{{Short description|Type of fabric ribbon}} thumb|A length of Petersham ribbon '''Petersham ribbon''', also called '''Petersham facing''' or simply '''Petersham''', is a thick, stiff, flexible corded ribbon usually made out of either cotton, rayon, viscose, or a cotton/rayon or viscose blend of fibres and is used as facing by milliners and tailors. Petersham is frequently watered on both sides and comes with a scalloped edge. It is woven so that once steamed, it will take on and support a particular curve of fabric. This makes it useful for obtaining a smooth edge on the brim of a hat, for example, without forming puckers or wrinkles which would result from the use of traditional flat ribbon or other flat fabric.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Threads sewing guide |last= |first= |authorlink= |last2= |first2= |editor1-last=Sanders-Forge |editor1-first=Erica |editor2-last=Neukam |editor2-first=Judith |editor3-last=Fresia |editor3-first=Carol |display-editors = 3 |editor4-last=Baumgartel |editor4-first=Beth |edition= |volume= |year=2011 |orig-date= |page=204 |publisher=Taunton |place=Newtown, CT |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ee6-1ozGzc0C&q=petersham+ribbon&pg=PA204 |accessdate= |isbn=978-1-60085-144-5 |oclc= }}</ref> It is also useful as an alternative to bias tape for making fabric conform closely to the shape of the body wearing it— in a corset, for example, or along the waistline of a pair of trousers or a skirt. Petersham is utilized in couture sewing as a form of interfacing as a way to stabilize waistbands.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781561584970|title=Couture sewing techniques|last=Shaeffer, Claire B.|date=1994|publisher=Taunton Press|isbn=0942391888|location=Newton, CT|oclc=28421993|url-access=registration}}</ref>
Petersham is very similar to grosgrain ribbon in appearance: both have closely spaced horizontal ridges, but Petersham has a flexible picot edge allowing it to be shaped with an iron, whereas grosgrain cannot be shaped this way.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Power sewing step-by-step |last=Betzina |first=Sandra |authorlink= |editor1-last=Huxley |editor1-first=Susan |edition= |volume= |year=2000 |orig-date= |page=72 |publisher=Taunton |place=Newtown, CT |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q5mceWTNJksC&q=petersham+ribbon&pg=PA72 |accessdate= |isbn=1-56158-363-4 |oclc= }}</ref>
Petersham is named after the eighteenth century English lord Viscount Petersham who invented an overcoat and breeches made of a special heavy woollen cloth with a round nap surface.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Nineteenth-century costume and fashion |last1=Norris |first1=Herbert |last2=Curtis |first2=Oswald |authorlink= |edition= |volume= |year=1998 |orig-date= |page=44 |publisher=Dover |place=Minneola, NY |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8QTwxJ5hwwC&q=petersham+ribbon&pg=PA44 |accessdate= |isbn=978-0486402925 |oclc= }}</ref> For this reason, "Petersham" is often (but not always) capitalized.
== See also ==
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Textile closures