Regency Corset
I've been meaning to do a post for forever but I've been having kind of a rough time for the last little bit and finding the motivation has been difficult. I have been sewing though. Not as much as I'd like since I haven't yet received the new dressform I purchased on Overstock.com on Black Friday. I finally broke down and bought a petite one, so now I can sell my current one and actually be able to drape on something closer to my own size! Hooray for that! It should come today which would be awesome, but knowing how my life is going it probably won't. Sigh.
Anyway, I finished my 1820's corset a while ago. Can't remember exactly when. It didn't actually take me that long sewing wise, but I only worked on it off and on, so it seems like it took forever. I did hand stitch all the eyelets in just two nights. I was quite impressed with myself for that. And they look pretty good too. Over all I'm really happy with it. It fits (though I have the same fitting issues I seem to have with every corset I make, the hip area is always bigger than the bust and so it's not an even lacing space, but it's not too bad and I don't mind too much about that) and it definitely gives the proper "lift and separate" silhouette, which I am very happy about.
(Unfortunately, LJ is flipping all my pics, so I'll just wait to post a pic of it finished and on me, or rather on my dressform, when I can do that...)
General info - I used the 1820's pattern from Corsets and Crinolines, which actually I didn't have to change very much to fit me (though I can't remember how I scaled it up actually...). As far as adjustments, I think I just had to shorten it (of course, both top and bottom, as I have the shortest waist imaginable) and decrease the bust gussets size (again of course as I'm also pear shaped). I used two layers of white cotton sateen with an interlining of lightweight cotton twill and I bound it in the same cotton sateen. I used the machine for the cording and the boning channels and did my own hand embroidery designs on the front panel. Oh and the placement for the cording is my own, though I followed most of the boning channels from the pattern. I'm using a paint stirrer from Home Depot that I sanded down a bit and I'm not happy with how much it shows through the sateen so I might spray paint it white. The other change I made is I made the straps tie instead of being attached at the front. I wasn't sure if they'd be too tight otherwise. Oh yes, I also had to add to the straps, they were too short on my mock up initially. I attached the binding first with the machine and then whipped it down to the inside and added a drawstring along the front top to pull the cups in as they were a little gape-y.
I also started the shirt to go under my jumper this weekend and am almost completely done. I just have to attach the two ruffles around the neck and then figure out buttons. I couldn't decide for quite a while how exactly I wanted it to look, but I eventually decided on a slight v-neck with two tiers of ruffles around the collar and large loose sleeves gathered to wrist bands. And I based it on koshka_thekat's riding habit shirt construction with underarm gussets. I think I made it a little too narrow around, and I'm not happy with how the sleeves lay under/around my armscye, but I think with the jumper over it it won't matter much or bother me. I can always make another one as I have plenty of fabric.
I'm excited to get started on the jumper so I can then move on to the pelise as well. I need the dressform for the jumper though. I want to draft a new bodice. I think it will be easy though, Regency dresses are so quick.
For the pelise, I'm still debating but I want something like the red redingote from the Kyoto book or for simplicity's sake a less embellished version with an easy collar. I really hate collars. They are the bane of my drafting existence. But I don't think I have a pattern that I can use. Though I'll probably try to base it on the one from PoF. The sleeves will be simple on this as well hopefully.
Overall, I'm going very much for an 1813-1815 look. I'm getting a lot of inspiration from the new Emma movie as well as the charming book, "Mrs. Hurst Dancing", which I checked out from the library last week. I love all the jumper looks in the beginning which were around 1813. I also want to find some little black flats that I can add laced ankle ties, but we'll see if I have time for that.
Anyway, I finished my 1820's corset a while ago. Can't remember exactly when. It didn't actually take me that long sewing wise, but I only worked on it off and on, so it seems like it took forever. I did hand stitch all the eyelets in just two nights. I was quite impressed with myself for that. And they look pretty good too. Over all I'm really happy with it. It fits (though I have the same fitting issues I seem to have with every corset I make, the hip area is always bigger than the bust and so it's not an even lacing space, but it's not too bad and I don't mind too much about that) and it definitely gives the proper "lift and separate" silhouette, which I am very happy about.
(Unfortunately, LJ is flipping all my pics, so I'll just wait to post a pic of it finished and on me, or rather on my dressform, when I can do that...)
General info - I used the 1820's pattern from Corsets and Crinolines, which actually I didn't have to change very much to fit me (though I can't remember how I scaled it up actually...). As far as adjustments, I think I just had to shorten it (of course, both top and bottom, as I have the shortest waist imaginable) and decrease the bust gussets size (again of course as I'm also pear shaped). I used two layers of white cotton sateen with an interlining of lightweight cotton twill and I bound it in the same cotton sateen. I used the machine for the cording and the boning channels and did my own hand embroidery designs on the front panel. Oh and the placement for the cording is my own, though I followed most of the boning channels from the pattern. I'm using a paint stirrer from Home Depot that I sanded down a bit and I'm not happy with how much it shows through the sateen so I might spray paint it white. The other change I made is I made the straps tie instead of being attached at the front. I wasn't sure if they'd be too tight otherwise. Oh yes, I also had to add to the straps, they were too short on my mock up initially. I attached the binding first with the machine and then whipped it down to the inside and added a drawstring along the front top to pull the cups in as they were a little gape-y.
I also started the shirt to go under my jumper this weekend and am almost completely done. I just have to attach the two ruffles around the neck and then figure out buttons. I couldn't decide for quite a while how exactly I wanted it to look, but I eventually decided on a slight v-neck with two tiers of ruffles around the collar and large loose sleeves gathered to wrist bands. And I based it on koshka_thekat's riding habit shirt construction with underarm gussets. I think I made it a little too narrow around, and I'm not happy with how the sleeves lay under/around my armscye, but I think with the jumper over it it won't matter much or bother me. I can always make another one as I have plenty of fabric.
I'm excited to get started on the jumper so I can then move on to the pelise as well. I need the dressform for the jumper though. I want to draft a new bodice. I think it will be easy though, Regency dresses are so quick.
For the pelise, I'm still debating but I want something like the red redingote from the Kyoto book or for simplicity's sake a less embellished version with an easy collar. I really hate collars. They are the bane of my drafting existence. But I don't think I have a pattern that I can use. Though I'll probably try to base it on the one from PoF. The sleeves will be simple on this as well hopefully.
Overall, I'm going very much for an 1813-1815 look. I'm getting a lot of inspiration from the new Emma movie as well as the charming book, "Mrs. Hurst Dancing", which I checked out from the library last week. I love all the jumper looks in the beginning which were around 1813. I also want to find some little black flats that I can add laced ankle ties, but we'll see if I have time for that.