Stays, Jacket, and Petticoat



The Stays


 I made the stays out of a kit from Silly Sisters, based on the 1730-40 pattern in Corsets & Crinolines (p. 39).  For fabric, I used a layer of linen canvas, a layer of cotton canvas (the kit did not come with enough canvas for two layers), and a layer of lightweight navy blue linen; all seams and channels were sewn with (I believe) 80/3 linen thread.  The channels on each piece were sewn, then the seam allowances were folded down and the pieces were butted together.  The top edges of all the pieces and the bottom edge of the stomacher were bound with leather; the tabs were bound with twill tape.

While I think the stays were well-constructed, they do not fit as well as they could.  You can see in the above picture that they do produce a good curve in the front - but you can also see how low they are in the armscye.  That means there's nothing pressing in on my bust from the side, so the stomacher just presses it down and I end up really wide.  This is eventually pretty uncomfortable.

The Jacket


Made out of a heavy linen, probably meant for upholstery, and lined in unbleached muslin; I used both linen and cotton thread.  Originally, I was using the C pattern on p.26 of Patterns of Fashion I (ca. 1760-70):* however, once I put it together I realized that it was far too short for me, and because the pieces are shaped with no waist seam, it would have been difficult to enlarge by piecing.  So I put it away for a while and started over on jacket B (ca. 1735-40), though I kept C's sleeves and cuffs, and I had the pattern draped on myself rather than just scaling up.  I used the method shown in Costume Close-Up, where the outer fabric and one piece of the lining are sewn together, and then the other piece of the lining is lapped over the seam and sewn down.  After this picture was taken, I made the stomacher and added in more eyelets so I could cross-lace the jacket closed, as spiral lacing made it crooked.

There are many, many problems here.  Let me list them all so that any other young and foolish people may avoid them.

- Both the armscye and the sleeve head are the wrong shapes in general, and the wrong shapes for each other in particular.  This makes the shoulders of the jacket want to fall off me.
- When the pattern was draped on me, someone didn't understand that the seams are supposed to be side-back (and I didn't catch it, fair's fair), so they're right on the side.  This wouldn't be so bad on its own, but I then used the bodice pieces to draft the skirts, and since I knew the skirt seam was supposed to match up with the bodice seam, this led to the pleats being right over my hips rather than in the back.  It doesn't look like much of a big deal in the 3/4 view above, but when seen head-on I look like I have hips that jut right out.
- This fabric is way, way too heavy.  When I started in on another pair of stays with fabric I ordered from Wm. Booth, I realized that the heavy linen I was using was the same weight as the linen of this jacket.  You do not want to use stays-weight linen for this type of clothing.
- Something ... happened to the neckline while I was sewing it, and I ended up with it stretched way out, so I had to take tucks by the shoulders and at the edge of the stays.
- The cuffs really should have been interlined, and probably sewn on most of the way around the sleeve.

* Hopefully this is not seen as sacrilege, but: after looking at it again with the knowledge I've gained since, I suspect it actually dates from the end of the 1770s.  Due to the cut of the back, one might call it a polonaise jacket?

The Petticoat


My petticoat is very simple, rectangles pleated to a length of twill tape.  The only way I deviated from the standard method was to make it so both front and back were put on the same piece of tape, which ties over one hip.  Somehow it managed to be too wide, so I'm going to have to take it in at some point.

Popular posts from this blog

Pride and Prejudice 1995: The Little Things

Image
I did threaten to write about the Ehle/Firth Pride and Prejudice , and since I'm in a writing mood without a topic I decided to make good. Regency adaptations tend to go for an overall accurate look, interpreting age and income within the confines of realistic silhouettes and colors, and so they avoid the scrutiny and reputation that a more obviously artistic and unrealistic production garners. But just as this version of P&P  is not entirely faithful in every respect (e.g. the added Darcy-perspective scenes, the actors nearly all being significantly older than their characters - perhaps the most egregious example being Julia Sawalha in her late twenties playing teenage Lydia), Dinah Hill's costuming is not entirely accurate - mainly in ways that make the period more appealing to modern tastes. The exact date when the story is set is never given; generally, the movie's taken to be set in 1813, when the book was published. I'm not going to go into the full story of
Read more

Ca. 1866 Brown Gown - A Close-Up Look

Image
  Hello, everyone! It’s Cassidy, Mimicofmodes here, on Twitter, on Tumblr, on Reddit, and on Etsy.  Anyway, I have a small but fantastic collection of historic clothing. Antique historic clothing, not pieces I’ve made. A few of the pieces I bought myself, at thrift shops and on eBay and Etsy, but most of it was very kindly given to me several years ago by a blogging friend, Natalie Ferguson . Unfortunately, I’ve never had the chance to do anything much with them – but I’m so excited to be able to share them with the world this way! My collection ranges from a late 18th century shift to a 1980s cocktail dress, with most pieces from the early 20th century. At first I thought I could show you this gorgeous Edwardian evening skirt – the bodice apparently didn’t survive, or maybe it was sold separately at some point – but it’s very delicate. I wouldn’t want to put it on my dress form. I also don’t have a large enough space on the floor to lay it out! However, I’m moving this winter, and I s
Read more

Pattern Time: 1860s Chemise

Image
For my 150th post ( \o/ ), a quick little pattern someone might find useful. When I was working my way through a box a few weeks ago, I came across a chemise that didn't quite want to lay flat.  I took a closer look at it to figure out why, and noticed that it had a unique construction with the sleeves cut in one with the body and gussets inserted in the neckline.  I did a really quick sketch of the cutting layout and measured the important bits, so that when I got home I could draw it up in proportion on graph paper. (nb. I messed up. I've been noticing it for a while, but didn't want to point it out from shame, but I accidentally gave the neckline length as it is when gathered - the horizontal cut should be much longer, to within about four inches of the side seam. Please correct for this when making your own version.)
Read more