Gown for Bristol with Sleeves:

07-21-08 Finished, but still in progress

I had lots of fun at Bristol, but not quite the weekend I had expected. GREAT garb watching. It made my month, maybe even year. I got the gown done, but there are several modifications I want to make.  Click the photo to the right or here for a larger view.

• Raise the waistline

• Shorten the Sleeves

• Adjust the neckline of the smock/add blackwork

• Make a partlet

• Adjust the size of the farthingale bigger

• Bead some of the sleeve and forepart detail (real pearls)

• Attach rings to armscye

• Attach aglets to sleeves

• Change back hook/eyes for covered grommets and modesty panel

The details prior:

The week before, one day Nana watched CJ so I could get some work done on the dress. I got loads done. Daddy even made supper so I could keep working. He even helped me to mark the hem of the gown AND petticoat which worked amazingly well. So basically most of the dress came together on Tuesday, hemmed on Thursday.

We got to the hotel on Friday evening, when we went out for supper, we didn't see the light and we got into a car accident (*Rant* In Michigan our traffic signals are yellow and over the middle of the road, not camouflaged, painted black and stuck in far corners and/or sideways *end Rant*), Chris' car was rendered un-drivable, no one was hurt except Chris' will to drive anywhere and even to own a car. So any "editing" to the dress I would have done Friday didn't happen (like attaching rings to the gown and attaching aglets to the sleeves to tie them to the gown). 

Saturday's events:

So Saturday morning we tried to contact the body shop after getting a rental car, and it was raining so we went to the fair in normal clothes in the morning. I bought a pair of shoes (the concho shoe from ren boots) which are really comfy, and we went out for lunch. Afterwards it stopped raining, I tacked the sleeves onto the gown and I dressed up. We found out that Chris had forgotten his shirt at home, so he stayed in normal clothes, he seemed really bummed he couldn't wear his new sleeves. I forgot my nice hat at home, and I couldn't find my yellow coif at home, so I had to bring my over-sized white one for when my hair is long, and it's extremely short now. He took some photos of me before the camera batteries died and we didn't realize I actually had the back ups in the bag Chris was carrying. *sigh* I did finally get to meet Melissa from www.sempstress.org if only for a few minutes. It was right before fair closed. It was really nice to finally get to meet her. 

Oh, and I need to mention that the rest of the week, the temps were in the mid 80s...Saturday, the rain brought the temp down to a high of 76. Perfect for a cotton velveteen gown.

I hope to make the aforementioned changes by the 23rd of August when we go to MiRF...assuming it's not really hot, or I'll just have to try to make it to Cynnabar Grande Tourney IV in November...better than perfect for velveteen...ohhhhh yeahhhhh. 

That new corset is awfully comfy. Surprisingly comfortable...more so than my others.

06-18-08 Corset and Smock

So, here are the pictures:

I think they almost look like the straps are too far back still... but I'm not for sure. They are a lot better than they were before. I was having trouble keeping my stitches straight on the cuffs, so I went for one of the default stitches for the blackwork. I'm still deciding how much of an edge to make for the smock which, since it's flat, I can easily use the blackwork programmed into my machine. 

I also didn't lace the bottom hole...seems to work better that way.

Wow, and my jaw is still pronounced...I had surgery for that back in '95 because like a good Hapsburg I couldn't chew my food very well, I looked even more like Philip of Spain back then. Maybe I was a Hapsburg in a previous life.

06-16-08 Eyelets on the Corset

The eyelets are done, but I think I set the ones on the top of the body of the corset too far back to the armsye for the amount of flab on my arms. So I need to make two more, about a half to an inch more towards the center front. Then I will get photos and post. 

Oh, and now the smock looks right with the opening...I have enough room to do a rolled hem or facing and black-work stitch with my awesome brother. I really need to name my sewing machine...I need more "Pirates of the Caribbean" stickers. I've got one on the case. Jack or Will maybe...*shrug*

06-10-08 Progression of the Corset

Pictures! They say 1000 words so I've got lots of 'splanin' done here.

Before: After:

During:

Just before sewing back together:

Before: After:

Ok, just a little clarification on the photos above. You can see I took  and lowered the top by about 3/4", and I narrowed and shortened the straps, and trimmed down the side back to shrink the corset and make it fit more snugly. I don't yet have the hand bound eyelets that I want to do yet so I don't know exactly how they'll lay on my shoulders, but they are much more stretchy with just one layer of canvas on the bias. I had been looking at my the Tudor Tailor book and I noticed that the straps were further away from the top edge of the corset, being tied together with points (see image to the right from Ninya Mikhaila.com). So I figured I could get away with shortening mine. I think that once I add the straps they will be tighter to the body and closer to the top. I also noticed how Drea Leed's Effigy Corset (left) straps are very close to the armscye (like the examples in the Tudor Tailor) . So I want to make sure that when I add my bound eyelets that I remember to get them far enough over. As you can see in my picture above, I can't really hold the straps out far enough to the edges...my arms just don't bend like that.

The back side edges, I pressed under and topstitched before zigzagging the edges together. I also added more boning to the front  of the corset while I had the binding off the top edge. I still used 1/4" boning so it's not completely flat like some of my corsets (the front opening also prevents that), but it's also flatter than what it was before. So Chris will be able to easily attach refrigerator magnets to me again...

Note: When the corset fits more snugly, the boob-line rises. So I probably didn't really need to shorten the front line of the corset, but it's still at a good level. I wouldn't want it any lower in the front. Just something to take into consideration for next time I'm doing a corset.

I've also got one cuff completely done on the smock, the other is 1/2 done. This is not including closures because I haven't decided how I want to do that yet. Until I get the corset straps tied to the front, I'm not going to touch the neckline of the smock just in case I need to make it larger.

06-05-08 Update

I haven't done anything to the corset yet, mostly because I keep second guessing myself and I'm looking for validation... 
r-a-v-e-n-e-s-s.r.a*v*e*n*s*b*a*n*e
My email address is at yahoo.com and only has letters, no periods dashes stars or tildes. I already get A LOT of junk mail and I'm trying to keep it from collecting more.

The Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup last night. Osgood is a F'in god, pulling the puck out of the air like a feather floating to the ground.

06-03-08 Fitting Issues and Gown Visualization

I posted this earlier on Renspace, but I'll reiterate it here.

I'm having trouble with the bodice, I think it starts with the new corset (Man that photo makes me look like my butt is huge!). Above is a picture of the Inspiration dress and "my edits", to show basically what I want to do for the Bristol gown. I think I'm going to have to remove the straps on my corset and put new ones on. I just can't get the neckline out far enough for my tastes... See images to the left and right. If I just add lacing holes further over for the straps, then the back gaps at the arm, and the straps I think are too wide...which is why I think I need to re-cut the pieces. But I think there won't be too much of a problem with the bodice because in the muslin, the straps were on the bias (not true bias but still) and stretched a lot. Plus the bodice won't be stitched all to heck with duck like the corset...Maybe the corset straps should be only one layer of duck that's just bound... Hmmmm...

Ok, so now it's later in the day: and I've added the rest of the fitting photos. I'm not in my smock, but I'm in a t-shirt and underwear...what else do you fit in? I made Chris pin me up and take photos of me while the Red Wings game was on. No, I didn't stay up to see them loose in 3rd overtime...anyway. They'll win tomorrow night anyway. Like I was saying, Chris pinned me up, so I don't know how much I trust the correct-ness of it all, but I do also know that the fabric of the gown and lining will take up more room than the muslin, so I like that it has some give to it, and that the back is over-lapped (so I can turn under the back sides as like a built in facing for the grommets). If I need more fitting, I can do that with the side seam. I copied the idea from Margo's patterns. I have a photo of the pattern below that I turned negative and filtered to give you a good black and white view of the pattern pieces I created and used for my muslin. Oh, and the "Muslin" is green because I got it for <$1 at a JoAnn close-out. Like we need another fabric store to close. :( The bolt I bought is almost gone.

05-15-08 Effigy Inspired Corset & Smock Photos & Stash use

I'm still working on the smock, the sleeves turned out too long, I'm adding cuffs with ruffles (not yet pictured because they're not done yet). The neckline is a little bigger than I wanted, actually it's perfect, but so perfect I don't have room to roll hem edge it. I'm going to add a binding edge after I use my wonderful Brother NX 400, from Universal Sewing Center, that I programmed with some period black-work stitches to do the edges before I sew them in. The neat thing about using this sewing machine to do these stitches, is that it repeats, and keeps running so I can do edges without having to use a hoop, or repositioning the fabric, then screwing it up. The design just keeps running. You'll just have to see, I'm not really sure how to explain it. Oh, and the linen is a very thin hanky weight linen. I've serged all the edges when I wasn't using the selvage, so if I need to replace a piece, I can take it apart fairly easily.

I also added the lacing holes to the straps to the corset. Here is a picture of the smock (after I shortened the sleeves) with the corset on. I must be loosing weight as I'm making this outfit because now it is perfectly laced closed front and back, and this is after I took it in. I shouldn't complain, but geeze.

Oh, the other cool thing about this whole project is that the corset was made from canvas I already had from a fighting coat I changed my mind on making and just had family get for me for a present. The linen was from the sale at Haberman's last year and gift certificate. The lace I'm using on the cuffs is also from my stash. The cotton velveteen I'm going to use for the dress, most of it I already had in my stash, just got extra just in case I need to supplement. I'm probably going to do black guards around the bottom and in the bodice and I have long strips of black velveteen that I had from my houppelande way back when that I'll use for parts of it (I have to check on how big those pieces are I'm sure there's at least 2 yards there).

I'm very proud of me that I'm using some of my stash. My dragon horde's worth of fabric comes in handy. Now if only I could find my fabric inventory card file...

05-08-08 Effigy Inspired Corset Photos

The photos didn't turn out well, and this is the best one I could get.  Click on it for a larger image. (I'll take more photos after the smock is done)

I don't have the laces to the straps yet. I'm working on a smock right now. I've got that 85% finished. I just happened to have some nice hanky weight white linen sitting around the house (thank you Toby for the Haberman's Gift Card Bonuses!) to make a new smock out of. I used Drea's Smock Pattern Generator.  I just need to feed CJ his lunch, sew up the side (the other side is already sewn up), try it on to see how the neck fits with the new corset, make any adjustments to the smock, and black-work it with the period black-work stitches that I programmed into my wonderful Brother sewing machine... and the smock will be done, then I just need to add the strap lacing holes to the corset and that will be done, and I can start working on a pattern for my bodice!!!

OH! I forgot to mention! I found some green velveteen that I've had in my stash for a few years now, I think I was going to make Chris a green velveteen doublet and Venetian breeches...well, there was just under 8 yards, I figure I need around 10, so I went back to Jo-Ann's with a 40% off coupon and the hope of finding a complimentary fabric to use in the bodice, and the stash fabric for the skirt. What I found was the same color & weave fabric!!! W00T! Different dye lots of course, but using one for a skirt, the other for the bodice, you'll never know... so I got 3 yards and I'll see what I can come up with.

I'm thinking of using black velveteen for  guards around the bottom and maybe in the bodice with some white pearls for accents in the black to tie the sleeves into the design more. Possibly even a black or green velveteen partlet...I have to check the stash to find out if I have any black velveteen...

05-06-08 Effigy Inspired Corset

I did have it mostly done, just needed to finish the boning channels and put grommets in for the last class, then my machine decided it didn't like the canvas and freaked out...until the lady from Universal Sewing came over and it freaked out once and boom, started working fine. So I finished it, then tried it on and decided to tweak it one more little bit (I made it with a side back seam that I can alter fairly easily without ruining the corset). I squish differently after CJ was born... I'll try to have pictures up by Thursday. I may need to make a new smock. I have a stash of linen, so it's all cool. 

04-22-08 Ok, start over, from the inside out.

So I've decided, if I'm going to do this right I need to start with a new corset that will fit my more, um, fruitful body shape. A long time ago I started a mock up of an Effigy Corset. It almost fits now too!  I'm making a few adjustments and I'm going to go from there. Then I can fit the bodice mock up over top and see what I need to do about a chemise (if one I have will work, or if I want to make another). I'd work on the corset now, but I forgot my mock up at Mom's house where she helped me fit the pattern. Crap. I'd like to have it mostly done to show at my last session of my Renaissance Corset Class this Saturday. Wish me good luck.

04-19-08 The sleeves...

Here are those sleeve photos and the images of the pattern shapes. Now I may use the Margo pattern for the bodice (I have it already on red-dot tracer) but of course I'm still using these sleeves. I have to make quick muslins of the bodices, both Margo's and the Simplicity's and see which one works best off the bat. I'm having "I'm bigger in different places" issues with fitting my muslins right now. Silly babies stretch out your body in weird ways.

Sleeves, cut out but not yet sewn.

Simplicity 3782 bodice A & B

04-17-08 The Plan...

The original plan was to take Simplicity 3782 and use it to make a doublet bodice and gown for myself to go to Bristol this year. Well, I made a muslin of the pattern, view B, on the largest size and my baby belly won't fit into it. I really don't think I have time to fiddle with the pattern that much (or to loose the belly), so back to the drawing board. 

My next thought was to instead use view A, with a partlet. View A looks much easier to alter. This pattern is beautiful, it has you flat line the bodices, use bias tape to bind the edges. Very nice stuff. I'm still debating using my Margo pattern instead. I just hate to cut into it, and I know I can trace it and such, but that takes extra time and I know there will be a JoAnn's $1.99 Simplicity sale, so I can replace this 3782 in my collection...for when I have a daughter-in-law that wants a renaissance festival dress...Yes, I have high hopes for CJ and maybe I should let him turn 1 first, but hey, someone has to look to the future. Anyway, I need to go and play with my patterns before I get too carried away. I was really hoping that mock up of view B would be a lot closer than what it was, but no, it was really pretty true to the size chart. What a shocker! 

Oh, mind you, I've already cut out the sleeves from this gorgeous crewel worked velveteen using 3782. Black and white. Oh, and I don't have the fabric for the gown yet. But I am thinking of having it completely Black and white with maybe some gold trim or something.

I have pictures in the camera of the pattern pieces and the sleeve pieces, but I can't find the cord. When I do I'll post them.