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

Carrie Fisher

Obi-Wan: "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

How I feel today. I am going to break suit a little to say goodbye to someone I really love.

I couldn't tell you exactly when it was, but at a very early age, most definitely still in the single digits of age, I started watching the Star Wars movies and I watch them so much that I wore through the VHSs we had and at one point my mom had to re-buy my dad the trilogy box that for Christmas.

I absolutely love Star Wars and I remember I wanted to have lightsaber battles with my friends when I was a kid and upset that not all of my friends knew what Star Wars was so they wouldn't play lightsabers or stormtroopers with me. I remember the one or two people who knew of the characters and I would get into a bitter arguments over who was allowed to princess Leia, but not because I wanted to be the girl, because Princess Leia was a bad-ass and I wanted to be the bad-ass.

When I was still very young I knew there was something different about Princess Leia. She was very smart, she was a leader, she was brave, a warrior, she was very strong and capable, and as I got older I appreciated her sass, I love that she didn't need a man to tell her what to do, and in fact she told "The man" what to do, but Leia was able to be vulnerable at the same time. She was a woman.

Princess Leia was my first female role model growing up. I absolutely loved her, she was there long before Morticia Adams came into play who is my second female role model. I would say she was very much responsible for shaping me into the strong willed, sassy, independent woman that I am because she has been there since the very beginning for me.

Princess Leia would not be who she was if played by anyone other than Carrie Fisher. Carrie Fisher was a funny and strong woman. Not only a great actress, but an activist too. Today I lost a hero and I knew I would be sad but I find myself much sadder than expected. Now that I'm off work I can process what I've been feeling all day and I'm overwhelmed emotion and choking back tears as I write. 

Carrie fisher you were a huge inspiration to me and I loved you so much. The world will not be the same without you, even when you faded away for a while you were always there, and now the thought that you are not there anymore it's heartbreaking. 

My General, My Princess has fallen. Screw you 2016.

Remembering you in my favorite roles, The Burbs, Jay and Silent bob, and of course Star Wars.

Photo by Lady Nerd aka Brianas Instagram

Wonder Woman! DC Cinematic Redeption

NEW WONDER WOMAN TRAILER IS HERE

The new trailer is amazing! Now, I am really excited about this movie. It brings an iconic female character to the table, whom others have tried to reboot but has failed. 

That CG. Those costumes!

I am very hopeful, but I was also hopeful about Suicide Squad, which I am still holding a grudge over. That is why I wanted to post prerelease impressions before I see the film. As with Suicide Squad, I was very excited, trailers looked great, but the end result was garbage. Here is hoping we don't go down that road again.

Now Gal Gadot is the amazing Diana Prince, who when announced she would be Wonder Woman was met with a lot of skepticism,  from me as well. However, after BvS, which is universally regarded as a not as good film as it was hyped up to be, it seems unanimous that the best part of that film was Wonder Woman, so she is already set up for success.

It also looks like the first movie where the female character is "written" or "treated" the same as the men in the movie. 

Now, I touched on that in a prior blog, when I talked about why many studios don't want to do female-driven movies, and I mentioned that there is an irritating need to write women differently from how you would write the men, often with forced cheesy or "sexy" one liners, to much hip swaying, and crappy costumes. (Looking at you Catwoman, the film not the character). However, when the characters are treated the same, Selene from Underworld, Alive from Resident Evil, Black Widow in the Avengers, Rey, and Leia in Star Wars we see huge success and support for them. 

It's not that people don't want to see female-driven action movies, it's that they are not often written as action heroes.This movie and character have really set themselves up though, and I am very optimistic.

I am hopeful that this movie is a huge success, that it is done well, and it is what they are advertising to us in the trailers. Being a huge Marvel fan, who at first was pretty progressive with its female characters, it seems they are falling behind. Between the two, I expected the first sole female action movie to come from them. On you left Marvel. (pains me to say that.)

Hope you enjoy the trailer, 

please leave your thoughts, 

Jessi Harm

Evil Regal

Here are the other blogs I mention in this entry:

http://jessiharm.blogspot.com/2013/12/women-superhero-movies-are-not-as.html

http://jessiharm.blogspot.com/2016/08/suicide-squad-commits-suicide-post.html