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Apr. 18th, 2008 05:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
happybat
My most recent project has been the yellow dress. I bought the fabric October of last year, meaning to wear it to a
role play event in january. This didn't happen, and in fact I have just finished the main dress now. For anyone who
has been on Yourwardrobeunlock'd recently or who follows the work of the wonderful Harman Hay, the inspiration will
be clear...
The dress was made out of yellow linen, bodice and sleeveslined in cream linen and using a white coutil double layer
interlining for the boning of the bodice and buckram for the waistband of the otherwise unlined skirt (a mistake -
more on that later).
I started with the stays pattern from Reconstructing History. It's a lovely, clear, well written pattern and
confused me utterly when I first started the dress in earnest in December. It is true what they say about never
rushing a project - I was starting this on the heels of two other (for me) big projects - a green silk utterly
inaccurate but nonetheless quite fun mantua and a quasi miliary wool jacket, with a detachable front piece and more
buttons than God, and I think I was quite tired... I failed to understand the stomacher, gave up, and packed
everything away tearfully and in despair.
When I came back to it in February I couldn't understand what the problem had been. The construction of the coutil
layer, and the instertion of the bones went straightforwardly. After much soul searching I decided to flatline the
fashion fabric to the boned interlining. This was, in retrospect, a mistake. What I should have done is added
another layer of interlining, probably wool felt (as the lovely the_bats_meow was kind enough to suggest, in a
comment a LONG time ago, would that I had had the wit to listen) and made it as a floating layer. As it is there are
a few places with a bit of sag/wrinkle, which irritates me a little, and I am a bit afraid to press as I would wish
for fear of the linen stretching. It is very very soft, stretchy fabric, and lovely to touch, but a bit scary to
iron.
The part of the project I probably spent the most time on was the binding. It is bias cut (not historical, I know)
and went on entirely by hand - I was quite proud of the smoothness of the curves at the bottom of the tabs, and
hugely frustrated by the folds at the top - I couldn't get them smooth, or even, or even to have reliably just one
crease. I suspect that the thickness and softness of the bias didn't help, and I wonder if I should have bound in
another fabric. Possibly thinner bias would have helped too, but I just fell in love with the way that the broad
binding made the tabs look thin.
I also decided to use brass rings for my ribbon (very pleased I did too - I think grommets down the front of the
dress would have been a lot less satisfactory)
I also made my first foray into the wonderful world of the handmade eyelet. I am a total convert - for this kind of
project the handmade ones are lovely
This is also my very first garment with a wooden busk!
The sleeves and skirt are very straightforward - rectangles, pleated. There is a width of fabric in each sleeve, and
six drops in the skirt. The trim is iron on - I had intended to hand work them, but I realised that a) I wanted this
project DONE and b) I loved the turquoise. I think it makes the dress, actually, that and the ribbons... which is
vaguely depressing when I think on all that arduous handwork.
Problems and issues
My boning was eccentric. Had I but known, I would have used reeds throughout, or at least had horizontal as well as vertical bones going on. Steel was not a bad decision, though - I have a poor track record with rigilene. I think that when I make these stays again I am going to do the reeds + handsewn channels thing. Running the channels over the fashion fabric would have been, I think, more visually appealing. Using a less smudgy pencil to number my bones and boning channels would also, I think, have resulted in less anguish.
The cut at the back of the neck is weird - I know what I was trying for, but I should have stuck to the pattern and not been so daft. The odd scoop is odd.
It's so very much less than historically accurate... I really really want to try doing one 'straight' one of these days.
role play event in january. This didn't happen, and in fact I have just finished the main dress now. For anyone who
has been on Yourwardrobeunlock'd recently or who follows the work of the wonderful Harman Hay, the inspiration will
be clear...
The dress was made out of yellow linen, bodice and sleeveslined in cream linen and using a white coutil double layer
interlining for the boning of the bodice and buckram for the waistband of the otherwise unlined skirt (a mistake -
more on that later).
I started with the stays pattern from Reconstructing History. It's a lovely, clear, well written pattern and
confused me utterly when I first started the dress in earnest in December. It is true what they say about never
rushing a project - I was starting this on the heels of two other (for me) big projects - a green silk utterly
inaccurate but nonetheless quite fun mantua and a quasi miliary wool jacket, with a detachable front piece and more
buttons than God, and I think I was quite tired... I failed to understand the stomacher, gave up, and packed
everything away tearfully and in despair.
When I came back to it in February I couldn't understand what the problem had been. The construction of the coutil
layer, and the instertion of the bones went straightforwardly. After much soul searching I decided to flatline the
fashion fabric to the boned interlining. This was, in retrospect, a mistake. What I should have done is added
another layer of interlining, probably wool felt (as the lovely the_bats_meow was kind enough to suggest, in a
comment a LONG time ago, would that I had had the wit to listen) and made it as a floating layer. As it is there are
a few places with a bit of sag/wrinkle, which irritates me a little, and I am a bit afraid to press as I would wish
for fear of the linen stretching. It is very very soft, stretchy fabric, and lovely to touch, but a bit scary to
iron.
The part of the project I probably spent the most time on was the binding. It is bias cut (not historical, I know)
and went on entirely by hand - I was quite proud of the smoothness of the curves at the bottom of the tabs, and
hugely frustrated by the folds at the top - I couldn't get them smooth, or even, or even to have reliably just one
crease. I suspect that the thickness and softness of the bias didn't help, and I wonder if I should have bound in
another fabric. Possibly thinner bias would have helped too, but I just fell in love with the way that the broad
binding made the tabs look thin.
I also decided to use brass rings for my ribbon (very pleased I did too - I think grommets down the front of the
dress would have been a lot less satisfactory)
I also made my first foray into the wonderful world of the handmade eyelet. I am a total convert - for this kind of
project the handmade ones are lovely
This is also my very first garment with a wooden busk!
The sleeves and skirt are very straightforward - rectangles, pleated. There is a width of fabric in each sleeve, and
six drops in the skirt. The trim is iron on - I had intended to hand work them, but I realised that a) I wanted this
project DONE and b) I loved the turquoise. I think it makes the dress, actually, that and the ribbons... which is
vaguely depressing when I think on all that arduous handwork.
Problems and issues
My boning was eccentric. Had I but known, I would have used reeds throughout, or at least had horizontal as well as vertical bones going on. Steel was not a bad decision, though - I have a poor track record with rigilene. I think that when I make these stays again I am going to do the reeds + handsewn channels thing. Running the channels over the fashion fabric would have been, I think, more visually appealing. Using a less smudgy pencil to number my bones and boning channels would also, I think, have resulted in less anguish.
The cut at the back of the neck is weird - I know what I was trying for, but I should have stuck to the pattern and not been so daft. The odd scoop is odd.
It's so very much less than historically accurate... I really really want to try doing one 'straight' one of these days.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-04-18 05:22 pm (UTC)Great Job!
no subject
Date: 2008-04-18 05:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-18 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-18 05:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-18 05:38 pm (UTC)*happybat love*
*view out of ms. bat's window love*
no subject
Date: 2008-04-19 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-18 06:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-18 06:10 pm (UTC)Re: Cool
Date: 2008-04-19 01:12 am (UTC)I don't know, but it pleased me too...
Re: Cool
Date: 2008-04-19 01:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-19 06:53 am (UTC)You say it isn't accurate in all sorts of ways, but I think that when clothes were made for a person by a person, they would do exactly what you did - adapt the prevailing styles to suit their preferences and their abilities!
no subject
Date: 2008-04-19 06:49 pm (UTC)I have long meant to ask - did the green dress with the lotus applique survive?
no subject
Date: 2008-04-19 11:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-19 06:49 pm (UTC)Re: Psst! You! The Yellow and Turquoise Dress!
Date: 2008-04-19 06:50 pm (UTC)Incidentally, am just sayin' that ebay is FULL of french jet. You know, if you're in the market...
no subject
Date: 2008-04-19 01:56 pm (UTC)Is it comfortable to wear?
no subject
Date: 2008-04-19 06:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-19 06:43 pm (UTC)I've got that stays pattern but I haven't attempted it yet.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-19 06:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 05:53 pm (UTC)