Shaping Garments

“I HAVE a corset and petticoat.”
“But is it the RIGHT corset and petticoat?”

Rough timeline of fashion plates from 1500s to very early 1900s.

Just like one size doesn’t fit all, neither does one shape. You can see fairly steady progression of bodice shape going from tubular/ slightly cone shaped to an extreme hourglass. With the skirts, it goes from bell, to straight, to wide at the hips, to more to the rump, back to straight, then gradually going to an extreme bell, then into the bustle era where it is an extremely exaggerated rump, then it basically goes back to straight with just some fullness at the bottom.

I have taken some of the fashion plates and overlaid rough color blocks of the corset and petticoat shapes to give you an idea of the different silhouettes created by different styles of underpinnings. In the last one you can see where a “bust improver” or ruffled corset cover is added which is basically a tank top with ruffles to make your bust look bigger and to fill out that pigeon breasted look.

So just because you have “a corset” doesn’t mean that it’s the right type. I suggest doing some research before spending money on a corset especially if you plan on using it for actual underpinnings, or for a specific time period. If you’re going to the renaissance festival, as a patron, no one really cares as long as you’re enjoying yourself. However, some festivals and reenacting will have guidelines for what is acceptable. Always check with them first before spending money for your outfit.

Boning is a noun.

Get your mind out of the gutter, or is that just me?

Common types of modern boning
Common types of modern boning

Boning: stays, steel reinforcement, spiral steel, whalebone, rigiline, hoop steel, ribs… All of these things refer to some type of fairly rigid support used in garment construction. They are made of different materials for different purposes.

Boning is used in corsets to support the stress of the fabric when it is tightly laced. A corset without boning would crumple anywhere the body bends. The bust would not be held up without straps, the front point would roll up to the waist and the lacing would end up crunched up. Steel boning, either steel, or flattened spring steel boning is preferred in corsets. In pre-Victorian times corsets, stays, or pairs of bodies had been made with stiffening materials such as leather, reed, whalebone and wood. Later Victorian & early 20th century corsets were made with whalebone or steel. Whalebone is no longer feasible or legal for use, there are synthetic alternatives, but they do not seem to have the same longevity as their natural counterpart.

Corset with flattened spring steel boning, made from silk satin, French Chantilly lace, flat-lined with coutil, lined with cotton batiste, exterior cotton bone channeling covered by & edges bound with silk satin ribbon.

When boning is used in bodices, much like in corsets, it is to keep the lines smooth across the body. It will also support lacing, bust lines, or even collars. Usually the boning in bodices are of a lighter material than that used in the underpinnings. In modern times, this can be a great place to use the synthetic boning, especially at the major seams and bust darts. Steel and plastic boning require boning channels made from either bias tape, ribbon, specialized bone channeling or two layers of the garment with channels sewn in. Rigiline is perforated and can be sewn through directly onto the garment (or garment lining). Rigiline lacks the rigidity of steel, but it is great for more subtle support.

In hoop skirts, farthingales, bustles and panniers; steel, crinoline (the stiff netting), reeds, rope, horsehair, and even tightly stuffed rags have been used to give dresses shape. It depends on what shape, it’s rigidity and movement that you are trying to accomplish.

My ideal petticoat is a soft taffeta with horsehair stiffened hem ruffles at the bottom of the top layer, a layer of crinoline in 3 progressively larger tiers, with a taffeta type lining with a single rib of hoop steel at the bottom. It would be versatile for several time periods/looks, would be easy to navigate in and compress, all while keeping the fabric of the skirts away from my ankles.

In short (TLDR), there are a lot of different options that you can use for stiffening materials, but depending on the end goal, will determine which type of boning you should use.

Where do you find a pattern for that?

So to start off the new year let’s start off with the beginning. When I want to build a costume from an established character (Let’s use Scarlett O’Hara from the 1939 Gone With The Wind in her dress from the opening scene), I look for photos of the character in the desired outfit.

Then I look for the overall seam lines in the outfit. Sometimes I have to take the image and remove the details by putting it in a image app and playing with it until I have mostly just the outline and the main seam lines or biggest important details.

You can see that I drew on the image going over the main lines of the outfit. I would need an outfit (preferably a dress, but it could be a top and skirt) that has a large skirt. short puff sleeves, princess seams on the bodice, center front opening and high neckline. I don’t have to find a pattern for a skirt or dress that has ruffles, because layers of ruffles can be added onto a basic skirt pretty easily. So after this, I start looking for patterns that use those types of seam lines. While occasionally a perfect pattern can be found, more often than not, Franken-Patterning or Pattern-Mashing may need to be done while you use aspects of one pattern on another.

There is in fact a pattern that could possibly work GREAT for this look, but it’s from 1940 and is out of print and is in fact very difficult to find.

Pattern from 1940, extremely rare.
Images from the fronts of pattern envelopes and the line drawings included with them.

So in this image I’ve taken 4 of the most likely current patterns I’d use for this dress and I’ve highlighted in red the areas of the line drawings on 1/2 of each one the parts that I think would work well for this outfit. I have put a blue X over the areas where the pattern does not fit the desired look.

I think Butterick 4954 would work, just shortening the jacket so it could just be tucked into the skirt, or sewn directly onto it. I’d use the sleeves from McCalls 4948, with a little adjustment.

What I’d do to make the patterns work:

  • add ruffles to the princess seams on the bodice
  • some small lace or ruffles on the center front opening
  • add a pair of ruffles to the top of the sleeve head, possibly with lace edging
  • add more smaller sized buttons to match the inspiration dress
  • add 8 layers of ruffles to the skirt
    • each layer of ruffle needs some sort of trim or contrast fabric around the bottom edge.

While this would make the outer layer of the outfit, it would need the proper understructure including a corset (and chemise), hoop skirt & petticoat. There are different shapes of corsets and hoop skirts. Make sure that the corset is the proper shape for the period (this is a different post altogether). A chemise or at the least a tank top really should be worn as a layer between your body and the corset. Without this layer, your corset can chafe. The hoop skirt needs to have the proper proportioning.

12 units tall by 10 1/2 units wide at the base.

So since the character in the outfit is 12 units tall by 10.5 units wide, I can do 10.5 divided by 12 which gives me 0.875. If my person who is going to wear this outfit is 5 feet 6 inches tall or 5.5 feet tall, I multiply that by the 0.875. This gives me 4.8125, or about 4 feet 10 inches wide. So I would look for a hoop skirt that had a bottom diameter between 4.5 and 5 feet wide.

A petticoat is for multiple things. It’s worn on top of the hoop skirt to smooth out the lines from the boning in the skirt. It can also cover up a hoop skirt that has a different color from the overskirts. It can also add more volume to the skirts especially if the petticoat has ruffles or layers of crinoline (stiff netting). So if your hoop skirt is a little small, you can add fluffy petticoat(s) to fill out what you’re missing.

So this is mostly for stage costuming or cosplay. For historical costuming, you wouldn’t want to use a movie as a source. Even if you were going to do a historically accurate version of this dress, you’d still want to look for the ruffles, and some of the details, but you’d want to try to find these details in extant originals, photographs or paintings from that specific period. It gets much more complicated when you realize that some things that were acceptable for evening wear wouldn’t be worn during the day (like something off the shoulders at a barbecue) or how some fashions were only worn at certain times of the year, or after certain life events like marriage, motherhood or widowhood. These “rules” change by region as well as by time period.

Happy New Year

2021 has gone and 2022 is here. The last two years have gone by in a haze thanks to the pandemic. I have decided to try to make a new years resolution to post something here at least once a month. Ideally it will contain a tip, trick or tutorial. This is also dependant on my schedule and mental health.

Sewing Calls for Blood Sacrifice

It is known. Sewing calls for blood sacrifice. If you haven’t bled on it, are you even trying? Seriously though, constructing a costume has many perils. Getting poked by a pin and bleeding is just the most common…and by common I mean, at LEAST a daily, if not more, occurance if you work on them full time. For some this is more true than others. There is a reason I have a box of unicorn bandages at my station at the costume shop.

But stabbing yourself with a pin is not the only thing that can happen to injure you while you’re working on a costume. There is the possibility of burns by the iron, or the steamer. Cuts or stabbing from the very sharp fabric scissors (never stab someone intentionally with your fabric shears, that will ruin them too quickly) is another. Stepping on a needle or pin without shoes on (see x-ray) is painful. Running over a piece of boning with the sewing machine and the needle breaking, and hitting you in the face with the shards of machine needle is also a hazard. Cutting boning, rounding the tips for a structural piece and the small bits go flying, sometimes into your face, sometimes into your drink. Cutting fabric or foam with either a rotary blade, or any razor like cutting tool can be especially dangerous. Glue and other odiferous chemicals can cause burns, inhalation dangers, stick skin to tools, or skin to skin.

Trish stepped on a sewing needle

So, what can you do to keep yourself safe from these costuming hazards? PPE or Personal Protection Equipment is #1. When clipping boning, or sewing over boning, I try to wear some sort of eye protection like my steampunk goggles, or even just a pair of glasses. When using glue, you may want to use nitrile gloves or a breathing mask depending on the type of glue. But always try to glue in a well ventilated area. If you use superglue, keep FRESH acetone nail polish remover on hand. If the acetone is old, it may evaporate through the closed container and not work as well when your fingers are stuck to themselves. When doing hand sewing, try using a thimble. There are MANY types of thimbles for all kinds of uses. Find one that works for you, it’ll take some time to learn how to use it, but it’s worth it. When around areas where pins or needles may have fallen, wear shoes to protect your feet. Or at least soled slippers to give your feet some sort of protection. When cutting, keep your hands and other body parts out of the way. Place things on a clean flat surface, not on your lap. If you use a razor or rotary cutter, try to use a plastic or metal ruler to guide your tool along the surface. If you need to press a particularly odd shaped piece, you may want to use an oven mitt to keep yourself from getting scorched while you manuver the piece and the iron or steamer.

#2 is to only use good quality tools. Keep your fabric shears sharp. If you have to fight with your scissors to get them through the fabric your cutting, you’re more likely to have an accident with them, whether that is to cut yourself, or into the area you need to remain whole. Use fresh needles. After each project, change your sewing machine needle. Also use the correct size needle for the fabric you are sewing. A larger number needle for the thicker the fabric. A smaller size needle for the thinner the fabric. (Size 10 needle for sewing chiffon, Size 16 for sewing canvas) Use sharp pins. If your pins are dull, they won’t go into your fabric as easily, they may cause snags, they may make you push harder than you want to, and end up stabbing yourself, pushing harder may also cause you to accidentally tear the fabric.

#3 is to keep your tools and area clean and tidy. (Yeah, I suck at the tidy part) If your sewing machine is not kept up with regular cleaning & oiling, you run the risk of having it need repairs that would be much more costly. Keeping it clean and free from dust keeps it running smoothly so you have a better time sewing. (Fighting your sewing machine that has just eaten part of your project usually results in me accidentally getting stabbed with the needle, or cutting myself as I try to very carefully clip the threads) Keep your iron and steamer clean. Anytime you melt plastic or polyester to the surface of your iron or steamer, it sticks to that surface. There is a chance that the next time you use it, that same polyester or plastic may stick to whatever it is you are pressing which may be the outside of a dress shirt. (a great cleaner is called Iron-Off, use an old terrycloth towel or washcloth that you don’t mind throwing out when you’re done) Your cutting area should be large enough to have a good amount of your pattern piece on the table, and should support the remainder of the fabric, so you’re not fighting with gravity as it tries to pull the rest of the fabric off the table as you cut out your pieces. (This is where I have had the problems where I’ve cut myself, fighting against gravity as it pulls everything out of shape)

Take your time, be careful, use whatever PPE you need to, clean your tools and work area, respect the power tools and manual tools you will be using. Costume construction may not seem dangerous, but many of the items we use can be.

Costuming in 2021

I started actively searching for places to wear costumes outside of the Renaissance Festival, back in 2000 or so. I found reenactment groups from all time periods, the SCA, LARPs, Gaming Conventions, Anime Conventions, and even some small costuming clubs or guilds, then I found Costume College. Anyway, in 2020 the world stopped for all intents and purposes. Covid-19 halted most events happening all over the world. Even now in May of 2021, many people still haven’t received thier 2nd vaccine (or even first for the younger crowd as only Pfizer has been approved for 12 and older, but JUST received mass distribution for that age group). So things are opening slowly. Here in Michigan, it seems like every time we open up a little more, there’s another surge in cases of the virus and we have to go back down. This isn’t even taking into account some of the “new strains” that have emerged. All this to say; it’s not as easy to find someplace to go in costume right now. This is quite depressing for many of us.

As this year continues, I hope more places will open up SAFELY. Social distancing and mask wearing will still be necessary as far as we can tell for most of this season, at least until the fall/winter months. Who knows if another more resistant strain will come out when the next group of indoor-holidays come about? In the mean time, finding that spark, that desire to do any sewing or crafting for the next costume is difficult. When you don’t know what your next event is to plan for, it’s very hard to try to get motivated. Even with online events and virtual meet-ups, it’s so very difficult.

Many people are out of work, or working from home, and find that they have a bit more time to be able to do some of these things, but at the same time, that motivation is GONE. Which just furthers the feeling of being unable to get things done.

There was an event that my son was able to go to for Halloween 2020. I was able to surprise him with a combination of closet cosplay and alterations of found garments. It took 2 sweatshirts, 2 pairs of sweatpants, an old leather jacket and a little bit of scrap fabric. He had been playing some Asassin’s Creed. He decided he really liked the look the mask gave to the character too.

I’m not sure what’s coming next costume wise. I’m just kind of hoping they open things up so I can get back to work at the Opera House Costume Shop.

Cosplayers Vs the Stage

*disclaimer this article is a generalized idea of what happens. Every stage has different expectations from their staff, and each stage has different amounts of funding so some jobs may have many more requirements than others who are extremely specialized.*

Cosplayers & Recreational Costumers are not often given the admiration I believe they deserve. While they usually only work on one character at a time, those in the stage work on multiple characters. The cosplayer & recreational costumer has to wear many more hats to fully flesh out a character than does any one stage person.

There is a saying “Jack of All Trades, Master of None.” Sure you might not be a MASTER at all the trades, you can still get pretty darn good at anything you put your mind to. Just think, each one of those stage jobs has to do the same-thing over and over for a bunch of different characters, for a bunch of different shows. They are going to get good at that one specific thing, but if they don’t do the other jobs on occasion, they will not have a good working ability to do those other jobs (which a lot of times they don’t want or need to). If you are doing the whole thing all for yourself, you have to be able to do everything. So yeah, every part of a recreational costumer or cosplayer’s project might not be perfect or “master” quality, but think of all the different roles they have to play to put together a character that if it were on stage, a team of people would be doing.

Activity: Job Title
Designs Costume: Costume Designer
Decides what patterns & materials to use: Technical Designer
Drapes / Cuts Pattern: Draper/Cutter
Creates structural support garments: Corsetier/Foundation maker
Constructs costume: Stitcher
Creates accessories: Crafter
Constructs Specialty Hats & Headwear: Milliner
Fabricates or purchases props: Propmaster
Styles wigs & applies makeup: Hair & Makeup
Portrays Character: Actor
Dresses the Person: Dresser
Fixes costume issues post production: Wardrobe/Dresser

** Each production has different constraints and some may have different amounts of funding, or access to specialized artists. Some of these specialized fields may be dyer, embroiderer, leather worker, cobbler, armor smith, jewelers. In some productions the costumer is expected to do almost everything. But this is only to give you an idea of what is done in the most generalized sense.
*** Some Recreational Costumers/Cosplayers will want to see a character created and have the means to have virtually every part of the costume creation process hired out. It all depends on the person.
**** (My opinion time!) The only difference between a Recreational Costumer and a Cosplayer is one who creates costumes from characters that are from an established fictional world (cosplayer) to those who may create a costume for no particular character, or for an original character that does not exist in reality or fiction (Recreational Costumer).