Edwardian toile (plus an unplanned piece of fun!)
For the "Edwardian" bridal sample that I am making (corset top and bell skirt), I decided to use the 1901 pattern from Norah Waugh's "Corsets & Crinolines" as my starting point. [This is an excellent book and I recommend everyone have a copy!]
Measuring up the pattern it became apparent that I would have to take away many inches from the waist if my sample were going to fit my (soon to be mine) Edwardian style mannequin who has a waspy 18" waist. So I adjusted the pattern and eventually came to the conclusion it would have been easier to draft it out from scratch! So that is what I did, but I reduced two of the panels from full-length to bust gussets.
I made up a canvas half-toile and then realised that it would be tricky checking the shape without a dressform in the appropriate shape. So I built one.
Essentially, I lay out the canvas and draw out a rough bodice block. Then it was a matter of creating darts and seams to replicate the shapes of the covers on 1890s - 1910s mannequins. This worked reasonably well, but not well enough to put her on display without a loose wrapping of something else!
The issue with this lady (although she is reasonably presentable when swathed in fabric) is that she won't stand up! I hadn't given it as much thought as it deserved I suppose... and without a hard shell (such as papier-mache or duct tape) or a hard centre (such as a metal armature or wooden strut) she kept collapsing at the waist.
So I inserted a coat-hanger at the neck, wrapped her up in fabric and she now hangs from the clothes rail that my ace brother built for me recently. The worry I have is that she may be too heavy... she's full of scraps of fabric (a whole bin-bag's worth) and a couple of pairs of trousers that were ready for burning. It gets quite heavy when compacted, and I worry that the coat-hanger part will tear out with the weight! None-the-less, she served her function of letting me get a good look at this toile.
Overall, it's good. Nothing a spot of steel wouldn't sort out. But you can see how the hips are wrong. That seam needs moving towards the back and the back half of the hip needs lowering at the bottom edge. I also intend to curve the hip side seam. On the original pattern those seams were straight (which I suppose would work perfectly if I *had* followed the original pattern entirely) which is giving the wrong shape here. So I'll curve them in my usual fashion.
You can also see how I've curved the top edge of the back into a sweetheart shape. I've seen this on a few old advertising images recently and thought it may be an unusual and flattering shape, especially for a piece that will be embellished with lace.
So there you are. A toile and a mannequin to fit it!
Measuring up the pattern it became apparent that I would have to take away many inches from the waist if my sample were going to fit my (soon to be mine) Edwardian style mannequin who has a waspy 18" waist. So I adjusted the pattern and eventually came to the conclusion it would have been easier to draft it out from scratch! So that is what I did, but I reduced two of the panels from full-length to bust gussets.
I made up a canvas half-toile and then realised that it would be tricky checking the shape without a dressform in the appropriate shape. So I built one.
Essentially, I lay out the canvas and draw out a rough bodice block. Then it was a matter of creating darts and seams to replicate the shapes of the covers on 1890s - 1910s mannequins. This worked reasonably well, but not well enough to put her on display without a loose wrapping of something else!
The issue with this lady (although she is reasonably presentable when swathed in fabric) is that she won't stand up! I hadn't given it as much thought as it deserved I suppose... and without a hard shell (such as papier-mache or duct tape) or a hard centre (such as a metal armature or wooden strut) she kept collapsing at the waist.
So I inserted a coat-hanger at the neck, wrapped her up in fabric and she now hangs from the clothes rail that my ace brother built for me recently. The worry I have is that she may be too heavy... she's full of scraps of fabric (a whole bin-bag's worth) and a couple of pairs of trousers that were ready for burning. It gets quite heavy when compacted, and I worry that the coat-hanger part will tear out with the weight! None-the-less, she served her function of letting me get a good look at this toile.
Overall, it's good. Nothing a spot of steel wouldn't sort out. But you can see how the hips are wrong. That seam needs moving towards the back and the back half of the hip needs lowering at the bottom edge. I also intend to curve the hip side seam. On the original pattern those seams were straight (which I suppose would work perfectly if I *had* followed the original pattern entirely) which is giving the wrong shape here. So I'll curve them in my usual fashion.
You can also see how I've curved the top edge of the back into a sweetheart shape. I've seen this on a few old advertising images recently and thought it may be an unusual and flattering shape, especially for a piece that will be embellished with lace.
So there you are. A toile and a mannequin to fit it!