrick was the perfect choice. Flowy , warm and classic
Just a tip for everyone interested: You can always stick paper tape/ washi tape (weak adhesive, easy to remove) on your sewing machine in appropriate distance from the needle to fake the grid found on modern machines.
I am a quilter, and second that idea.
My modern machine grid is really hard for me to see, so I do this hack myself.
I was just about to say that!
My brain literally can't process how to make these but I've never been so happy to be confused 😍😍😍
I have the pattern and the fabric and the buttons but am too scared to start!
One day I'm gonna be much more skilled at sewing and try to come back to this cuz I want these XD
That machine is the sound of my childhood. My mother has one at her place and I havent been able to go back home since before the pandemic. It's making me feel so homesick.
As someone who recently started sewing and has thus far only decided on projects with at least 4 buttons (and who refuses to not hand sew button holes) the buttonhole procrastination and montage was very relatable
Someone has probably already said this - but the sets of "standard attachments" that came with these machines (and pretty much all the Singer "Black" machines) always included a Cloth Guide/Seam Guide and thumbscrew for attaching various things to the bed of the machine. If you've got one of these machines look for the part Simanco 25527 too see what they look like. There's a good chance you've already got one with your machine if you got yours with any of the assorted attachments... They work very well and can even be set an angle for when you are stitching curves. (And yes, the threaded holes on the bed of those old machines were for the attachments thumbscrew - not for oiling.) All my machine's bed-screw holes have needed a really thorough clean before the thumbscrews would would well in them. :-) Edited to add - this one is for a different brand (most brands had one of some kind very similar), but exactly the same principle: kzhead.info/sun/o6dsddyAgHasfp8/bejne.html and this is the Singer one being used for a French seam: kzhead.info/sun/iMqJZJyNbqGmZHk/bejne.html
I wrote the same, but you put it much better! Thanks for the details :)
@@garnetleaf8050 Thank you so much - but on re-reading it I see I've got whole words missing here and there! I'm glad you could make sense of it. It can be hard to find things amongst a lot of comments so I'm glad you said it too as it will help more people. :-)
I would measure out and draw lines with a permanent marker on the machine. (it will wipe off with alcohol/ hand sanitizer) ... or do as all modern quilters do and use painters tape or post-it/sticky notes.
@@milu9099 On more modern machines that's usually not a problem. On the older ones they were usually Japanned (that's tough stuff), decaled (very delicate stuff) and then shellacked to protect the decals. The shellac can degrade over the decades and is easily damaged. It is especially damaged by alcohol and quite a few other cleaners even when brand-new. Once it deteriorates it's very hard to bring back and once the decals are exposed they wear off easily. Also, many cleaners take the gold or colour off decals and leave them "silvered". So for the old "black" machines I recommend playing it safe and not putting anything on your machine that could damage the surface or decals when you go to remove it. Of course - if you have a machine where those things are already worn off or damaged beyond mattering there's no reason you shouldn't.
@@meganmills6545 I meant on the stitch plate only. No harsh chemicals on the pretty surfaces!
Secret pants! I have recently got the walking skirt and cape patterns from Truly Victorian, and so far they have been delightful to work with, I might try the secret pants next. But I’m not going to change the pattern :D I’m nowhere near as comfortable with drafting my own stuff as you, Bernadette. Wonderful job on the split skirt, it has lovely drape and movement!
I’ve used the split skirt pattern from Truly Victorian. It’s easy to use and I have two ‘skirts’ for work. The males at work are astounded that I wear skirts to work!! Gasp!! I drive trucks for a living! 😂😂
omgg, in the reveal her jumper is sooooo cute
“I’m basting all of these seams,” or, how Bernadette sneaks in as much handsewing in a garment that’s machine-sewn as possible… 🥷🏻
You are exquisitely talented!!!! Continue educating us on the 1800’s beautiful fashion and self care!!! I love your manner and style!!!!!
Not in keeping with the period- but when my mom was teaching us to sew she had a trick for helping us keep the correct seam allowance. She just put a piece of colored tape on the machine where we needed to line up the material.
I've been doing that too. I have a machine mainly constructed for the metric system but have been using inch based patterns recently. Hence the tape has helped tremendously.
On non computerized machines, a square magnet is also a good option. That's what my mother used on her full metall singer machine back in the 80s/90s. Also doubles as impromptu pin holder.
Bernadette: sewing seams. The Rest of KZhead: watching the fabric feeding into the sewing machine. Me: Ooooo! The earrings!!! I love the earrings!!!
i noticed too
Forever waiting for "Music to face down thine enemy" to become a genre on spotify, your captioner is a magician with words.
I love that you just get up on the table! Made me giggle.