Effigy pattern getting better.
Ok, I did the cut, slash, fold, and open on the darted sloper, following the advice margorose gave, and found that it nearly matched the pattern I ended up with!! So yeah for confirmation of my unorthodox method. I will state clearly that her method was a lot easier to do, and would have been less stressful for me, as then I would have Known that all was alright, and not just wondered if it was. It also confirmed that I had not taken enough in width for compression, as I was only a 1/4" short, when it should have been 1/2" or more, so that will get adjusted.
I also sewed up the mockup and it seems to fit pretty well, at least across the back and sides. The front chest is harder to tell, but it looks close enough for me to be comfortable with it.
The annoyance right now is in finding a fabric to use for the stays. I thought of using the dupionni, but realized it will fray like mad, which I cannot hide in a seam allowance since there will be none. So I checked my cotton/silk blend damasks, that happens to come in certain sized chunks (they were samplers). Problem is... my pattern is about 1/2"-1" taller than the chunks, so I guess I will have to shorten the lower front extension to fit the fabric, if the fabric doesn't shrink much during their washing. And the pattern in the front pieces will not be nicely aligned. I do have enough to make the back piece look good. Hopefully I can get the fabrics prepped tonight, and make a few more pattern adjustments while they wash.
Tomorrow, I go find something to use for binding. Glove leather looks good, and... hmm... I might still have some on hand in my stash somewhere. Or, I may go for a cheap satin binding. Sadly, I have no silks in my stash that will work, as most are wimpy habotai, or dupionni that frays too much to work well. Oh, wait, I have another small box stash of fabrics I forgot about. Need to hunt that one up. Or maybe I can use the cream flannel wool remnants? Hmmm...
I also sewed up the mockup and it seems to fit pretty well, at least across the back and sides. The front chest is harder to tell, but it looks close enough for me to be comfortable with it.
The annoyance right now is in finding a fabric to use for the stays. I thought of using the dupionni, but realized it will fray like mad, which I cannot hide in a seam allowance since there will be none. So I checked my cotton/silk blend damasks, that happens to come in certain sized chunks (they were samplers). Problem is... my pattern is about 1/2"-1" taller than the chunks, so I guess I will have to shorten the lower front extension to fit the fabric, if the fabric doesn't shrink much during their washing. And the pattern in the front pieces will not be nicely aligned. I do have enough to make the back piece look good. Hopefully I can get the fabrics prepped tonight, and make a few more pattern adjustments while they wash.
Tomorrow, I go find something to use for binding. Glove leather looks good, and... hmm... I might still have some on hand in my stash somewhere. Or, I may go for a cheap satin binding. Sadly, I have no silks in my stash that will work, as most are wimpy habotai, or dupionni that frays too much to work well. Oh, wait, I have another small box stash of fabrics I forgot about. Need to hunt that one up. Or maybe I can use the cream flannel wool remnants? Hmmm...