Piping and ruffles

After the sleeves, putting together the rest of an 1830s gown seemed simple. The bodice came together pretty much over a weekend. Every piece is flat lined. All the seams are piped on the outside and finished with Hong Kong binding on the inside. I tried to follow the correct historical construction as much as I could. I found Koshka-the-Cat's series on an extant bodice helpful when choosing techniques.

I piped each bodice front and then put another row of piping around the neck after the fronts were together. Getting the angle of the front-to-neckline corner on both fronts even was painful and required repeated unpicking.

I got most of the machine sewing done on the bodice on the Saturday and that left Sunday for handsewing – I sewed early in the morning, during the sermon at church, through my Dungeons and Dragons game in the afternoon, and into the evening when I got home. It felt like it was done very quickly but there was actually a significant lot of sewing time there. I whipstitched down the piping edge (neck) and the binding (waist). At least, I think it's whipstitch – it doesn't look exactly like other examples. For the boning channels I turned over the centre front seam allowances and the bust darts (as shown on this site). I used cable ties for boning and handstitched the channel seams over the cable ties so as to make sure the channels were wide enough.

The bodice does up with hooks and eyes. The top and bottom hook are closer the edge than the rest as was often done at the time. Having the hooks and eyes arranged this way made the closure feel a lot more secure than I usually find with hooks and eyes.

I decided I didn't like the diagonal decorations on the original bodice. So instead I used a ruffle based on a dress in the Victoria & Albert museum.

Original decoration.

Inspiration decoration.

My decoration.

I gathered the ruffle over a tape then handsewed it to the bodice.

I think it turned out rather nice.

Knit up the ravell'd sleeve of care

Most of the work on my 1830s dress was in constructing the sleeves.

For each sleeve, I cut out a lining of silk organza to support the puffed sections. The pleated sections of the sleeve I left unlined. The organza was not very steady to cut and all my pieces ended up being wider than the sleeve pieces they were to go with. I am grateful for this, as having the extra silk gathered inside the sleeve increased the support it gave.

I had bought 10 metres of Hong Kong binding for the dress, thinking it was a rather generous measurement, but it didn't even cover the sleeves (all that remains is in the picture above) so I went back and bought the same again. I was rather pleased with how the bound edges turned out. I had been increasingly dissatisfied with the quality of my garment internals; the Canberra show judges had recommended I improve there and this was a method used historically that was effective and looks good. However, I must confess to using the (historically accurate) cheat method of sewing through both layers of the binding at once.

 

The top edge of the silk was gathered to the pleated sleeve. The lower edge was sewn to the sleeve (only slightly gathered) and then it and the sleeve were gathered together and secured to cotton tape.

The top of the sleeve is shaped by inverted pleats.

Last steps for upper sleeves: seam and hem binding.

On to the lower sleeve. Again there are pleats around one end and gathering to fit the upper sleeve (and adding a cuff).

I made the cuff to fit my (narrow) wrist, not the pattern, so unfortunately the pleats had to be gathered a little to fit. The cuffs close with two hooks and eyes on the cuff and another in the split above the cuff.

The join between upper and lower sleeve sections only just made it around the arm of my sewing machine. What is it with modern machine and really wide arms? It makes it so much harder to sew sleeves – and sleeves aren't exactly an unusual thing for people to be making on sewing machines.

The struggle is real.

The final result:

Lastly I made six piped bands to be placed at different intervals on the sleeve. The pattern had the bands cut on the fold and only piped one side but the original dress clearly has piping on both sides. Why would you not pipe something when you could pipe it? (That said, I have seen extant dresses done the pattern's way as well.)

One edge of each ring is handsewn closed.

Once constructed, the rings are handsewn over the stitching lines around the sleeve. Thank goodness for that!  I had decided to have No Visible Machine Stitching on this dress and I don't even want to think about doing the entirety of the sleeve by hand.

There is a cotton tape running along the inside of each sleeve to hold the gather points at the right level. I ended up putting the tape on the outer side of my arm (opposite of the diagram above) as I found that the structure was more needed there. When I first tacked it on the inside of my arm the fabric was inclined to bunch up uncomfortably.

If I were to make 1830s again (and I plan to) I will do different sleeves (which will require patterning my own). This is not because I don't absolutely love these sleeves but because the 1830s had so many fabulous sleeves that one can't afford to do any style more than once.

Entering the era of extravagant sleeves

So, Jafa was coming round again and I needed a new dress to wear. And, as usual, it turned out the dress I wanted would require new stays. Not having the time (or, frankly, the inclination) to rush both stays and dress before April I started looking for something I could make to go with the late 1820s/early 1830s stays I have.

Way back in highschool my homegroup teacher gave me this pattern when she was clearing out her stash.

Powerhouse Bicentennial dress pattern 0001

The pattern had been produced by the Powerhouse Museum as part of Australia's Bicentennial celebrations (before I was born). The pattern is taken from this dress in the museum's collection.

I had long wanted to make this dress but had been putting it off until I was a good enough sewer to do it well (and until I had made a corded petticoat to go with it). So I got the pattern out, found that the fabric I had been considering was discontinued years ago, and decided to look for something else.

Then, wandering through Lincraft looking for artificial flowers I found the perfect fabric. It was so close in style to 30s' prints that, at $7.50 a metre, I bought the bolt. I think it's cotton; a burn test assured me that it was a natural fibre but my nose is not specialised enough to determine further – the store had it classified as 'assorted fabric'.

Samples of actual 30s’ prints can be seen here

Next, I traced off the pattern. The pattern is not quite like a normal pattern. There are non-standard markings for things like notches and folds and some of the other markings I was looking for weren't there at all. The lines are very thick so it must be almost a change in size depending on whether you trace off from the inside or the outside of the line. The instructions also are not step by step and don't have a lot of detail about the actual sewing. I wouldn't recommend this pattern for a beginner but If you’re happy to do research alongside, the pattern is still quite usable. (Although I do suspect the pattern makers of making some changes from the original dress to make things easier – like laying some pieces on the fold instead of piping all the edges, and possibly reducing amounts to be pleated.)

My measurements were pretty close to the pattern so I made no adjustments before putting together the first mockup.

This fitting was very different from fittings I've done in the past. Because of the lessons I have been doing I now know what signs of ill fitting to look for and what to do about fixing them. I recognised that the tightness in my shoulders required a square shoulder adjustment. Comparing the wrinkles on the mockup to the drawings in Figure Analysis*, I worked out that the pattern also required a small bust adjustment. It was a wonderful feeling to look in the mirror and see a bodice that didn't fit but also to know what I could do about it. I am looking forward to a future where clothes no longer hurt my shoulders. Small bust adjustments have not yet been covered by my sewing classes but I was able to use the techniques already taught to understand the instructions from Pattern Alterations*. The only uncertainty was what to do with the dart but after some consultation with a friend we worked out what to do (move it up so the whole length of the dart was kept.

2nd last fit - adjustment to darts needed

Original pattern

Adjusted Pattern

*both by Pat Fernon. These are the textbooks for the fashion design course at our local TAFE (vocational) college. They are published by TAFE and are not the easiest things to come by.

You shall, you shall go to the ball!

The Jane Austen festival was last weekend. My friend, Lady B–, and I decided to go only six weeks out so started having sewing bees straight away. I didn't have time to make all the things I planned (one never does) but I finished my new dress and necessary underpinnings on the Monday beforehand (the festival starts on Friday). I was pleased with this achievement and decided to relax for the event and not add the pressure of trying to finish something else (like I had done every other year).

Then I got a message from a friend of a friend from interstate. She had booked in to the Jane Austen Festival but her dress hire had fallen through. I had a spare day dress she could borrow, but the festival has balls and parties every night; I couldn't let her go without a ball gown.

It wouldn't be JAFA if I wasn't sewing up to the last moment...

Since 'simple' was the watch-word for this outfit I went for the regency classic: a plain white muslin gown. I didn't have time to make something well-fitted so I decided to go with a drawstring bodice. Of course, I haven't actually made one of those before, so this meant adapting a new pattern (Lady B– has quite despaired of me). On the Tuesday I made the skirt using my standard pattern (based on figure 37 in The Cut of Women's Clothes). I made the skirt and hemmed as is, because I know the pattern works, with the intention of correcting the length with a decorative tuck. Then I put together a mock-up of the bodice, ready for trying on.

On Wednesday Lady H– arrived. We did a fitting of the bodice which only needed some narrowing in the shoulders. I spent the rest of the evening hemming the spare day dresses to fit her.

Day wear: I am wearing my grey spencer (for the first time) and blue-flowered  gown. Lady H– (front) is wearing my cream gown.

Before and after work on Thursday the ball gown came together. The three of us had a final sewing bee Thursday night. Even Lady H–, who doesn't sew, proved a valuable member of the team, helping with pinning, pressing, and the inevitable unpicking. I finished the dress before work on Friday morning (getting up at 6am is fabulous – it's like having two days instead of one).

I wore my Joker-inspire regency outfit, Lady H– is in the centre in her new gown, Lady B–, looking very fine, is on the right.

Lady H wore the newly made ball gown on Friday evening. It is made from the leftover fabric from my chemise a la reine (which has gold threads running through it 'cos I don't do plain or simple). I piped the bodice seams in gold to match, because you have got to have piping. Arm movement might be a luxury, but piping is a necessity.

The dress closes with ribbon drawstrings at the neckline and waist. The waist drawstring is done in two parts: one along the font, with the channel ending at the side seams and tying inside the dress; the second set of drawstrings starting at the back seams and gathering the centre back of the dress.

Since I got the dress finished with so much time to spare (before 7am on the day it was being worn) I decided to start another garment: an evening spencer to go with the dress. Again, simplicity was key for this project, so the only decoration was piping. For fabric, Lady H– chose a pair of blue satins (leftovers from Elizabeth's scarf and Musketeer Barbie) and we used the wrong side to avoid an over-shiny finish.

Pretty much everything that could go wrong with the spencer did go wrong, and some of them twice. This was no doubt in part due to the tiredness that resulted from the festival, however I think the mistakes started first. In fact, I think despite the foolishness of starting something new as the festival began and giving myself a job for every spare moment, I actually had a better festival because I was making the spencer. As a task-oriented introvert, being able to come home from ALL THE PEOPLE to 'now I need to hide and make the thing' was actually kind of relaxing, even if it kept going wrong.

The spencer was ready for the final ball on Sunday night. And its recipient was delightful in her appreciation of it and the dress. The spencer made Lady H– a lot easier to spot amongst the sea of white muslin gowns on the dance floor.

Lady H– bought the outfit. I am pleased it went to such an enthusiastic owner.

I also made a petticoat to go under the sheer dress. Its construction was done in the spare moments between Monday and Thursday. No pictures – but I will be making another for myself before too long (read: the night before next year's JAFA).

15th time's a charm

I attended a corset making workshop over two weekends. We made the Laughing Moon Dore corset in twill and silk dupion.

Despite this being my 15th corset there were a lot of firsts for me. First time using silk, first time using spring and spiral steel bones, first time having someone in the room who knew what they were doing.

The corset was made using a method where the outer and lining layers are constructed separately, which allows for a final opportunity to tweak the fitting once you have the front (busk), back (lacing) and all the lining together. I didn't find that last fit particularly useful as there was still no boning so I will probably continue to use the welt method in future. The welt method ensures that your seams line up and that the panels on both layers are the same size. It is also a faster method.

I was surprised at how unscientific the fitting was. Measurements were only taken to choose a pattern and the rest was done by adjusting mockups. Mine had to be made smaller than the smallest pattern size (because of course it did) and also an inch longer above and below the waist. This solved a problem I've had in the past where the hips fit ok and the bust fits ok but the corset can't reach both at the same time.

A lot of the course reaffirmed that what I had taught myself was right but I did pick up a few valuable new techniques. One was seeing how the fitting was done. Another was inserting the waist tape. I also learnt that I don't want to use spiral steel boning again. I had so much trouble getting the ends on and then several came off in the boning channels anyway. Just cutting the bones to length was a challenge. I think I will stick with cable-ties for the time being.

I had been hoping to learn flossing which is something I've heard about and tried for myself but never had a clear understanding of. Sadly that wasn't covered by the course. Still, I have bought thread to do some flossing with and will attempt to educate myself further. I was lucky enough to find in the limited range of topstitching thread the perfect colour to match my lace. Eyelet lace and ribbon was included in the class kit; however since I was making a proper, purple, silk corset nothing but gold would do. So I bought a metre of hand-dyed guipure lace to use instead.

Attaching the lace was a precision exercise. The top of the lace is two rows with an indent between them. One of the rows had to be under the bias binding to secure it and I wanted the other outside the bias to be a neat edge. If I unfolded the bias I wouldn't be able to see what I was doing. So I lined up the fold of the bias on the edge of the lace and used a zipper foot with the needle a bit further over than usual.

Going fast with this setup was an accident waiting to happen so I disconnected the foot pedal and used the hand wheel. By the end my wrist was very tired.

It turned out perfectly.

The corset gives me a more defined waist than I was expecting, which I think pushes the silhouette a bit later into the century. That said, given my hip-to-waist ratio, I really shouldn't be surprised. Lacing it up gave me a two inch waist reduction without my barely noticing. I haven't made a corset fit well enough to get a reduction before so that took me by surprise too.

The fit I ended up with was pretty much right (insert celebration here). The hips are snug but in a good way, I've got a reasonable lacing gap and the top half fits right too.

Finding closure

I have now finished my re-creation of Elizabeth's first outfit from Bioshock Infinite.

When I last wrote about the shirt I said I was dreading the buttonholes. Turns out it was most fortuitous that I left them for a while as eventually I noticed something else in my reference images.

Elizabeth's shirt doesn't have buttonholes. The buttons are on the right front (the side that is on top) even when the shirt is open. Cue great rejoicing.

Fake buttons over other kinds of joins is also period accurate so after this discovery I lost no time in finishing the closure. Buttons on the outside, snaps on the inside, and hooks and loops at the very top, as, in the picture, her outfit has no visible fastenings when the neck is open.

The yoke is attached with flat-felled seams. The back has a central pleat and is gathered (unevenly) into the yoke.

To keep the bulk of the shirt at the back, the pleat is secured below the skirt level using a technique I found in Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques.

The scarf is a bias-cut rectangle sewn into a tube. I used the wrong side of a soft satin. The choker is made from eyelet lace with a ribbon running through the middle. The ribbon is used to fasten it at the back of the neck.

I entered this outfit in the Canberra Show and won first place in the Summer/Winter Garment category.

Bioshock Infinite belongs to Take-Two Interactive Software