Oh deeeear!! *excited squeal* I almost forgot to mention it, I'm finally making my own dress form! Actually I'm already halfway through, my sis helped me to wrap my torso in tape, following one of the many instructions on Youtube & Co. The dummy-torso is already stuffed with rolled foam (over a roll of cardboard that fits perfectly on the stand), fiberfill and pieces of newspaper - trying to stuff the dummy so it can be corsetted if necessary, means hard at the back and softer in the belly-region. I also flattened the breasts so I can use it either for corset-shapes or, with an additional, stuffed bra, for normal shape. I just have to cover the whole thing with stretch fabric and take pics. I'm always slow at taking pics, I know...
***
Ok, time for a project update. During our last collective sewing-session, I found courage and leisure enough to refine the dummy. Golden rule when letting yourself be taped: keep your shoulders *really* straight, or you'll have to correct it afterwards by applying layers of paper and tape to the dummy to give the shoulders the proper shape. At any rate now all my dresses fit the dummy perfectly, which means that I have no excuses anymore for not starting my late-rococo projects. Except that the dummy has to be covered and the neck and bottom closed with wood. I think I'll take a trip to the fabric store today and to the DIY-store tomorrow... :D
Saturday 28 August 2010
Blue rococo gown
And here we go, merrily starting yet another project although none of the previously started has been finished yet! Who cares... ;) This time, it's a rococo dress for my sister, who has thankfully been persuaded into taking part in a play - for which she will be appropriately clothed, of course. Thus I'm going to alter the already existant pattern to her measurements (Hello challenge!) to produce (hopefully finishing it on time) a gown of light blue brocade with an underskirt of pale blue cotton and the usual trimmings in white lace and blue ribbon. White petticoat and chemise have already been finished (although petticoat has to be altered slightly).
So the petticoat is three metres of white cotton, pleated into the waistband to be closed with strings at the back and adorned with two lengths of white satin ribbon at the seam. I just want to add here that usually, rococo skirts had their opening slits at the hips, thus enabling the wearer to wear pockets beneath them. It's a costume in this case, so I went for the simpler way of putting the skirts on.
The underskirt of the dress is constructed similarly, only that here you have to shape the seam according to the panniers that are worn under it. Not necessary with the petticoats, as they won't be seen, but underskirt and dress have to have a curved seam, shorter at the front and back and longer at the sides that will be pushed up a little by the panniers. Along the seam runs a ruffled strip of the same fabric, conveniently hiding that I never sew seams by hand. The ruffle should be attached by hand, though.
So the petticoat is three metres of white cotton, pleated into the waistband to be closed with strings at the back and adorned with two lengths of white satin ribbon at the seam. I just want to add here that usually, rococo skirts had their opening slits at the hips, thus enabling the wearer to wear pockets beneath them. It's a costume in this case, so I went for the simpler way of putting the skirts on.
The underskirt of the dress is constructed similarly, only that here you have to shape the seam according to the panniers that are worn under it. Not necessary with the petticoats, as they won't be seen, but underskirt and dress have to have a curved seam, shorter at the front and back and longer at the sides that will be pushed up a little by the panniers. Along the seam runs a ruffled strip of the same fabric, conveniently hiding that I never sew seams by hand. The ruffle should be attached by hand, though.
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