Frock Chick

and follow up workshops

2017-12-20T00:23:50Z

So, I think the bodice making workshop was too much to understand in one go. I want to do a really good dedicated follow up, I’m just having trouble figuring out a start point. I may need to do a quick and dirty corset workshop (using the gored pattern I used for my Marie Antoinette dress as it is super adaptable for all sizes and proportions.

But I will have to impart the understanding that a corset is a foundation garment. It is going to change your shape so that the outer garment can be fitted over like a glove. But it doesn’t mean restricting breathing or anything, it’s about creating a solid shape. Uplift is part of it sure, but there can be room for adjusting for comfort.

But yeah, the basic double dart bodice needs that solid shape. And if someone is not willing to wear a corset or something to support the shape then it’s not going to really work. Not unless there is a perfect mannequin already in that shape so that the lining and shell and boning can be put in place and only a little fitting needs to be done.

So as well as the Marie Antoinette stays I’ve got ready for boning and tidying, I can create a basic stays pattern from that. Or diagrams anyway.

So there may be some time spent at Canty Faire on writing up a good proposal.

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the other victorian projects

2017-04-04T08:42:49Z

I keep coming back to a very small handful I really want to work on, and realised I have a major love for very stark gowns.

I mean Sunburst or not on that skirt that gown would be on my Must Make list anyway.

Virginie Gautreux by JS Sargent and Rose Caron by Toulmouche.

I have actually made part of each, but I really want a nice silk satin for Mme X. I need about 8m and in a nice heavy weight that’s just not really been on the cards. But, sales are sales so fingers crossed one coincides with a bit of luck 🙂

My day ensembles have tended to also be a bit stark like my grey dress and this is in keeping with that with a touch of Worth:

Worth’s Cleopatra yellow wool dress.

I also have to admit the fabric I just cut for my new duvet cover (one of a set of curtains) has such a huge pattern it’s super tempting to make a Worth-a-like based on those oversized patterned velvets. The front is a crinkle silver with chenille waves, but the reverse.. now the reverse looks like black velvet with flat silver waves and that is just too much to resist. Well I hope I can because I *might” just be able to get a frock out of it. But I want a high necked version. That might be a bit much. The curtains had huge eyelets at the top which est into the amount that is free. That said I do have a strip.. but also my new duvet cover is so pretty that it really needs a bit of matchy matchy in terms of pillow covers.

It might be possible for a more 1890 vs 1895 look.

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Oh look, the perfect book!

2017-02-21T03:36:54Z

https://archive.org/details/sciencegeometryo02jack

The science and geometry of dress

by Jackson, Louisa L., Mrs. [from old catalog]

Published 1876

Topics Dressmaking

So this is really interesting and does indeed help explain the fish dart in some garments.

Why?

The basic pattern blocks for bodices were still based on ones from the 1860s. This is to say the end at the waist. I’m started printing the pages up . The first section is for the basic bodice block, then there is a saque, next up are basques (ie bodices that extend past the waist.) So this is very exciting 🙂 My printer is liking the pages so that is also good!

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