In Praise of Old Technology: the Flannel Petticoat

Flannel petticoats, where have you been all my life?

Last winter I made myself a flannel petticoat. I can’t remember why – it was just one of those sudden certainties that seize upon me (like the Dishonour Cow). I just knew that I needed a flannel petticoat, eftsoons. (2. (now archaic), soon after.)

And how right I was. You don’t notice any sudden change when you put it on of a chilly morning, but believe me, you notice when you take it off. Off your outer layers come, with scarcely a change in your temperature. And then you remove the flannel petticoat and suddenly YOU ARE COLD.

William Dyce, Welsh Landscape with Two Women Knitting, 1860. Photo- Amgueddfa Cymru, National Museum Wales.
The magic of flannel.
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Upskilly & Stuff 5: The Shorts

Pink shorts, to be precise. No, I’m not setting up a girly fascist group, or even going in for lingerie design – I’m no Spode.

Beautifully silky soft french knickers, made in England by David Nieper....
Pink shorts Eulalie-style.


But in making these shorts, I have veered slightly toward the Eulalie end of the Spodeular spectrum, as I am not likely to wear them without something longer over the top, and they are therefore, more or less, undergarments. Or possibly summer nightwear. We’ll see.Continue & Comment