elizabeth_mn

First I made another set of Truly Victorian combinations. I love my other set and it fits great. But when I made this one, it mysteriously ended up WAY too tight across the bust.

Later I told my HB about it, and he suggested adding a strip of fabric along the CF. Yeah, I guess I could have done that, but what actually happened is I grabbed the scissors for an immediate solution. I cut the neckline down so the bust would not longer be an issue, then threaded a drawstring to pull in the neckline as needed. Now I have a low-neck version for evening dresses.

I will not be modeling them at this time.



I have no idea if this will actually work or if it will stick out or slip down. If it doesn't work I guess I can cut the top off and make it into drawers.

Okay, so then I used Liz Clark's drawers directions to make these.



The directions were good but I don't know if I made my crotch length correctly. And my waistband ended up a little snug, I think. I guess the proof will be in the wearing.

I had intended to leave them totally plain but ended up doing a few tucks and a little lace.

Yesterday when I was feeling discouraged I decided I needed a (relatively) simple task, so I made a new shift.

I had only one I was sharing between 18th c and Regency, so now I have a change.

I used Kaufman handkerchief linen, actually a 60/40 linen and cotton blend, and the diagram in Costume Close Up. It seemed huge but I was tired and didn't feel like thinking much so I just went with it.

I did it all on the machine, with French seams on the body, which makes a slight lump where they all line up at the side gores, and flat felled seams on the sleeves and underarm gusset. The only part I handsewed was the pair of eyelets at the neckline for the drawstring.

It took me about 3 hours start to finish, which is faster than I used to be, so yay. And it did come out really big and floopy. Maybe one day I will actually devote time to making Perfect Undies, but for now at least I won't have to wear a sweaty gross shift the third day of coco.

Made this in a couple hours the other day. I have completely, 100% copied A Fractured Fairytale's awesome bum pad(s). (Or tried to anyway.) This striped cotton is not ideal but it was stash fabric so there.



I tried it under a petticoat. I like the shape but wow, holy butt crack! I wanted a divide of course but this is a bit much.



I tried my padded petticoat over it as well to help soften/reduce the split, but it was just too much volume and the shape was too large. So hopefully the second petticoat and the gown skirt will soften the shape slightly.

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I have also done two mockups of the bodice pattern and it's almost ready to cut. The only thing I am not perfectly happy with is my shape in my stays. There's plenty of boob support (even despite the aforementioned hoisting) but the waist is so big. I am lacing the stays completely closed but I would be happier going smaller. I feel a bit barrel-like; there is only about 1" of waist reduction.

I am not going to make new stays right now and I don't even want to mess around with modding these, but it's a drag that I am making this dress to fit over these ones when a better pair might be in my future. Ah, well, a minor complaint.

Yay!





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Now I really want to make that matching corset! But it needs to wait; the one I have is good enough and I need to make a dress!

Sewing has finally happened here. I altered the bustle pattern the other day and then yesterday I bought some teal green cotton twill at work to make it up with. I got enough to make a matching corset in the future if I feel like it.

Today I got some time in the sewing room and it's about half together. I made exterior boning channels in black twill tape and cut a few bones. Tomorrow I need to cut the rest of the bones and get the side panels and waistband on.

I like the shape so far! It's big. Of course you can't really tell until it's all together but it's looking good.

I finally hit on one of the reason's I've been procrastinating on the new early 1870s dress: I'm dissatisfied with the shape of my skirt foundations.

There's a skirt shape look in the early 70s where the woman looks as though she's just been dumped out of a pudding mold.



PLOP.

It's wide and round but very straight; there's an almost dome-shape at the hips and back, but the skirts fall straight down; no angles. It's not a bad look, I like it in the right context, but it's just not what I'm going for right now.

Another early 70s shape you see a lot is more of an A-line. The bustle might be softer just behind the waist, but there's more fullness behind the knees and more of an angle from waist to hem in back.



That angled back line is most obvious when there's a train, but even here in these dresses without trains you can see more of that A-line shape, less pudding-mold look.



This is more like what I am going for with this dress. A-line with either a very small train or none at all.

Yesterday I got out all my early bustle undies and tried them on to see which combination I liked best. First I tightened my lobster bustle's lacings to poof it out more, then decided the shape was too abrupt and loosened them again, then I tried my Truly Victorian bustle last. I wore two petticoats - a plain one with a single flounce and a very full one with 3 rows of ruffles all around - and used an old linen 1870 skirt on top; the waist is now too small so I had to hold it closed with my hand. I also layered my horsehair ruffle in there somehwere. I put all the photos together to compare.



Of these I like the shape of the center one best, but it's still too pudding-y. Not enough A-line shape; not enough fullness behind the knees. Part of it is volume; some starch in my petticoats and a good stiff hem facing on my skirt could improve that, but it's also just the shape.

So, what to do?

1.) Make a new lobster bustle. The one I have now is pretty dainty. I made it a while ago, back when I was still cautious about things being too big. I could make a new one which is pretty much the same dimensions up top but widens lower down.



2.) Make a new petticoat bustle. Like this.



Or the top left one here:



3.) Add another petticoat. Particularly with more fullness concentrated in back. Perhaps even with a tie-back and/or some netting. Like so:



I realize that plate (and the tie-back generally) are veering into "natural form," but if it gives me the right shape, it goes. I could also try achieving this shape with more ruffles/flounces:



(Again, this is an 80s example but you get the idea.)

I'm not sure what I'll do yet, but I'd better decide soon. The event this dress is supposed to be for is in just over a month.

This morning I wanted to prioritize my sewing, so for once I told The Girl it was just too bad for her and headed to my sewing room directly after breakfast. Finished these up.



Yes, I am in my jammies. Please don't judge.



They are scaled up with no modifications from Corsets & Crinolines (once again, thank you cheap projector). Several years ago I made some very small side hoops based on the same pattern, but reduced in scale. That was a time in my costuming life before I realized that More Is More, and I was worried about making anything too big. For these ones I went full-size with no worries.

I took a tip from the J.P. Ryan pattern and sewed weights into the bottom piece. I do remember my last set of hoops riding up quite a bit, so hopefully this will prevent that.



And with an old petticoat (clearly not cut to go over the hoops!).



Clearly not as huge and awesome as the full hoopskirt, but much easier to manage on crowded streets. I am annoyed with myself for wasting all that time on the big hoop, but at least now I am back on track. This afternoon I plan to make the petticoat to go over these.

A petticoat!



It's loosely based on Truly Victorian's free hoop petticoat diagram, but of course I had to fiddle with it slightly. I wanted a narrower ruffle at the hem (it's not on yet) and I was being frugal by making the upper section 30" narrower than the lower tier.

It's over this hoopskirt, which I made in 2008 (is it just me or does this seem like an eternity ago?). There is also a really big floofy ruffled petticoat under there; I originally made it for bustle dresses but it fits over the hoop, although the hem is wavy.

I am leveling it at the waist as you can see in the picture. I sewed a piece of elastic into a loop and slipped it onto my dressform, then pulled the unfinished waist of my hemmed petticoat through, pleating it roughly as I did. Next I'll measure from the hem to the floor and adjust it until it's even all around, then mark it and chop it before I attach the waistband. Because of the hoop's shape the petticoat needs to be a little shorter in front, and this way just seemed easiest!

Before I started this petticoat I fiddled with the ties in the back of the hoopskirt to make it rounder, with less back emphasis. I've been trying to figure out hoop shapes during the 1850s and 60s, and there is so much variation! The bell shape, the bell with more back fullness (like mine), the straighter, more triangular style, and the straight ellipse are the obvious ones. You could probably boil it down to a timeline but it looks like there's a lot of variation even within a single year. The takeaway for me is that not all women wore the exact same hoop shape. Subtle differences existed within the general trends.

And why grey, not white? No reason, I just felt like it. :)

I have the chemise and petticoat class coming up, so I thought I'd whip up a yoked chemise to illustrate the style. I'm also going to offer the option to make a plain drawstring one for low necklines.

I thought this would be quick, but I ended up adding lace and doing a lot of hand finishing. Glad I did, though. It turned out so cute!



It's handkerchief weight linen wih narrow cotton lace. All the seams are enclosed, either french or felled.

I finished these this afternoon.



Edit: They are WAY better than my blue pair.  I can't believe I felt so nitpicky earlier.  All I had to do was go back and look at a photo of the blue pair from 6 years ago to notice the difference.  Sometimes comparison is a good thing because I think these look freakin' gorgeous now. Yes, the support could be a little better, but it feels good enough now.  I think I set my standards way too high for my skill level and set myself up for disappointment. But I like these and that's enough.  No more griping.

They fit better than my last pair, the binding is loads improved, and I'm giving myself extra accuracy points for handsewn eyelets and not using bias.  They are much prettier!  But the main thing: I can put them on by myself.  That is crucial.  I get so sick of having to find someone to dress me, both for events and just for fittings.  I guess I could have just done a front lacing and skipped the back, but I like the sizing flexibility without sacrificing a smooth front. The neckline gapes a little but I can work an extra eyelet so I can tie the straps tighter.  The shape is nice and smooth enough.

( More pictures! )