Actually hand sewing
Yeah, I actually am. I've been doing this for a few days now, which is why I haven't posted much about it except for brief comments on my FB page.
I'm working on the kirtle first, using the pattern I had made up for my French/Italian court dress, with curved front seam (with a little adjustment to make it higher in front, for weight, and to thin out the armstrap). I had thought of using a straight front, and make it all pretty with no seam in the middle - but decided I wanted the support of the curved front, so I'll be sewing up the center front seam and make it back lacing instead. But what I didn't like about the last kirtle or it's companion fitted petticoat bodies, is that it had obvious stress and underbust wrinkles, even with the layers of linen collar canvas I had used on both. So I thought and I pondered, and started reading around for various ideas on how to deal with this, without making a full-on corset/pair of bodies to wear under it.
And that's when someone on a FB group (I think it was florentinescot) posted a bunch of links to various pair of bodies boning info out there, which included modehistorique's pdf of various boning options, with their pros and cons. Sarah's pdf is awesome and helpful. I wish I had taken her class when she taught it at CoCo this year, but I was in another class. The pdf helped me to realize that while yes, the plastic cable ties I was thinking of using again would work, perhaps hemp cording would work better for the style I wanted (and avoid any heat issues). So I turned to the technique for hemp cording that Jennifer (Jen) Thompson posted in her web site here. With all this decided, I finally could move on to cutting the fabric.
The fashion fabric is a cotton damask, and it is annoying. It is woven with tiny warp threads, and very thick weft threads, with the design mostly showing the thick weft threads. Those weft threads want to come out all over the place, so I have to be careful with its handling.
I cut out the bodice pieces, machine sewed lots of 1/4" channels onto 2 layers of firmly woven linen (not the cheap stuff from fabric-store.com that I have, but the even cheaper priced $4/yd, but better woven stuff I got from Joann's during its linen sale a couple of years ago). Once those were done, I inserted lots and lots of hemp cording (48 pound stuff that I had in my stash), 2 into each pocket, using a length of copper wire doubled, which made this go a lot faster than my experiment into flat oval reeds. Once they were all in, I trimmed off the extra at the ends and sewed all around the boned areas.
And this is where I realized I really should have added a little extra unboned area along the sides where I had plans to trim the linen for the fashion fabric lap-over - as now I would be trimming right up against the sewn seams. So, next time I will leave 1/4" to a 3/8" area as a buffer. Thankfully I had added a buffer area at the top and side seam area but that was because I didn't want boning to go all the way up to the top or into my underarms. I thought ahead, just not fully thought ahead.
I also machine sewed with a zigzag stitch along those buffer areas of the linen only to help merge the fabrics together for more strength. I then pinned the hemp corded fabrics to the outer fashion fabric, stretching the corded layer to the outer layer as Jen suggested, and hand sewed the fashion layer overlap to the corded layer with a whip stitch. I then machine sewed with a narrow zigzag along the soon-to-be-bound sides through all fabrics at 1/4" from the edge to help hold those together, since the fashion fabric is so annoying. The narrow zigzag should let the layers stretch when worn, I hope.
Yesterday and today was being spent hand sewing down the seam allowance for the areas not being bound on both front and back pieces, and I finished that a short time ago. I used a whip or hem stitch for the most part, and tried not to let the stitches show on the right side (but I goofed in a few areas).
I am now in the process of hand sewing by whip stitch the shoulder straps, the side seam and the front seam. For this I am using a good thick and well waxed linen thread (50/3) I happened to pick up thinking I might use it, but not with this project in mind. It is a good size, and just happens to match the coloring of the fashion fabric, and almost matches the size of the thick weft threads. So far, tests show it will hold the garment at the seams and nothing is pulling on the fabric. I've been trying to sew into the linen interlining as much as I can as I don't trust that outer fabric.
I am at this point thinking of adding a strip or two of black silk satiny stuff to the bottom edge of the skirt. If I do, I may use it to bind the bodice as well, to marry the look all together. Otherwise, I'll be using a red/black silk taffeta which matches the cotton color rather well with the bonus of a nice silky sheen. It is the same silk taffeta I'm using as the background for my Elizabethan embroidery project. Hmm... I may use both, in different areas. Will ponder further.
And I am taking photos, but will upload those later. I need lunch and to get back to sewing. Btw, I plan on machine sewing most of the skirts, as I really hate long seams by hand.
I'm working on the kirtle first, using the pattern I had made up for my French/Italian court dress, with curved front seam (with a little adjustment to make it higher in front, for weight, and to thin out the armstrap). I had thought of using a straight front, and make it all pretty with no seam in the middle - but decided I wanted the support of the curved front, so I'll be sewing up the center front seam and make it back lacing instead. But what I didn't like about the last kirtle or it's companion fitted petticoat bodies, is that it had obvious stress and underbust wrinkles, even with the layers of linen collar canvas I had used on both. So I thought and I pondered, and started reading around for various ideas on how to deal with this, without making a full-on corset/pair of bodies to wear under it.
And that's when someone on a FB group (I think it was florentinescot) posted a bunch of links to various pair of bodies boning info out there, which included modehistorique's pdf of various boning options, with their pros and cons. Sarah's pdf is awesome and helpful. I wish I had taken her class when she taught it at CoCo this year, but I was in another class. The pdf helped me to realize that while yes, the plastic cable ties I was thinking of using again would work, perhaps hemp cording would work better for the style I wanted (and avoid any heat issues). So I turned to the technique for hemp cording that Jennifer (Jen) Thompson posted in her web site here. With all this decided, I finally could move on to cutting the fabric.
The fashion fabric is a cotton damask, and it is annoying. It is woven with tiny warp threads, and very thick weft threads, with the design mostly showing the thick weft threads. Those weft threads want to come out all over the place, so I have to be careful with its handling.
I cut out the bodice pieces, machine sewed lots of 1/4" channels onto 2 layers of firmly woven linen (not the cheap stuff from fabric-store.com that I have, but the even cheaper priced $4/yd, but better woven stuff I got from Joann's during its linen sale a couple of years ago). Once those were done, I inserted lots and lots of hemp cording (48 pound stuff that I had in my stash), 2 into each pocket, using a length of copper wire doubled, which made this go a lot faster than my experiment into flat oval reeds. Once they were all in, I trimmed off the extra at the ends and sewed all around the boned areas.
And this is where I realized I really should have added a little extra unboned area along the sides where I had plans to trim the linen for the fashion fabric lap-over - as now I would be trimming right up against the sewn seams. So, next time I will leave 1/4" to a 3/8" area as a buffer. Thankfully I had added a buffer area at the top and side seam area but that was because I didn't want boning to go all the way up to the top or into my underarms. I thought ahead, just not fully thought ahead.
I also machine sewed with a zigzag stitch along those buffer areas of the linen only to help merge the fabrics together for more strength. I then pinned the hemp corded fabrics to the outer fashion fabric, stretching the corded layer to the outer layer as Jen suggested, and hand sewed the fashion layer overlap to the corded layer with a whip stitch. I then machine sewed with a narrow zigzag along the soon-to-be-bound sides through all fabrics at 1/4" from the edge to help hold those together, since the fashion fabric is so annoying. The narrow zigzag should let the layers stretch when worn, I hope.
Yesterday and today was being spent hand sewing down the seam allowance for the areas not being bound on both front and back pieces, and I finished that a short time ago. I used a whip or hem stitch for the most part, and tried not to let the stitches show on the right side (but I goofed in a few areas).
I am now in the process of hand sewing by whip stitch the shoulder straps, the side seam and the front seam. For this I am using a good thick and well waxed linen thread (50/3) I happened to pick up thinking I might use it, but not with this project in mind. It is a good size, and just happens to match the coloring of the fashion fabric, and almost matches the size of the thick weft threads. So far, tests show it will hold the garment at the seams and nothing is pulling on the fabric. I've been trying to sew into the linen interlining as much as I can as I don't trust that outer fabric.
I am at this point thinking of adding a strip or two of black silk satiny stuff to the bottom edge of the skirt. If I do, I may use it to bind the bodice as well, to marry the look all together. Otherwise, I'll be using a red/black silk taffeta which matches the cotton color rather well with the bonus of a nice silky sheen. It is the same silk taffeta I'm using as the background for my Elizabethan embroidery project. Hmm... I may use both, in different areas. Will ponder further.
And I am taking photos, but will upload those later. I need lunch and to get back to sewing. Btw, I plan on machine sewing most of the skirts, as I really hate long seams by hand.