Grey Linen Corset/Bodies

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My take on the Pfalzgrafin Dorothea Sabina von Neuburg corset/bodies (below), but with the waist tabs left off and adapted for front lacing.

This corset basically started life as a glorified belt.

After finishing some very heavy skirts for my late 16th/early 17th century outfit I realized that I was going to be putting too much weight on my waist and hips (and that this would lead to misery later).

In order to distribute the skirts more evenly I decided to attach them to a corset --as would have been done in period-- thereby shifting the weight from my waist and lower back to my shoulders.  All of my custom corsets were fully boned and didn't allow for the addition of eyelets at the waist, so clearly it was time to learn how to sew a support garment!

Picking a pattern was fairly easy. There are only a handful of extant bodies from this period, so my choices were pretty limited to begin with. I knew I wanted a front lacing corset for ease of dressing and undressing, but since this was my first attempt at a structured garment I also wanted it to be as simple as possible in case things went horribly, horribly wrong.  

This eliminated Queen Elizabeth's 1603 effigy corset, since the boned tabs seemed too difficult and I wanted integral shoulder straps to deal with the weight issue mentioned above.  So in the end I settled on what was really my only other choice: the 1598 Dorothea bodies (left).  I picked the version found in The Tudor Tailor, though there is a slightly different  pattern in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion, which I believe is slightly closer to the original.

I made the necessary adaptations for front lacing by sewing up the back seam and switching the wooden busk for lacing edges...which was a bit tricky given the brassier-like "cup" boning pattern.  I don't have any evidence for this type of pattern being used with a front closure in the period, but this whole endeavour is a bit of an experiment anyway and being underwear it's an anachronism that no one will actually see.
Certainly I can appreciate why this pattern wouldn't typically be used with front lacing, since the "girls" tend to look a bit wall-eyed the more the is corset is undone.

The final garment is fully boned in front with 5mm synthetic whalebone and two 7mm spring steel bones on either side of the lacing edge.  The back is not currently boned, however boning channels have been sewn for possible conversion to back lacing later (and to keep the fabric from shifting).

Now on to the construction!

First things first: The mockup!  

I won't go into a lot of detail here, except to say don't skip this step. I ended up making a few simple (but significant) alterations to the pattern, including adding an extra inch to the back seam, raising the waist and adding 1/2" to the shoulder seams. You don't want an uncomfortable corset, so pay attention to what the fabric is doing and adjust the pattern accordingly.
My mockup consists of two layers of muslin, a shoe lace, cheap lacing strips and large cable ties along the lacing edge (sandwiched between a fold along the front edge).

Like most people these days I had a very skewed idea as to where my natural waistline was and cut the mockup far too low as a result (even in the above photo it's still at least 1/2" too low in the back and sides).  If you are making a corset without integral/boned tabs the last thing you want is to have the bottom below your natural waist and digging into your hips and kidneys all day. It will hurt and you will be miserable.

This style of corset should end right below the rib cage.  It's not for waist reduction, it's for shaping and support...but the high waist and elongated front will give the impression of a smaller waist.
Again, see the above photo. I am very pear-shaped, but even without any boning the corset gives the impression of a narrow waist and long torso!

Now that your mockup is done, transfer any alterations onto your pattern and cut your fabric.

I used a top/outer layer of medium weight grey/blue linen, a middle layer of cotton/hemp twill and an inner layer of cotton/hemp "suede" fabric (which will be closest to the skin). 

Now, I should say right up front that this construction method might be totally ass-backwards. The pattern is a little light on directions --especially for a beginner-- so most of this process is either gleaned from reading other online dress diaries, inferred from completed garments, or a result of my own trial and error.  I'm not saying it's the best way to do it; it's just what I did...

First I pad-stiched the two inner layers together (to prevent the fabric from shifting when the boning channels were sewn in).  In order to keep the two pieces lined up I found it easier to use a combination of fabric weights and "bulldog" clips rather than pins.

Then I treated the inners layers as a single piece and pad stitched the linen fabric on top of that.  As you can see the top fabric is also cut with additional seam allowances along joining edges. This will help with felling and finishing the seams later.

I cut the back as two pieces with 1" extra seam allowance along the back seam. This will allow for easier alterations in the future (if I gain or lose a significant amount of weight) but it can also be cut as a single piece if you prefer. 

Then I undid the stitches along the front edge, marked the fold for the lacing edge and then pressed the interior fabric. (Note: The front edges will no longer line up due to the fold, so if you don't remove the stitches the fabric will pull and pucker).

The top fabric is folded over and pinned into place. The linen has an additional 1" seam allowance along the lacing edge which will be felled down later (after all the boning channels have been completed). Then the first boning channels are stitched down in red silk thread on either side of the lacing strip. These channels are for the spring steel and they are the only ones which run the whole length of the front of the corset. A 3/4" gap is left between the two channels.  This is where the eyelets will be sewn in later.

Then I pulled out my pattern piece and cut a "window" for the boning pattern, placed it on top of the fabric and traced the outline with a vanishing Fabric Marker. I only cut out a small section (just enough to able to trace the cup pattern) so I would still be able to line up the bottom edge to the fabric and preserve the shape. After removing the pattern I used a ruler to continue the diagonal side line to the bottom edge.

Now it's time to start the boning channels!  These are sewn by machine with a strength stitch. I found it helpful to start and stop each channel just below the marking line.  Then I cut the thread with a long tail and sewed up to the mark by hand. The thread is then pulled towards the back, knotted off and buried.

The basting threads are removed as I go.
Also, be sure to iron your fabric as needed to ensure everything stays nice and flat as you sew the channels.
(Note: As you can see these are also slightly narrower than the channels next to the lacing edge since the whalebone is about 2mm narrower than the spring steel.)

Channels done! 

Now it's time to insert the bones.  I forgot to photograph this stage, but I cut the 'whalebone' to length and then smoothed the edges with sandpaper to prevent them from poking through the fabric.  The bones are inserted between the two foundation fabrics (not next to the fashion fabric). So staring from the layer closest to the body the order should be: Inner fabric. Boning. Middle fabric. Outside/top fabric...with the exception of the very first spring steel bone, which is sandwiched between the folded fabric along the front edge.

Only the front in boned.  The back and side channels are largely decorative and to keep the fabric smooth.
Pro Tip! The whalebone comes in a long spiral loop.  When you cut it will tend curve in the same direction it was curled, so make sure you alternate the directions of the curves as you insert the bones otherwise the bottom of the corset might flip outwards.  Or you can do what I did and insert most of the bones so that they curve towards the body.  I find this creates a pleasing "S" curve over the belly and keeps the front point facing down and towards the body (as best seen in the mockup photo). Basically don't insert all the bones so they curve away from the body, and especially not at the front point.

Then all the pieces were joined, the shoulder seams sewn together and a temporary lacing strip attached.  I tried on the corset one last time for fit and decided to take an additional 1/4" off the two back pieces (to better ease into the curve of the front pieces) before moving onto the finishing touches, which include....

Felling the interior seams! 

The interior seams are not trimmed.  Instead the additional 1/2" seam allowance on the top fabric is folded under the seams of the foundation fabric and then stitched down.

The pattern calls for stitching around the bust outline. I had originally intended to do this in the same red silk thread, but when I had the channels done I liked the effect of pattern emerging from the vertical lines and decided not to interrupt it.  Instead I chose a grey linen thread and prick stitched around the outline, with tiny stitches on the outside and larger ones on the inside. It's not a very strong stitch, but that shouldn't be a problem since the channels are sewn very tightly so the bones aren't likely to shift much.

With the seams felled and bust completed it's time to move onto the binding.

I found it easier at this stage to undo the shoulder seams and also to run some stitches around the outside top edge to keep all the layers together.

Then any frayed edges were trimmed, making for a nice clean edge.
For binding I used 3/4" bias tape (made with self fabric), with a 1/4" seam on the outside and 1/2" seam on the inside.

Bias tape pinned into place:

Sewn down:

Folded towards the back:

And stitched:

As to the shoulder seams...This step is not fully documented, but basically I bound around the arm hole on either side, stopping about 2" from the shoulder seam with the straps still unattached.  Then I sewed the shoulder straps together and felled down the seam allowances. The binding then meets up on either side of the seam allowance towards the back of the shoulder (to keep the bulk off of the top of the shoulder and collar bone).

Binding done!

The lacing strip is removed and now it's on to the eyelets.
This part scared the bejeezus out me since I had never tried spiral lacing before and I knew that if I screwed this up a lot of work would be going down the drain.
First off, anyone attempting this for the first time should definitely read The Zen of Spiral Lacing by Jen Thompson...it's an invaluable resource.
I decided to go with the second of the four options she outlines, which calls for an even number of off-set holes on either side of the lacing edge. The math worked out that my eyelets should be 7/8" apart.  I tried to measure this out on to the fabric at least a dozen times and never got the holes in the same place twice...
So I cut a piece of bristol board to length and then marked out the lacing holes, with the first hole at just over 3/8" and the rest at 7/8".  After triple checking that my measurements were right and that the holes would be evenly spaced I transferred the marks to the fabric, flipping the guide over on the opposite side so the 3/8" step was at the bottom (to ensure that the top and bottom holes line up).

Next is the scariest bit...poking the first hole.

After completing a few eyelets on one side, I switched to the other side and then partially laced the front to make sure the bottom eyelets would line up.  Then I finished the eyelets, working from the bottom up and alternating from side to side.  Even though I did several practice eyelets on scrap fabric I knew my technique would improve the more I did...alternating from side to side ensures that your nicest eyelets are all at the top (where they are more likely to be seen) and not all up one side.

Now, my eyelets are a little sloppy (working through so many layers of fabric was more difficult than I thought), but here's my method...
It's basically worked in a buttonhole stitch, but with a double thread.  I never know how to best anchor/start this kind of stitch, so I got around that this way:

First run a single thread through the hole, bringing it back up through the top fabric.

Then re-thread the loose end to create a double thread.

Thread the needle back through the hole, making sure to keep the other end even and taut.

Pull the thread through, creating a loop.

Then bring the needle up through the loop, next to the first stitch...

...and pull it through.

Thread the needle back through the hole, make another loop, bring the needle up next to the second stitch and repeat as needed, working your way around the hole until you come back to your original stitch.

Once you've finished the eyelet it's time to anchor and bury the thread.

Unthread the needle and make a single knot on the inside of the corset.

Re-thread the needle and pass it under a few stitches (if you like you can do this in several steps and pass it under the whole eyelet for extra strength)

If you're sewing your eyelets after you've boned the corset you may need to use pliers...

(as the fabric will have much less flexibility)

Bury the thread, cut and you're done! 

And that's it! Corset compete!

Well....almost.  The corset will eventually have additional eyelets at the waist (on either side of the side seams) through which a ribbon will be run to attach the skirt.  But I'm holding off on this last step until the rest of the outfit is complete.

Resources & Materials

Pattern:  

-The Tudor Tailor (book and/or ready-made pattern)

Fabric:

-Grey/Blue "Judy" Linen (5.5oz) from Gray Line Linen

-Hemp/Cotton twill (10.5oz) and Hemp/Cotton "suede" (10.5oz)  from Hemp Traders

-Muslin for mockup (also from Hemp Traders, but any muslin should do)

Thread & Lacing:

-Red silk buttonhole thread (for channels and eyelets)

-Grey cotton thread for machine work

-Grey linen thread for hand sewing

-Narrow red suede ribbon

Boning:

-7mm Plastic coated spring steel bones (4) from Vena Cava Design

-5mm Synthetic whalebone (about 10 meters) also from Vena Cava Design

Other Supplies:

-Swedish pattern paper from Amazon. (This stuff is great! You can iron it!)

-Pattern weights

-Purple vanishing fabric marker

-Blue washable fabric marker

-Tapered tailor's awl

-3/4" Bias tape maker

-Eyelet tape 

-Small bulldog clips

Red Wool Petticoat

As per the post yesterday, I am now in possession of another red petticoat (a girl can never have enough!), but this one differs a bit from the first, both in material and construction.

Both petticoats are just under 120" in bottom circumference (after seam allowances), however while the original linen petticoat (left) is made up of square panels --and so has the same 120" pleated onto a waist band-- the wool version (right) has a shaped front panel (following the Kirtle pattern from the Tudor Tailor) and is just under 100" pleated to a waistband.  However, as you can see the silhouette at the waist is much more pronounced, despite containing 20" less fabric. Partly this is due to the material, but mostly it's because of the wonders of cartridge pleating!

Now,  I've never attempted cartridge pleats before...and while we'll get to my many failed attempts in a second I want to touch on other parts of the construction first.

Like the first petticoat this one is put together using various combinations of whip and running stitches, but instead of sewing down the seam allowances of each piece and whip stitching the finished edges together I skipped a step and just ironed down the seam allowances without stitching them down.
I then whip stitched the pieces together along the ironed crease (right sides facing) and then flat felled the  seam allowances on the inside of the garment.

I think this is called a tatbeet seam, except in the diagram I found (by Peter Beatson, shown right)  the pieces are whip stitched together with wrong sides facing.  I also trimed down the inside seam allowance to reduce the bulk.

I'm a bit on the fence with this method.  On the one hand it's a lot less work and it creates only one turned down edge as opposed to two (one on each side of the seam), but it's bulkier and because the interior seam is covered you have to tear out a lot more to make adjustments or repairs.

Felled seams (outside and inside).  Please excuse the cat hair!

The only place where I did use the method of stitching down the seam allowance was on either side of the side opening.  It didn't occur to me until I was mostly done sewing up the side seam that I was going to have to graduate to a different method to sew the opening (since a felled seam obviously wasn't going to work!) and I think I fudged an okay transition into a rolled seam.

Okay, on to the pleating!

This was a little bit of a disaster...but first things first.
The fabric is a heavy wool/camel hair blend from Mood Fabrics, which became even thicker after I threw it in the wash and it felted a bit.  I'm always a bit iffy in washing wool, but it was a no-brainer in this case (both because I knew that --as my bottom level of clothing-- this would likely need to get washed quite a bit and so needed to be be pre-shrunk and because my cat peed on it almost immediately).

This means I probably didn't need to add an additional band of wool to bulk up the pleats...but it certainly helped them stay upright!

But I'm getting ahead of myself...
To start off, I sewed the aforemetioned 6" black band of wool to the top edge of the petticoat and then folded the whole thing down 3", so I now had two layers of top fabric and two layers of band all sandwiched together, with an additional 3" of the band fabric hanging down.
Because the whole thing was now ridiculously bulky I found pins to be almost completely useless, if not detrimental...so instead let me sing the praises of tiny bulldog clips!

Bulldog/Butterfly clips are seriously the best things ever!

       

Now, you might be thinking, "Um...Those are pretty big pleats there, Jenn." And you'd be right.

For some reason it took me a while to figure out that if you have 3" pleats then you're skirt it going to be pushed up at least 3 inches (if your fabric is sturdy enough...which mine certainly was), which means it's not going to sitting at your actual waist anymore, which means it's going to be way too small on top of being way too high.

It took me three or four tries and some seriously misshapen petticoats (left) to figure this out.
So the final petticoat starts with 1/4" pleats, graduating to just over 1" pleats through the back with about a 10"-12" section without pleats at the front (depending on the amount of overlap at the side closure).

As a guideline for the pleats themselves I followed the excellent instructions at The Renaissance Tailor, Extreme Costuming, and Reconstructing History.

Tuque examines and approves the new pleating pattern

Final pleats...and even more cat hair!

Back and side views...still not sure about closures, so it's just pinned for now 

Finally, I finished off the bottom with a one inch band of self fabric attached using a prick stick, so that it looks like a running or stab stitch on top and a whip stitch underneath. 

Not for any reason in particular, I just wanted to try it.

Okay, that's it for petticoats...on to some actual outerwear!

Back from the Dead!

It turns out that the sub-title of this blog is proving to be much more apt than I would have liked.

My plans are very ill-conceived indeed....

In the last 10 months I have started and quasi-abandoned a high-necked shift, two skirts, an Elizabethan waistcoat, a black kirtle (with silk forepart and matching sleeves), wool over-partlet and boned petticoat bodies.

BUT! As of this evening I have actually completed one item!

That's right! Another red petticoat.  "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

I know. But there is method to my madness. Sort of.
I'm still committed to an outfit based on a late Elizabethan/Jacobean waistcoat.  So I started looking for reference images, but the more I looked the more I started leaning towards the later styles...especially once I found the University of Toronto's digital collection of Wenceslaus Hollar prints.
There are a dozen images I'd love to take a crack at, but the one that most closely resembled the track I was already on was this one of an English countrywoman:

It's much later (1640s), but not too dissimilar to styles around the turn of the century (especially if the accessories are modified).  Regardless, I'm not too concerned with a little anachronism at fairs when you consider the number of Jack Sparrows running around.

Anyway, looking at this image it's clear that I needed to amp my already pear-shaped silhouette into overdrive and this would greatly effect the cut of the jacket/waistcoat.  Hence the creation of what I have since dubbed the "look at my ass!" petticoat.


I mean...look that ass! The heavy cartridge pleats also push the waist up considerably and even without pleating the front I was surprised that --even on my tiny dress form-- it still evoked the "I'm ever so slightly pregnant" look of the early Jacobean era.

So...um...Result? I guess...

Petticoat In Action

Blurry!

I wore the petticoat out to the NorCal Renaissance Faire last weekend and really liked the look it gave to my skirt (compared to just wearing a corded petticoat).

However, I found that by the end of the day my back was killing me!

I'm not sure whether the petticoat was too heavy or if the waist ties just didn't provide the proper support (they did become a bit loose as the day went on).
Granted, it could also have been the fact that I was breaking in a new corset or perhaps the massive pocket I was wearing...which between a phone, camera, wallet and lip balm was maybe a tad over-burdened.

Aesthetically I loved it, but I'll have to wear it a few more times to see if the weight is a problem. The construction technique is sound, but the fabric choice my not have been a clever one...

(Dress by The American Duchess)

Red Petticoat - Complete!

The Petticoat is now finished and hemmed to walking length (not as pretty but considerably more practical).

Finished Petticoat

I was hoping to put a small cord around the bottom to help the petticoat keep its shape, but I didn't have quite enough to make up the whole circumference so I improvised one instead.
I folded up the hem by 3/4" and turned it under twice (I would have liked to have turned it a third time but due to the Elizabethan seams the side seams were starting to get very bulky).
This narrow hem was stitched down with a running stitch to keep it in place and voilà! A perfectly serviceable cord!
After finishing that I folded the bottom up by 4" and then folded it again so that the 'cord' of fabric was now laying at the bottom of the skirt, encased within the fold of the larger hem.

I then hemmed the bottom in the standard way and sewed the cord down so it would not move around or bunch up the hem...I'm not sure if this last step was a smart one or not. I guess we'll just have to see how it wears.
Between the 'cord' and the wide hem the petticoat keeps its shape pretty well, despite the very heavy fabric.

Finished hem (inside)

Finally, I basted 1" black linen tape around the bottom of the petticoat to guard against wear (as seen in the photo at the top of the post). I used silk rather than the stronger waxed lined thread for this last bit because a) I'm not convinced I like the look of it and want to be able to pull it out easily, and b) if I do decide to keep it it will probably have to be replaced often as it becomes damaged and scuffed.

And of course, Tuque is on hand for any and all fabric-sitting-assistance

Red Linen Petticoat

I almost finished the petticoat this evening!

It still needs to be hemmed, not to mention a good iron!

I started it 2 weekends ago, but haven't had much time to devote to it due to a crazy work schedule and some very late nights.

It's a bit of a hodge-podge as far as the design and construction goes.
I followed the instructions (up to a point) for an 18th century petticoat found on the Fashionable Frolick blog. However I changed the pleating pattern for a more 16th century look.

As to sewing techniques, I decided to try a 16th century seam as demonstrated by Laura Mellin on her Extreme Costuming site.
My images are going to be pretty similar to hers since I'm also using red fabric, but I'll document my process anyway.

I started with two pieces of heavy linen measuring 60" across and 48" down. This meant that I would have a final circumference of about 120" (or a little less due to seam allowances). Since this method involved finishing each piece first and then sewing them together I turned the side seams down twice (encasing the raw edges) for a final seam allowance of 1/2".
I actually didn't need to fold it under twice since I was using the full length of the fabric and therefore didn't actually have a raw edge, but I thought it would be good practice for when I moved on to the shift.

Anyway, I then used a running stitch to sew the seam down (using a 2ply waxed linen tread). As you can see I used a larger stitch on the inside, but an extremely small one on the outside. I repeated this process for all 4 side seams (two for each side). By the time I reached last seam I had gotten much better at getting the outside stitch to "hide" within the weave of the linen so as to be almost invisible.

Then I whip stitched the two panels together along the side seams, ending 10" from the waist on either side and then re-enforced the last couple of stitches.
This resulted in an extremely strong and extremely flat seam! However, this method is very labour intensive since you're effectively sewing each seam 3 times.

Whip stitching the two panels together


Finished seam (inside)


Finished seam (outside) showing my first attempt (right side) and far more successful final attempt (left side)

I then knife pleated the front and back panels separately (with pleats moving towards the front) and then did a loose whip stitch over the top of the pleat to hold them in place. These stitches are a little messy but that doesn't matter since they'll eventually be encased in the waist band.
I then encountered a bit of a dilemma. The tutorial I was following was for an 18th century petticoat and so recommended the use of linen tapes to finish the waist, but that wouldn't be appropriate for the 16th century. A self-fabric waist band would have been better, but since the linen I was using was extremely heavy that would have resulted in a lot more bulk at the waist. So I reasoned that since I was already using an anachronistic construction method I may was well use the tapes...it's not like anyone but me was going to see it.

So I cut two long pieces (about 64" each) of 1" linen tape, folded it in half and then encased the pleats on the front panel, leaving two long ties on either side.
I back stitched the tape down, sewing though all layers of fabric. I then did the same thing to the back panel.
(I had forgotten how much I disliked back stitching...It's so hard to make it look neat and tidy! The Elizabethan seam is starting to look a lot more appealing!)

Front and back panels showing inside seam and side pocket.

Finished front and back panels showing relative size.

I now had a more or less finished petticoat!
As you can see from the image above, the front piece is much larger than the back. This was done on purpose and is another point at which I diverged from the tutorial (which had both pieces the same). I used larger and more widely spaced knife pleats on the front and very narrow ones on the back...ending in some sort of quasi-box/rolled pleat that I improvised to get the two sections to meet properly.
Basically, I wanted to move the most of the fabric of the petticoat towards the back, both to cut down on bulkiness over the stomach (because who wants that?!) and to achieve a more 16th century silhouette. Also, since there will be some overlap where the two pieces meet, a wider front panel will move that additional bulk towards the back.

The base: a corded petticoat

(cat is optional)


Tie the front panel at the back


Then tie off the back panel and tuck in
(either at the front or wrap around to the back)

Side detail showing overlap

One of the reasons I opted for this construction method is that I really wanted a petticoat with an adjustable waist but didn't want to just put it on a drawstring (especially with a fabric this heavy).

This not only allows for any weight fluctuations, but more importantly for my purposes, it lets me easily adjust how far up my hips/waist it sits. This is especially useful when wearing multiple petticoats, since you don't want them all siting at the same place and bulking up your waistline. I tend to wear my inner most petticoat lower on the hips, moving up to the waist with each progressive layer. So depending on where this petticoat ends up sitting in the pecking order I can always adjust the waist measurement accordingly.

Plus it allows for easy access to a pocket worn underneath! (Handy for hiding cell phones, IDs and other modern necessities)

Pocket!



And finally, Tuque oversees the process...

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Fabric Hunting

Just got back from fabric shopping at B. Black's & Sons in the L.A Fashion District with what I think is a fairly awesome stash!


Unfortunately they didn't have an appropriate blue grey fabric for the kirtle (at least not in the weight and weave that I wanted) so I went with my back-up design and bought a lovely burgundy/brown wool camel hair for the kirtle and a poor black or maybe it's a dark grey/brown wool Melton for the fitted gown.


However, as you can see from the photo I picked up a bit more than that...

Since the Camel hair was rather expensive, and since I haven't sewn anything is years (and certainly not by hand) Craig suggested that I try a simpler outfit it in a less expensive fabric.
While I had always intended to do a mockup I wasn't planning on making it up in the labour intensive period way I was planning (more on that later), so this didn't seem like a bad idea...especially since I had recently developed a hankering for a late 16th/early 17th century jacket.

So I decided on a mustard linen kirtle and a blue jacket:


I guess we'll see how it goes...
It's possible that by the time I've made up the kirtle I may feel more comfortable with tackling the fitted gown. That's the great thing about these pieces, they are ideally suiting to mixing and matching:


I also picked up some red linen for a petticoat and white for a shift.
Now to start sewing!