1700s Stays: Maybe not the Simplicity Pattern

Hello Everyone,

Being that I am a novice to all things sewing, I am not trying to make more alternations than I need too, however, I am finding due to my apple shape and large breast that everything under the sun needs alterations. The pattern I was originally going to use was going to require a lot of additional alterations, so I switched it out.

What happened?

I belong to a few different sewing groups on facebook, for corsets, and 18th-century sewing and what I learned recently is that the American Duchess for Simplicity version was scaled weird when simplicity got the drafts from their creator and are too short. This came from someone at the company, so I was advised it is still a great pattern for starting, however, it needs to be lengthened. This pattern was originally appealing to be because of the front and back lacing would allow more flexibility for fitting my chest and belly.

The thing is, I have never made stays before and in addition to figuring out how to add some room to the sides and techniques to accommodate my chest, I didn't want to deal with how to lengthen a pattern correctly too. Especially since I am getting burnt out already. I have made 3 mockups so far, two out of cloth, and one out of cardboard. (amusingly enough, I also found I was constructing the cloth stays wrong, so I had to completely start over.)

From here on out I am going to be using a different pattern, the Butterick 4254 Version. I was going to do that back lacing only, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that would make getting in and out on my own difficult. So I am doing the front and back lacing version, however, I do still need to add some room for my chest, and I will need to add some room to the waist.

I have no expectations of these first stays being anything wonderful so they will be a little more crudely constructed, I will probably use metal eyelets and machine sew everything that can be, and keep it for my LARP characters costume. Once I figure them out, I will make a more elegant version for my Halloween costume.

I need to get more muslin for this, so It will possibly be a week or so before I have another update. I am sorry for the inconsistent postings.

I am also working on my first draping project so I will let you know how that goes too.

Thanks for reading,
Jessi

Back to Basics: Sewing tips

So I have my first serger on the way and I am so excited to start working with it. I am no longer afraid to work with Rayon and linens because now I can properly overlock the edge and reduce fraying. In the meantime, I wanted to talk about some things I have learned over the last year of sewing. I want to preface by saying I have been sewing a year and I am self-taught so it's been a lot of trials and error. Any corrections or suggestions please leave below.

As a general overview for someone who says they want to home sew, I would suggest the following (I may break up into blogs for length);

The first thing I would tell a beginner is to relax. When you decide to sew you can get very excited as well as overwhelmed. Slow down and don't' take on more than you can handle. Find the beginner tutorials on YouTube and get a good book.

I reference "The Sewtionary" by Tasia St. Germaine from Sewaholic. The link will take you to Sewaholics page. It's an a-z guild of sewing terminology and how-tos with color photos and easy to understand explanations.

Another good book is "Dressmaking, a complete guide to making your own clothes" by Alison Smith. The link will take you to an amazon retailer. This covers everything from equipment to materials, techniques for fitting and some follow along patterns. Again, it has color photos and easy to understand explanations. These are great references for any newbie, but even after a year I still use them.

The next thing I would tell a beginner is to make sure the projects they want to do are appropriate for their skill level. I didn't know for the longest time that patterns usually have a difficulty rating on them. Some are more obvious than others. If you look through a Vogue pattern catalog they even have a whole section dedicated to "Vogue Easy" without sacrificing style, and there are also Vogue Very Easy patterns. Love it! So make sure you are sticking to something within your skill range.

The third thing I would mention is to get those coupons!!! I live near a JoAnns, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby who take each other's coupons, so get those apps, get on that mailing list. They have 50% off items, 60% off items, 20% off total orders and so on. You can use those for craft supplies, notions, fabric, and equipment. Coupons can't be used on Patterns, but those babies go on sale all the time. When simplicity has their $0.99 each pattern I stock up! Butterrick and McCalls also have something like $1.99 each, or 3 for $5 and Vogue will go on sale for $4.99 each. May vary by area. Also use the internet to hunt down cute patterns.

There is so much more I want to tell you but I am going to break this up. Next, I'll talk about the must have equipment, understanding patterns, choosing sizing and making mock-ups.

Hope you enjoy,

Jessi Harm aka Evil Regal

Summer Floral Flare

I recently got this very awesome Retro Butterick 1951 shirt-dress pattern in B5920 and had so much fun making it. Now I am a super beginner, and this is my first dress. I found it to be pretty easy to follow along with, however, you will notice the lack of the notched collar because I couldn't figure it out. I also ended up taking off a lot of length from the skirt compared to the original pattern. I am 5'5 and I like skirts and dresses typically right below my knee. This first picture was my finished piece. Again, room for improvements, but I really like this style. More shirt dresses to come. 

(again with that garbage pail)

SMALL

This is the dress still on my dress form with the tailor marks and original length. I wanted you to see the cloth buttons. I went to a vintage store and found a bunch of buttons, however, didn't like any of them and ended up getting a cloth button making kit to do my own out of the leftover fabric. 

 The only thing I want to do is find thicker, funkier belt to really cinch the waist. :)

Hope you enjoyed, 

Comment below, 

Jessi Harm