Yes I did get distracted from the Victorian Project - but the stays are done!

In the final version I have taken the back of the neck down a couple of inches so I can lean forward comfortably. I also took a couple of inches out of the front and added more lacing holes. 

It did fit fairly well laced closed, but corded stays apparently give as they wear in, and I couldn't tighten it as it was so I thought it better to give myself more space. The additional lacing holes have made it sit better over the bust without bowing or going lumpy. It is wonderfully supportive, especially consdering the lack of boning. 

I bound the edges with twill tape and used it to fill the gaps between the tabs, and (sorry Bernadette Banner) used metal grommets for the lacing as it will be for daily use:

I may make a separate busk/stomacher that can be added for a more historical sillhouette. 

The next distraction from the project I'm supposed to be doing will probably be another set of stays but without the tabs, with a brown, tartany sort of outside fabric, for general underwear and for outer wear as part of a hobbit costume.

Vaguely Tudor-ish Stays or I Hate Bras

Modern bras are a wonderful thing - for those who can find one that fits. As a larger lady with an even larger bust bras for me are expensive, impossible to fit, unsupportive and outright painful to wear. 

I had resigned myself to choosing between running with one arm across my chest or ending up with raw rubs and welts from an overbinding sports bra. Then I decided to do a silly costume for a c1700s ish LARP. I would be a lady. Being LARP (live action role play) not re-enactment the overall impression of the costume was more important than an exact historical item. So with a sewing machine I hadn't used in 8 years, a couple of matching sets of curtains, some cotton canvas an a few meters of lighter weight cotton I set out to create something that worked. 

At the event, in a poorly fitting, honestly poorly made, over boned with spiral steel because I didn't realise I didn't need to, in the heat of July, with heavy a huge gathered skirt made out of heavy curtains worn over stuffed hip pads... I was more comfortable moving about than I'd been in years. 

So I decided to make a set of stays, loosley based on Tudor examples but mostly made up for my own comfort and requirement. It's only taken about two years to get started, but here is the process:

The start point: another costume piece I cobbled together out of a mock up for a hobbity bodice, far to big all round and not very supportive:

I made a pattern off it, making the whole thing smaller and shorter to fit better, and made my first mock up:

It came up a bit low in the waist at the hip, and left a 3 inch gap across the front. I actually intend to edit it slightly and make it up into a stiffer fronted costume piece with a seperate stomacher/busk in it like this extant Tudor one. 

Reviewing extant examples made me realise a higher back is more common and looked more comfortable, and less likely to suffer from straps dropping down the shoulder. I had a dress with the perfect fit across the back and shoulder so I used it to create a pattern block for the back piece of a bodice:

Using this, and the last mockup I created a new pattern, and a second mockup from it:

This time the bust was a tad loose and the tabs all the way round the back and front made it a bit loose at the hip, so I altered the pattern slightly and made the final version:

The final corset is made of calico, lined with cotton, interfaced with hessian and 'boned' - actually corded - with 5mm jute cord:

Only the right side is corded here, and it still needs binding which I think I'll use twill tape for. I also plan to gore between the tabs, but it is comfortable and I can jump up and down without getting a broken rib or a black eye!

1880s Working Class Corset First mock up

I did the first mockup... it looks terrible. But that is the point of a mock up and I learned a lot of valuable lessons so the second should work much better. Photos:

As you can see the first issue is that I didn't finish the boning channels so it isn't sitting right, but it was enough to get a feel for the shape and where it needed work. It is also lopsided. Not sure how that happened as the pieces matched exactly but I clearly stitched it oddly. 

It needed to be longer over the hip, it was too loose overall and I had managed to add the extra space in the top evenly all round - so it gaped at the back and was too tight at the front. I also want to bring the top of the front and back up a bit so there is more shaping under the arm. 

We're moving onto mockup 2 now the pattern has been adjusted and the calico I am planning to use for the final item as well as some 5mm jute cord is on its way.

Historybounding Skirt Pattern

 The work skirt went well in the end, with a few tweaks. So I am making some more like it...

Radius of waist circle: 13"

Length of waistband: 49" including overlap and seam allowance

Size of waistband dart: 1" from start to fold so 2" total in each

Cut:

 

 

 Pattern:

 

The waistband attaches to the skirt with the opening at the back and the overlap to close. Sew in the darts, then the bottom with a large 2" seam allowance folded under, right side to right side and straight stitch to the top of the skirt. Interfacing (hessian) is put in and secured to the top of the seam allowance. Then the pockets are added, cutting the sides carefully. The back of the waistband with a small seam allowance is then folded over the whole lot and felled into place. 

Waistband:

The back seam can then be closed to whatever height makes it easy to get into the skirt. A placket could be added behind the opening if required. The overlapping waistband can then be closed with hooks, poppers, velcro or buttons. 

Easiest pocket option so far has been to create a little psuedo seam on each side by just folding the fabric in and stitching from the bottom up to the bottom edge of the pocket, and down from the top to the top edge of the pocket. Then cutting the fabric in between and using the inside edge to sew the pocket to, right side to right side. Using a buttonhole like stictch to reinforce the top and bottom made it feel more secure.

Notes:

 - It came up longer than expected, easily fixable if desired but I quite liked the length. 

- Pockets should be bigger. I made them what I thought was enormous, they are ok, they could definately be bigger. Big pockets are excellent.

- I added two little patch pockets inside the big pockets the same size as my glasses - I put my glasses in my pocket far too often and they get all mixed up with my keys so this will solve that.

Interruption - Work Skirt

I took a break from my corset yesterday morning to make a new work skirt. Mostly because I reached the point where the lack of pockets in my current one is driving me completely more. 

The pattern I made myself is very loosly:

So, I folded the fabric to get a perfect square on two layers at the right width for the length of the skirt I wanted, then used a large jury rigged compass using a pencil, a pin and some wire. 

The waistband started out purely straight and will be darted as required to fit my high waist. I cut it all out of black cotton, and used hessian as interfacing on the waistband. I've basted the interfacing in and built the skirt intially with holes for where the pockets will go in the side seams. Now I need to work out how I'm going to close the waistband at the back and whether I need to cut into the back of the skirt to get it on comfortably. 

1880s Working Class Corset Pattern Drafting

Before I can do aught else I must make me my underpinnings, for without them to measure over I cannot hope to make the overgarments fit. 

Making corsets kinda sucks. But is also amazing. Because a properly fitting corset is so comfortable, and flattering, and delightful. But making them is fiddly and needly breaky and hard work.

As previously mentioned I am starting with the Symington Pretty Housemaid corset (https://imageleicestershire.org.uk/view-item?i=7559) which has patterns available online. 

It looks like this:

It is largely corded, with a steel busk and two bones on each side. The Leicestershire museum states "The corset is made from a green/brown twill which has been lined with a beige coutil and interlined with hessian." I will make mine from cotton, lined with cotton, because I like cotton. I am thinking about the options for interlining and may actually use hessian, it is a good, strong and relatively cheap fabric.

The original pattern looks like this:

I however do not. I have a very short body and a large bust as well as being fat. My measurements are only 11 inches from the mid-bust line where the top of a Victorian corset should sit, to the bottom of where it can sit without cutting into my thighs or riding up, I am debating whether to go for a 10" or 11" busk. I am 50 inches round the unconfined bust, 40 inches round the waist and 45 inches round the hip. On the upside, to get the 10 inch variance that would be truly fashionable for the era I could simply pad out my hips and look like a tall Victorian lady someone dropped a heavy weight on. 

Initially I measured my body, the height between each line is also measured and accurate. The black line is the full circumference and the green is the front. I separated these measurements as simply getting something that goes round me and cutting it in half does not put the seams at my sides, they sit much further forward. 

Overlaying the two is a crude measure but demostrates the scale of the pattern changes needed:

So firstly I simply squashed the pattern to the correct height for me:

Then I started to reshape it for me. If you want a strictly historical silhouette you may be more cautious about this, but I have decided, at least for the first mock up, I am going to design it to fit exactly me in a sports bra. So a bit of uplift on the boobs but no compression of the waist. Once I have tested that, I will decide just how much tighter I want it to be and where to take the space out of. 

A major concern when changing the pattern is that the exact layout of the pieces is very important. It is what enables the corset to be cut appropriately across the straight grain and the bias in order to achieve the right give and take. I have done my best to maintain the shape with tips from the lovely Bernadette Banner here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhc05WtISV4.

The result is this:

I have left the original lines in lighter colours and my new ones are in green. 

As you can see it no longer fits quite as nicely on the page in a jigsaw fashion but it should hopefully maintain the grain angles relatively well. Most of the pieces are a similar shape excxept for D, and the back edge of F which are very different. I am not sure about that. I think many mock ups and re-works will be required. 

The next step will be to draft out the pattern on wrapping paper, which will be a challenge, then make a mock up and see what happens...

1880s Working Class American Woman's Outfit

The first project I am going to be showing y'all is for a LARP set in the Black Hills of the United Sates in the 1880s. I have some white muslin for the chemise and drawers, some white cotton for the corset and some beige and cream striped soft cotton for the dress. The character is a very pious and modest, working class woman. For this reason, and because I am super clumsy and need to be able to wear this all day without flattening small children or knocking over tables every time I turn around, I am not intending to go madly off into the second bustle era. 

The silhouette will be understated and a little old-fashioned for the era. The dress was her sisters 7 years ago and has been reworked for her after her sister married well and left it to her. There will be some gathering at the back of the skirt, and perhaps a little bum roll, but no more than that. I also tend to overheat badly so I am going to be making two options for the top, a very staid and sensible bodice with sleeves, but also a waistcoat with thin muslin shirt which I am still researching the possible (in)authenticity of. 

I have started with with the Symington Pretty Housemaid (https://imageleicestershire.org.uk/view-item?i=7559) - an extant example of a cheap, working woman's stays from 1890. So it is a tiny bit late for my costume, but the principle outline of the corset itself doesn't change that much 1880-1890 and it is designed to be cheap (important for me and my character). It was also designed to be a working woman's support, rather than a fashionista's tightlacing. 

I will then be going onto the Chemise and Split Drawers, which I am using simple outlines for based on these from Princeton University https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ee/6b/93/ee6b936d7824b577911531efb8961d35.jpg I will be going for the simplest versions with minimal lace for reasons of actual and character poverty, and to try to keep things simple overall. 

I've yet to decide if I'm going to make or buy stockings... I think buy is probably more likely. 

The skirt is going to be based off this pattern https://i.pinimg.com/originals/61/47/8b/61478b65c8e8d1072608d1f5ce22cfe9.jpg and I will watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za40PYeJU6c.

And the bodice likely this one https://i.pinimg.com/736x/82/ed/3e/82ed3e432414bef90be453b70e258944--bodice-strand.jpg

 The waistcoat will be use this for reference https://duckduckgo.com/?q=womens+wastcoat+pattern+1880&t=ffab&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fshop.fieldsfabrics.com%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Ffolkwear222a.jpg though not the double buttoned one. Also this video will be watched again, and again, and again.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THzNFKwrIOM, again a bit later but very useful. 

The shirt I am still working on a source for, I am thinking a round, stand up collar with fairly loose and simple shaping on the body and flared shoulders on the sleeves coming into a tight cuff.

There will be much pattern drafting to do and much measuring. I am hoping the undergarments will be reusable for a long distant project for a more fashionable bustle skirt and jacket. 

Aaaannnnd I almost forgot there will be at least one ruffled petticoat to make the gathered skirts sit correctly, and possibly a bum roll as well, though I will decide that later on. More references for underwear https://i.pinimg.com/736x/42/f3/28/42f3283b599b3bc169593949b87b8189.jpg.

This will also be watched many times for inspiration - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovWsXgUMEGc a bit fancy but the silhouettes and layers are correct.