Part 8: Variations The pattern we have used until now is, as I
have said before, only suitable for about 1750, plus/minus five
years. It is the easiest one to explain to beginners and to fit.
Once you have a well-fitted lining and understood the underlying
principle of construction, an experienced seamstress can develop
any variation from there. From around 1755, the front was
divided into a bodice and skirt part with a waist seam in
between, and the bodice side seam moved towards the back to
achieve a closer fit. The front skirt was cut slightly slanted
so that the pattern ran parallel to the front edge, which was
meant to gap in the shape of an inverted V. Actually the skirt
had been meant to gap like that all along, but the cut didn't
reflect that until about 1755. When to use sleeve flounces vs.
cuffs has already been discussed. The one-piece cut of the front
goes well with both cuffs and flounces, while the waist seam
demands flounces. It's a matter of synchronicity. Two variations
are very easy to make