Adapting a Pattern: Making an Adapted Corset from an Existing Renaissance Pattern

Getting Down to Business: 

As I said before, this portion of my blog is dedicated to making a Renaissance gown for my cousin.  Like a lot of women she has been blessed by an ample bosom that makes it difficult to be comfortable at a Renaissance Fair while still showing off her womanly assets.  My cousin's measurements make an eleven inch drop between her breast measurement and her waist.  Since the Elizabethan corset is basically a tube, the traditional style gives her a choice--have a large waist or squeeze her breasts down to pancakes and pain.  

Historically, this wouldn't have been a problem, because every dress was made specifically to a woman's measurements.  However, in today's modern world, we have pre-designed patterns that assume every woman has the same measurements give or take an inch here or there.  It should be no surprise to anyone reading this blog that they are WRONG.  Especially when it comes to Renaissance wear.  

What do you do?

The simplest solution is to make your own pattern, just like in the days of olde.  Ha-ha, you might say.  I have trouble just putting the normal pattern together, you might say.  Really, you can do it.  To make it even easier to do, I will be teaching you how to take an existing pattern and fix it to fit your needs.  

What do you need?  

Start with some disposable fabric... This will not be a part of your dress, so it can be stained or water spotted, etc.  It needs only two conditions-- 

1.  It cannot be stretchy.  Stay away from anything that moves when you pull it.  It must be as stable as possible.

2.  It needs to be a surface where you can legibly write and read later.  I like bargain lining.  I was taught to use muslin, but I don't always have that on hand, but I usually have a couple end pieces of lining that I've kept for one reason or another, and because it won't be used for your dress, it doesn't need to be the same color.  

Second-- you need a pattern.  You want an Elizabethan style, so you're looking for the tube style.  I prefer patterns Simplicity 2589 and Simplicity 8881 for this type of work.  NOTE YOU WILL WANT TO BUY THIS PATTERN TWO SIZES TWO BIG.

Why?... because you want to have room to work with the pattern.  Two sizes will give you enough room to maneuver appropriately.   Most patterns come with three to four sizes in one pattern envelope, so usually you are buying the size that fits you plus it has two more sizes.  

Which measurement should I base my pattern on-- Bust... definitely bust.  If you were to go off of waist with my cousin she would be a size eight.  The bodice would simply not fit up top.  Go off of the bust to ensure you will have the best fit.  

Now what?

Lay down the pattern on your fabric and cut it out.  Sew the bodice together using the longest stitch your machine will do.  (Technical Term: Baste the Bodice together)  Yes it will look huge.  Don't let it bother you. In the end your bodice will feel better and make you look slimmer than the size eight.  For the purposes of this tutorial we will call this item THE MOCK.

Fitting: 

Now that your mock has been sewn together, you will need to put this on and fit it to you. To do this, you will need to have a mirror and a friend to help you.  The most important things you must remember when you are doing this fitting are---1) You can only take in SEAMS.  It will be tempting to take in the middle of the fabric where there is no seam.  If you do this, the Elizabethan line of the bodice will be lost.  2)  You may only take in the Seams with STRAIGHT LINES.  Think of every seam as being connected to a ruler.  You cannot bend or curve a ruler.  

How to do a Fitting: 

(Note: there aren't any pictures for this section.  I hope you can understand that my cousin didn't need to have her fitting put all over the internet, considering she was wearing lining and was in the altogether.  I hope the text will be enough, if you have questions feel free to write them in the comments, and I will answer them the best I can.)

1) Turn the bodice seams out.  

2) Put on the bodice the way you plan to wear it at the fair-- this includes your planned undergarments (or not).  Pin up the back as if it was laced with the corset.  This is usually one and a half inches in.  

Okay by now you have a large corset sitting on your body and you are feeling slightly self conscious.

3)  Using the rules given above, take in the Center front.  (Yes, Yes... I know, it might be in the middle of the fabric, so it breaks the rules, but you really need this part to be correct.  Make very sure you are dealing with a straight line.  It will be tempting to pull in the under-bust until it is snug.  RESTRAIN YOURSELF.  The front of the bodice must be flat.  It cannot curve under the bust.  Keep the line of the bust straight but pull it in toward the waist so instead of the corset being a tube it is more of a cone.  

You will not need to take it tight against the bust line.  At this point you are simply pulling in the front of the bodice to make a nice line.  Use the shoulder strap seams to measure what you are doing.  It is important not to try and take in the entire bodice through the front.  

4)  Using the rules given above, pin in each of the seams.  Do the matching side seams at the same time and make sure they are evenly taken in. Do the front side seams first then the back. This will stop the shoulders from being pulled of center and narrowing or deforming the sleeves.     

5) Using the rules given above, take in the back until it is snug and adjust the shoulders accordingly.  

6) Repeat, using the same pattern of pinning (Ignore the front of the bodice), until you have a bodice that correctly fits your measurements.  

6)  Now that your bodice fits, look at the fit and the styling.  I usually cut the armseye a little larger under my arm, because it is always tight in Renaissance patterns.  (Keep in mind, if you do this, you will have to adapt any tight sleeves you put on the dress.  If you plan to add billowy sleeves, or sleeves that have gathering toward the top, it will not be a problem.)  

If desired you can lower the neckline at this point.  leave it an inch and a half higher than you initially desire.  It is a good idea to look in the mirror head on when you make this change.  Best plan, cut one side of the bodice to the neckline you want, when you take off the Mock fold the bodice along the center front and cut the other side the match perfectly.  

Big Girls Need Support:

Ladies in the D, Double D, or Triple D etc range need a bit more support from their bodice than the average girl.  To gain that support add an inch to the bottom of the bodice in the back for each size up.  ie.  D=+1  inch, Double D= +2 inches, Triple D= +3 inches.  

How do I do that?  

Simple-- Take a pen and write on the bottom of the Mock, +2 inches where you want to add inches and +3 inches where you want to lengthen it three inches.

(My cousin wanted a longer front to her bodice because she has a longer torso, so I added two inches to the front and four inches (the two for the requested addition, and the two for the support) to the back.  

Writing Notes: 

When you are finished pinning your Mock, you will need to remember where the new seams go.  I personally like writing on the fabric.  It is more stable than pins.  It is simple, wherever there are pins, draw a straight line along the fabric   (Leave the pins in, just in case you miss something.)  

Since you are marking these lines right were the seams will go, you will need to add a note that you will need to add a seam allowance.  (Usually 1 to 2 inches) depending on how much room you need to sew. 

Make sure to mark all pins.  If you are planning to use my corseting technique.  (See the Red Dress tutorial) You will need to make a note to add the required material to the back of the dress.  

Once you are finished, take off the bodice by undoing the back pins.  Leave all the pins where they are.  I like to add a few pins where I pinned the back of the bodice together on both sides.

Next-- This is important-- Label all of the pieces right now.  Front, Left Side, Left Back, Right Side, and Right Back.  When you pull the Mock apart to be pattern pieces, you want to make sure that you know your right pieces from your left.  :)

Following the Rules: 

Now that you have the bodice off, and you have returned to your normal clothes, you need to take your pinned bodice and look at your lines.  Inevitably, you might have made some curved lines in your fitting.  It is time to take a ruler and make straight lines.  Take the top mark and the bottom mark and connect them with a straight line.

This straight line will maintain the look of the Elizabethan corset while fitting to your measurements.  No, you can't leave the curved lines without throwing off the line of the dress.

Go back to your sewing machine and sew the Center Front line of the bodice and cut off the excess.  From this point the center front of the bodice will stay intact.  the rest of the bodice needs to be cut along the straight ruler lines you just made.

Volla, you have your pattern.

If you pull out the original pattern and lay your new pattern on top,  It should still have the basic lines of the original shape of the pattern.  As you can see, my cousin's bodice pattern narrows quite a bit toward the base, but still keeps the general lines of the starting pattern.  The gap you are seeing is where I took down the back of the bodice-- the neck line looked a bit high for her torso.

Just like on the front, I cut one side, and then placed both sides together and made the other side to match.

Cutting it out: 

Now that you have your pattern pieces, you will need to cut it out on the fabric.  To do my style of the bodice, you will need to cut out one outer layer and two linings for each piece.  The most important aspect of cutting out these pieces is remembering to add the needed seam allowances.  If you forget, the bodice will be unwearable, since it will be at least three to four inches two small all around.  

Lay the fabric out on your fabric.  Make sure that the stripes follow the arrows on the original pattern if you are using a striped or patterned fabric.  Notice the stripes do not follow up the bodice through the shoulder.  It follows the center of the bodice.  This way your stripes do not look like they are angling.  

Notice: I added the four inches to the back as indicated by my writing on the pattern and I added the extra width to accommodate the inner corseting of the gown.  

The side pieces were a little different.  Since in the front I lengthened the bodice two inches, and I lengthened the bodice four inches in the back the side seam needed to navigate that discrepancy.  The easiest way to do this is to cut out the fabric with the four inch allowance.  (I used the back piece I had already cut out to define that length.)  Next I measured out the two inches needed to match with the bodice front, and cut the material to meet those two lines.    

To be honest I am a little concerned about the angle here.  I have my cousin's measurements and when I put it on the dressmaker, I will have to make sure that this bottom portion does not dig into her hip.  If that is the case, I may have to curve the line, but for now I want to keep it as straight and Elizabethan as possible.

To make the other side, I laid the angle I had already cut over the second piece and matched the angle.  

To double check; I placed the back piece and the side panel together to make sure the lines matched up.  There is some give, but it will work out just fine.

On to the lining:   Double the lining and cut out each piece.  

You may have noticed that the center front is missing from this tutorial.  That is because I am going to modify the front of the pattern to slim the front of the dress.  I will be providing that tutorial in the next blog.  

If you do not want to modify the front, cut out the bodice front by folding the lining, fold the pattern in half and cut out the lining along the fold.  If at all possible, you don't want a center seam in the front of your bodice.  

UP NEXT-- Adapting the Bodice Front to look slimmer while keeping the Tudor cut.

How to sandwich seams in an Elizabethan underskirt.

A Note From the Cutting Table:

This is a strange post because I have to set the orange dress aside to create something entirely new.  My cousin, Melissa needs a new dress... so in the next few posts, I plan to make a dress in only a few days.  This will be a unique project because my cousin has a very ample bust.  Rather than squeeze her into one of the standard patterns, I plan to use my old costuming shop skills to make her a bust that will provide her support AND comfort rather than squeezing down her girls into pancakes.  Stay tuned for the first post in the two day event and wish me luck.

Underskirt Info: 

For now, I am not writing a detailed post.  This is just a holding spot for the underskirt pictures.  I promise as soon as I can, I will return and write a proper blog for this page.

Katie

How to hide your seams on the underskirt without creating bulges: 

I like clean seams.  I prefer to use French Seams.  I have a great tutorial for it in this blog.  However, when making an underskirt that has been heavily beaded French Seaming wasn't an option.  

If you run into a similar problem, here is how you solve it:

1.  First step, I laid the front panel of the underskirt face up on the carpet.  Leave it there.  (It will behave)

2. Next gather up whatever side pieces and center back pieces you need to have.

  NOTE: Do not sew up the center back at this point.  

Sew up the side pieces with their corresponding center back.  Again: I used a french seam, so there are no raw edges.    With the french seams facing the carpet, roll up the two side skirt pieces until only the seam edges are accessible   

3.  Laid the rolled sections face down on the front of the skirt.  (Make sure your french seam folds are facing the ceiling.)

4. Next, lay the lining for the front panel on top of the rolled side pieces and the front panel.  The rolled pieces should be sandwiched between the front panel and its lining. 

5.  Sew up the sides.  No need to French Seam.  These seams will remain hidden throughout the life of the gown.  

6.  Pull open the front panel sandwich and extract the rolled side pieces.  

the skirt should lay out flat with the lining on one side and...

 ....the front panel on the other.  The seams you just sewed will be hidden within the dress.  

6.  Sew up the back seam and presto!   You're underskirt is ready for a waistband.  Now... I choose to connect my underskirt and over-skirt together.  This is a personal choice.  I don't like my skirt twisting as I walk.  If you would like to have a separate waistband.  This would be the time to add it.  For right now I'm setting the underskirt aside until the over skirt is ready.  

NEXT TIME: A DRESS IN 48 HOURS.... CAN IT BE DONE?????

ALSO: HOW TO MODIFY A BODICE.

At the Fair

Fun with Flying:

Going to the fair last weekend was an experience to be sure. Originally I was supposed to fly from Las Vegas to Salt Lake and continue to Minnesota; however, when I got to the Las Vegas Airport, they changed my flight to go directly to Minneapolis. The consequence? Lost luggage. My bags got stuck along the way. I almost didn't get them in time. Fortunately, my cousin suggested that we go back to the airport and see if the bag came in on a later flight.

When we got to the Airport, my bag wasn't there. I talked to the baggage desk and to my disappointment, they had no idea where the bag was. About that time, I broke into tears. The poor customer service agent had no way of knowing I had just found out my mom was ill. Being the wrong person at the wrong time, I of course unloaded on the poor woman. To her credit she didn't send me away. She tried to comfort me and send me back to the hotel with an overnight kit.

The miracle happened when I turned around. I was just returning to my cousin when I spied a blue bag on the conveyor belt. I couldn't believe it was mine. I even pulled out my baggage claim ticket and followed the bag around the turn table while I counted off the numbers. It was my bag!!!!! Wonderful surprise! Shortly thereafter I received a call that my mother was alright as well.

In the morning, we arose to find the October sky filled with rain. We decided to go anyway! It was nice that the fur lining added to the warmth of the dress! Before I left home, I made a small shawl for around my neck in case it was cold. I'm happy I did. I was quite cozy wandering around the fair. There are more photos than the one below, but they are with my cousin. If and when I get them, I will post them.

Unfortunately, my girdle belt did not hold up during the fair. As you can see in the picture it is hanging askew. About five minutes before we took the picture, it got snagged and broke. I tucked it up for the length of this picture, then took it off and put it in my purse. I loved this dress and it worked wonderfully. It's a bit muddy, but I'm managing to clean it all up before the next fair.

Hopefully, I'll have more pictures soon.

Cheers!

Katie

Elizabethan gown hemming basics

Six Days Away!!!!

I am officially 6 days away from the Minnesota Renaissance Festival Trip. I'm afraid that finishing the dress cut into my blogging time. I can sew ten times faster if I'm not taking pictures of each step. Thus, I missed the tutorial on how to make a partlet and the under sleeves. I will do my best to make another set after the fair and put on the information; however the Lynn McMaster's pattern for the Partlet is really easy to follow.

Here is the finished dress: I still have to tack on the jewelry and hooks and eyes here or there, but for the most part it is done. Yay!!! The billament trim, the sleeve pull backs, the hat pin, and the necklace are both from Sapphire and Sage Jewelry. Rhonda is an absolute marvel and I highly recommend her work.

A Hem.....

As promised here is my short tutorial on hemming. I suppose it all begins with a good friend to help you. It is important that you don't guess on your hemming. Because of the farthingale and especially the bum roll, (see Simplicity Pattern 8881) your dress does not hang the same way that a normal dress hangs. Thus it is important for you to actually put on the dress (If you are the one wearing it) and have the hem figured for your body.

The Pitfalls:

Too low a hem: There is a tendency for people who make beautiful renaissance dresses to lower the hem to the ground level. Frankly this is how it should be. The Hem should just brush the floor so you glide across like on a cloud. Unfortunately this means that you will pick up every speck of dirt, leaf, branch, blade of grass, wood chip, and dust particle in the fair... not to mention the garbage. To put it simply, if your hem touches the ground at a renaissance fair you will end up with a very dirty skirt.

Too high a hem:There is an old costumer adage. If you are on a stage hem low. If you are on eye level, hem high... but not too high. Those who have ruined a dress due to the pitfall above sometimes over hem and end up with a six inch gap between the ground and their hem. This isn't a good combination either. First of all, you can see your shoes and ANKLES!!!

For the record ankles at this time period are far worse to show than your cleavage. So what's the right hem? I hem to the bottom of the netting on my farthingale. If you have no netting it is about three inches above the ground. From a spectator's standpoint your skirt will have the appearance of brushing the ground, without sweeping up the garbage in the fair.

Hem the underskirt.... then the over skirt: At times you will see this around the fair. This is my worst nightmare. In fact, I'm worried about it on the dress I'm making. However, there comes a time when you just have to trust your hemming buddy. In general you want to hem your over skirt a bit longer than your underskirt. Only by a half inch or so.... unless you are a pirate wench. :)

The Process:

Get Up High: I actually stand on a very sturdy coffee table, but in a pinch I've stood on a step stool as well. This is for the ease of your hemming buddy. It's a pain for them to sit all bunched over and being up high gives them a better perspective on the hem being straight.

What to Wear: You want to wear all of your costume. Not just all of the undergarments, you need to wear your bodice as well. Why? Because each piece of clothing effects how the garment hangs. When you add the bodice, make sure it is where you want the bodice to be. If you have not put in your hooks and eyes yet, have your hemming buddy do a double check to make sure that the skirt waist band is covered by the bodice. You should not see the skirt waist band at all. Also, make sure you wear the shoes that you will wear at the fair!!! This is very important! Every shoe makes you stand a different way.

How to stand: I know this is an odd topic. It's not really. After years in a costume shop, I have learned that where the arms are, makes a difference in the hem. So how do you stand? Stand straight, look forward not down, keep your arms to your side as much as possible.

Don'ts: DO NOT: hold your hands in the singer position. (cupped hands at your waist line) DO NOT: put your hands on your hips. (This will raise your shoulders and cause you to push down the sides of the dress. DO NOT: Bring your hands together in the front or the back. (This tilts the dress and will make the hem off in the front or the back)

Keep your eyes ahead:

Did I mention to look straight ahead? It is really difficult to do this, because this is your baby and you want the hem to lie right. At this point you will just have to trust your buddy. :) Looking down, tilts the dress slightly forward which will make your hem slightly higher in the front than in the back.

Hemming Buddy Duties:

The Hemming Buddy's job is to fold the hem so you have an even line all around the base of the dress. I prefer that my hem is folded under. That way I don't have to remove pins in order to hem the skirt. I always go back and add another row of pins to keep me sane while I am hemming.

Hem the underskirt then the over skirt. I actually flip the over skirt over my neck and shoulders for the underskirt hemming. Yes, this will make the underskirt slightly higher than the over skirt, but as I mentioned above, this is a preferable look.

Iron:

Once you have been pinned and you carefully remove the dress, you can hem your skirt and underskirt. My first duty when I hem is to press around the base of the pinned hem. I do this for two reasons. 1) If a pin falls out, I have a ironed crease to show me where the hem was supposed to go. 2) It is actually easier to hem the dress when you have ironed down the dress edge.

Machine or Hand Stitch:

There is a stitch on the sewing machine that hems your garment. It requires you to sew on the salvage of the hem and the needle jumps over to the folded back dress and picks up one stitch. In general I prefer the machine stitch, but I know that my over skirt is way too heavy for the machine at this point so I'm going to hem the good old fashioned way- by hand.

Remember the bottom of your dress is wider than the top of your dress, thus you will have extra fabric you have to deal with. This is done with neat folds in the hem. You need to be careful making the folds so they don't do damage to the line of the dress. Take your time and experiment.

The hem stitch I use is to pick up the fold of the hem with a needle using a whip stitch, then pick up a 1/2 centimeter piece of the main dress, I jump an 1/2 inch and repeat the process.

When you are finished it is important to iron down your hem again. Here are two pictures. it is obvious when you see the dress which has not been pressed after hemming.

Before:









After:










I will post pictures after the fair.

I still have a few things to do before I leave. I need to finish tacking the jewelry to the bodice. I need to put the hooks and eyes on the bodice and skirt to make sure they stay in place.

That's it! Thanks for visiting. If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer. :)

Cheers!

Katherine

Over Skirt Hurdles: Sewing an Elizabethan Overskirt

Weightlifting and Pleating:

The skirt on a renaissance dress is usually somewhere between 5-8 pounds depending on the fabric and the adornments. Given the length of the fabric and the slipping due to the lining, I have long thought that Renaissance skirt sewing could be an Olympic event. The red skirt I'm sewing weighs a glorious six pounds; however if I had opted for velvet or a heavy tapestry, this particular skirt could weigh almost ten pounds. In the end, this dress will weigh right around 15-20 pounds total.

I have heard it said that the over skirt is the easiest to sew. That is not quite true. If you follow the instructions listed on pattern 8881 you will be treated to cartridge pleating. It takes a great deal of time and effort to get the exact look required. I dislike cartridge pleating for two reasons: 1- I can't see evidence of cartridge pleating in the majority of art pieces from the time period. Those who disagree with me mention that it is the artist smoothing the bunching which cartridge pleating causes. That may be, but I prefer the look of the art to the heaviness that cartridge pleating places on the hips. 2) Cartridge pleating is bulky. Granted it is less bulky than machine gathering the fabric- which would be impossible, but it still creates a spare tire between the waist and the hip, usually where the bodice attaches to the skirt. This can be uncomfortable and can take away from the narrow waist look of the renaissance gown.

Because I am trying for the look of Catherine De Michi's flying squadron a narrow waist is key. For this reason, I am choosing Knife Pleating over the cartridge pleat. Knife pleating is what you think of when a pleated skirt is mentioned. The fabric lies smooth back and forward in a "Z" shape. Large portions of the material remain flat and smooth giving a more slender silhouette.

A second deviation from the Simplicity 8881 pattern is my decision to add a modesty panel in the back of the skirt. It is a common occurrence at Renaissance fairs. You see a beautiful dress-- simply stunning. They walk past you, you turn, and the illusion is ruined by a) a bunching in the back where the closure has been artificially pinned, hooked, or snapped closed. b) A non period addition to the dress, like a large bow or other adornment to cover the opening. or c) a open panel of the dress which shows the underskirt or hoop. It's sad but true the majority of beautiful dresses all have the same flaw. The skirt opening! Thank goodness they eventually invented the zipper in the 1900s. :) I determined to give myself a three inch panel so if my skirt opens, it only shows the fabric from the dress. Hopefully this will keep the smooth look all the way around the dress.

On to Sewing!

First step when sewing the over skirt is to seam the center back line. For this you take the two huge squares of fabric required by Simplicity Pattern 8111 and seam them together. This is where I made my modesty panel. Instead of lining up the fabric evenly, I had a seam allowance of 1.5 inches on the right side and 4 inches on the left. Once the fabric was sewn, I trimmed the excess from the skirt, leaving seven inches where I cut the fabric to overlap by four inches. Modesty panel achieved. Repeat the process with the lining. Now at this point, I sew the back skirt opening to the lining. Make sure NOT to seam the entire upper portion of the skirt to the lining. This will make pleating almost impossible due to the bulk 4 layers of fabric and lining will create.

I know this because I made that mistake on this dress and ended up unpicking the entire seam. It was horrible! I'm including the picture of my wonderful idea here. You can see from the picture how the panel overlaps... I figured seaming the lining and the main fabric together was a great way to keep the fabric from slipping. I achieved that goal, but ended up with a headache in return.

Step two: Side seams: In Simplicity 8881, there are two other cuts for the skirt. These two pieces are attached to the large squares. Because I have attached my lining to my main skirt, I chose to work with the lining first. The hardest part of this seam is actually figuring out which side of the fabric attaches to the back. I now remember that the ski jump type cut never attaches to the skirt. I will put a portion of that together so you can see what I mean. Now you have two choices at this point... you can seam the lining to the skirt at the front split or you can seam the lining to the lining. I choose for simplicities sake to seam the lining to the lining.

Repeat with the main fabric. It is a bit tricky with the back opening seamed to the lining, but really you will have a nicer opening, less troubles with fabric sneaking under the fabric you're sewing, etc if you do it first. Anyway that is my opinion. :)

At this point I have an incredibly lengthy sewn piece of fabric and lining attached by a small V like seam. It's time to attach the two. The pattern says to place the right sides of the fabric together (on the floor), and line up the outer edges. Pin them and run a seam down both edges. Then take three inches of the fabric on either side and hand stitch them back, so if your skirt moves the lining does not appear.

I like to avoid the folding over phase and whip stitching. I cut my lining down by three inches on each side, lined the lining and main fabric up and sewed my two seams. When I pressed the fabric open, the fold over is automatic. I sewed a top stitch down both sides of the split and I have a very smooth lining without ugly hand work along the edges.

Step Three: Run a basting stitch along the top of the skirt to keep the main fabric and the lining from slipping while you add the waistband. (I do not have a picture of this, because I was an idiot and sewed and turned this seam causing me needless headaches when sewing the waistband.

Fun with Folds and Tucks:

In order to do the folds and tucks on my dress, I used my dress maker's dummy to quasi-drape my skirt into position. Like an idiot I forgot to take a picture, mostly because I was busy figuring out where to place the folds. Unless you are cartridge pleating, you'll need a bit of trial and error with the dummy. I ended up with two larger folds leading to the back and several small pleats layered against one another. You can see this in the picture. Once this was decided, I placed the waist band and pinned it in place.

The waist band is fairly easy. Before I attached it to the skirt, I simply seamed both sides, clipped and pressed. Ready to attach the skirt, I opened the band and pinned the skirt into the band itself. It is important to make sure you start with the middle where the split occurs in your over skirt. My second set of pins are used on the opening in the back, leaving the remaining billows of fabric on either side. If my dummy measurements are right, the rest of the fabric should ease into my waistband perfectly. However it is not a perfect world and there is a bit of adjusting needed.


Once I stitched the waist band to the skirt, I folded down the waist band. I added a new strategy to my waist band I've never tried before. I dislike the wrinkling and folding that occurs with my waistbands in the past, so I used some of my left over boning and made channels in the waist band. I slid them in before folding under the remaining waist band seam allowance and pinning it into place.


Because my machine was groaning under the weight of the first stitch, I decided to hand stitch the waistband's final seam. I used a simple whip stitch and it worked perfectly.

Over skirt project... check!

Here is the dress so far. The underskirt is not done, I'm simply playing with possibilities for the underskirt. I have decided against the gold fabric because it has a funny sheen to it where it goes green under certain conditions. I have decided instead on an off white lace overlay atop a nice silk damask. It will be lovely. At least in this picture you can see how lovely the over skirt turned out. I'm really quite happy about it.

Left to do:

Bodice finishing touches: hooks and eyes, jewelry. (I've lost weight so I'll have to redefine the placement of the corset lacing's.) It's a lot of work but I don't mind... now if I had GAINED weight. :)

Over skirt finishing touches: Grommets, hooks and eyes, hem.

Underskirt
Partlet
Hat

Of Pins and Blood:

Deja Vous:

With the lining completed it's time to turn my attention to the actual outer fabric of the dress.

Just like with the lining, I start my process by ironing on the interfacing, sewing the front to the front sides, sewing the back to the back sides, and finishing up with the side seams and the shoulder seams. When I finish, the outer fabric should match the lining perfectly. If I'm off by even a half inch, I go back and figure where I deviated from the lining.

Next, I move to pressing out the seams. To minimize the bulk in the dress, I've picked up the habit of trimming my seams before I press them. Using this technique keeps the sides of the bodice straight and stops the rounding of the seams that can sometimes happen if you leave the full 5/8ths seam allowance between the outer fabric and the lining.

Sewing the Porcupine:

Some people wonder what I mean about sewing a porcupine. The answer: This term comes from my numerous blood letting experiences that happen when I unite the outer fabric and the lining. The huge quantity of pins required for these steps alone make your bodice a rather formidable opponent.

Unlike sewing many garments, on a renaissance bodice, you want to pin the good sides facing out. I've found that by matching the inner seams of the bodice- (pinning them together) and then going back and pinning the rest of the fabric you get a better look to the bodice. Because I don't like slip in my sewing, I usually put my pins 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches apart.

I also prefer to do the base of my bodice first. This goes against many of my mentors. (In fact, I may be hunted down by one of my Shakespearean Festival costume shop supervisors if they ever find out about this blog- Sorry Sharon.) To support my inclination, I've found that the bottom edge of your bodice is extremely important to the line of your dress. Because the neckline can be adapted in so many ways, it is my opinion it is better to have the bottom perfect.

In sewing the main fabric and the lining together, I try to keep the seams fairly narrow. I also sew the armseye at this time. It usually isn't called for by the pattern instructions, but again I hate slipping. If arm holes are sewn, then I don't have to worry about anything pulling out of place and having problems later on when I'm inserting the sleeve.

Once again with Bias:

Now that both the main fabric and the lining have been seamed together, it's time to deal with any ugly lines. My first job is to cut off any excess lining, interfacing, or main fabric. I'm using a double fold 1/4 inch bias tape. I like the look of the thinner line, but it is difficult to manage and requires more blood loss due to the numerous pins required to tack it down successfully.

I've found that putting on bias is easier if I place the bodice on the dressmaker's dummy. that way I can account for any pull or corners in pinning down front edge of the bias tape. Stitching on the fold, I go around the entire bodice.

Once I sew the bias to my outer fabric, I fold the bias around the edge of my garment and whip stitch the bias onto the lining. I try to keep my stitches as even as possible. Curves and corners are tricky. I like to fold in the middle first then do the sides. This doesn't always make the prettiest corners, but it does help with the twisting that can sometimes happen if you try to continuously stitch around the entire bodice. (I'm still working on this technique.) The end result should be a finished edge around the perimeter of your bodice.

Making a bodice a corset:

Most bodices require a under-corset to keep the shape of the garment. I didn't like the bulk that this creates. From what I have seen, most Renaissance costumes add a good ten to twenty pounds just by the added bulk of the under garments. I know this is not very SCA of me, but I've modified the bodice to lace up more like a corset. It also gives the garment a very nice back and thins the wearer.

Using the Joann's craft picture hangers (see my supplies list) I place them about 3/4 of an inch apart and tack them down. To minimize the irritation and chafing of the metal, I'll top these hangers with a piece of outer dress fabric once I've cut out my sleeves and skirt. Since I'll be using scrap fabric, I'll come back to this later in my blog.

I tack down the picture hangers using the holes provided as well as the edges of the triangular hanger itself. I put both sides on the lining of the fabric. This way when the lacing pulls the hangers together the fabric overlaps. I'll sew hooks and eyes on the outer fabric giving a smooth back illusion to the garment. I would do it right now, but my fingers are bruised and blistered from doing all the hand work for the bias. I'll finish this up in a couple of days. :)

Fixing problems:

There is only one way to explain this step- I put on the bodice and take a look at it in the mirror. I like to ask myself- are the lines right? Am I getting bulges in the side seams? Do I like the neckline? and Will the neckline work for what I am trying to do?

Trying it on, I've found that I like everything about the bodice, but the neck is a bit low for the inspiration picture.


With that in mind, I added a piece of the red fabric to the upper edge of the bodice- by cutting a piece of fabric double wide of what I needed plus 5/8ths inch; folded it and ironed it, pinned it in place, and seamed as close to the bias tape as I could. The result I think is lovely...





To do list:

1. Adding the fabric over the corseting,
2. Hooks and eyes on the bodice back

I must say, I have a bodice that I really like. In order to let my fingers heal a bit, and ration out my fabric yardage, I'll be working on the overskirt and underskirt next.