Adventures in: Pattern Drafting

It's been a whirlwind year, friends. I have always been scared to not use a pattern to make any textiles, especially when I was young and sewing was a skill I had yet to truly acquire. Learning how to sew from Japanese pattern books was a great start - the fashion style I was working on was achieved through several basic shapes, and the books showed you how to modify given patterns included into the shapes needed. Sometimes those basic shapes were drafted out fully as well (which helped when I purchased one second-hand and received no pattern sheet). It taught me a lot.

So did Jen's video on apportioning scales, to be used with The Edwardian Modiste and The Voice of Fashion (and a few other books). I think they are amazing things and I don't know why more books and scales aren't produced like this. You would get a good fit nearly every time, no matter what size or shape you were! How wonderful! But you do have to put a lot of work into it to start with, and in our modern consumerism and busy personal lives, I fear only the truly dedicated would use them (probably myself included... I am awfully lazy sometimes). Alas.

Pattern drafting is SO not news to historical costumers. What few commercially patterns are available are pretty much exclusively from small pattern companies. Very few of us are able to walk into any craft or fabric store and purchase one on a lark. Sometimes we don't have time to wait to receive a pattern in the mail, or we don't want to spend as much on shipping as the pattern itself. I've been using Reconstructing History's 822 (Robe Anglaise) to construct my newest dress, but in the end I'm using it more for general shapes without having to work on drafting one myself, which I'm still very much learning. I was also pleased to realize that I'm a very close size to Gown #3 in Costume Close-Up by Linda Baumgarten, which I could use again to get general shapes down.

Let me tell you, friends. 18th century clothing construction is not an exact science. It is art. I would certain recommend RH's pattern as a good place to start, as it fit me rather well with very little adjustment and I consider myself to be "oddly shaped", and the JP Ryan one is highly praised by others. But you really, really need to take the time to fit and make mock-ups. You really can't open the package and start sewing.

I'm sure that's not news to some of you, and it certainly wasn't to me either, especially since this is a new era for me and I have come so far since I started over 10 years ago, I want to do things "right". The pattern that came with RH822 is, for me, not appropriate. It may work in an earlier setting, I'm not sure. My primary interest is the last 30 years or so of the 18th century, which appears to require narrower sleeves than the given pattern would make up. I first attempted to pinch in the pattern and recut my mock-ups, but before I even stitched them up, I carefully slipped one on. And hated it. It was too tight in the arm hole but still too loose through the arm and elbow. Rubbish. I didn't want to spend the time adjusting the pattern, since I don't really know where to start, even, and decided to instead scale up the sleeve pattern from Gown #3.

This worked for me, mostly. I don't really know anything about drafting patterns beyond what I've picked up by constant reading and staring at diagrams.

First, I traced the pattern onto a small piece of paper, touching two points to a side. I figured out what the scale I wanted to use was and made all the important calculations.


Then I made the important lines. French curves or a tailor's or quilting curve would be of great benefit in getting some of the curved lines. Mine ended up as near perfect matches.


Hey look, a pattern!


Then I cut it out and taped it edge-to-edge in a tube to slip onto my arm. It was fine in the armpit but too narrow through the meat of the arm. I had to split the pattern and add a little extra width, then taped it and tried again. The final adjustment was to take a small amount out of the wrist edge to narrow it further.

Then I cut out new fabric mock-ups. It was quite late by then, so I hand-basted them together and then pulled out my first mock-up to attach them and see the fit. The photos are a little hard to see; I attempted to correct them but dark fabric + nighttime indoor photography = poor photos.








And they were nearly perfect. I've already cut, made up and attached them to the dress (which is very nearly finished!) so they will have to suffice for now. The only changes I would make would to change the angle around the sleeve head a bit and perhaps use a slightly larger scale for more volume around the arm as I haven't tried them on over a shift yet since I still don't have one. I am really pleased with the results though! The changes are minor and I can correct them for a later dress :3

HSF #23: Generosity & Gratitude: Late-1700s Underpinnings.

I made a two-fer for this challenge. Gotta have the right support to make the dress look good :)


First up, a false rump loosely based on a few I've seen on other blogs, but largely in part to Kendra's fantastic article on skirt support:


It sits a little differently on me. My mannequin is much smaller than me and has no bum.
Second, a 1700s petticoat. I'm attributing it to the lovely tutorials by Katherine and A Fashionable Frolick this time around. Back in 2004 I made a Butterick version of a robe a la anglaise and realized that my visible petticoat was too sheer and anything else beneath it would be seen through it (I made it for Halloween, and that is very frequently winter in my area, so underthings were necessary), sending me on a trawl of the internet to find out what a "regular" petticoat would look like. I eventually came to the conclusion (somehow) that it would be exactly like the visible petticoat. I can't remember if either of these sites were involved in that particular tidbit, but they are now.


Back view over rump.
This one was a bit harder, because I sold that costume and its petticoats last year, so I could only test the false rump with an Elizabethan petticoat, since I wanted this petticoat to be levelled at the waist, but I wasn't 100% sold on the shape of the rump without a proper petticoat to put over it... I ended up making the rump smaller before sealing it up and starting on the petticoat, but I'm not entirely happy with the shape of either. They will suffice for now.


The Challenge: #23: Generosity & Gratitude
Fabric: Mystery (stash); possibly poplin (slightly stretchy) and denim-look cotton
Pattern: none
Year: second half of the 18th century
Notions: grosgrain ribbon, thread, bias tape, poly fiberfill stuffing
How historically accurate is it? In shape only. I hand-stitched most of the petticoat but otherwise all machine done.
Hours to complete: Perhaps around 8 hours for both?
First worn: not yet
Total cost: All stash! I did pay for the materials at some point, so I'd guess around $20 max.

HSF '14 #1: Make Do and Mend: The Finishing Touches

I had grand plans (after a fashion) of getting everything out of my "nearly finished - no, really" pile for this challenge. I have so many skirts that I've had to wear pinned in place, and nearly as many almost-finished-except-for-hemming-and-closures. I was going to fix all that!

Life gets in the way, as it does. I got inspired to work on a challenge or two from last year that I've been wanting to work on for over a year. The temperature dropped into the -40 range so I decided to cancel some plans and took the self-imposed-purgatory chance to clean up my apartment a bit more (I moved over 2 months ago...) and sort through some fabric. Then my friend had an extra ticket for Justin Timberlake, and on that same night, I got a notice that I was going to be inspected for bedbugs (for those keeping track at home, it is my fourth rodeo with bedbugs in three years. Yep.) so all of my to-do pile got put back into the box from whence it came.

But! During the Ridiculously Cold Weekend, I did finish a to-do project. Three years ago, I attended an SCA Coronation feast. I had worked really hard to get an outfit ready for the event, and I recall the temperature having been in the Ridiculously Cold range (a normal occurance in January, sadly) and the day of the event, it was quite pleasant out, with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark (-3C or so). Not warm enough to go without a coat, by a long shot, but I had no other outerwear. And so, this cloak was born. And then it languished in the Pile, when all it needed was to have a closure put on, the turning seam closed, and closing up the holes at the front corners. I'm pleased to say that it is finally done!


Creepy mannequin head added to show off the hood shape.
I just have no idea if it's any good in the weather. Perhaps I'll run to the corner store on a day when it's not Ridiculously Cold and see how it goes.

The Challenge: #1: Make Do and Mend
Fabric: Wool, poly fleece
Pattern: Butterick 4419 with modifications
Year: The pattern appears to be late-1800s but could work for a variety of eras.
Notions: Thread, large hook and eye
How historically accurate is it?: Not terribly. The shape and wool outer are certainly period, but polyester fleece lining, not so much.
Hours to complete: Probably around 5. It should not have taken me 3 years to put on a hook and eye, but I swear every time I went to do it, either the cloak was mislaid, or the hook and eye was...
First worn: Not yet.
Total cost: I remember getting the wool at a mega-bargain but it's been so long I don't recall by how much! Perhaps $20 CDN total.



Seriously... 3 years to do this.



Side-back. The hood doesn't stick up that much normally, it's the Creepy Head...


Complete with 3-year-old wrinkles and cat fur!
(What is it about UFOs that draws cats to use them as nests?)

A Year in Costuming Review

A number of blogs I follow are doing a list of projects the ladies had completed during the year, and I thought what a great idea! I feel bad that I didn't make so many things this year, so I am inspired to do better next year! (Especially since I found a list of projects I wanted to complete a couple of years and I did do most of them.) I have set myself a very lofty goal of actually finishing the HSF on time, as well as all of my missed challenges from this year, AND at least one, hopefully two, new cosplay(s).

Here's what I completed this year:

Mei-rin cosplay
Photo by B.M.


Gothic Lolita petticoat



Two Regency gowns (the green one had its first outing as a belly-dance cover-up lol)



Six cosplay (commission)
Photo by Unknown


Pin-striped early 1880s riding habit
Photo by H.S.


Timeless-inspired gown


Jedi outfit / Melisandre cosplay / Snow White costume (commission) (No photos)

1750s stays


Toothless amigurumi

Crocodile stitch hood

And that's it... Kind of disappointed in myself. I know I was shuffling a lot of blame onto my retail job, with the variation in hours not giving me as much free time as I thought I needed to make things, but I really think I just wasn't dedicated enough to spend that precious free time working on things.

Next year :) Things WILL be accomplished. Oh yes.

HSF #3: Under It All: A 1750-ish Stay

The Challenge: HSF #3: Under It All
Fabric: quilting cotton, cotton twill
Pattern: Reconstructing History 833 1740s-90s Stays, "red" view.
Year: 1750ish
Notions: vintage poly bias tape (from stash, given to me by my gramma), 11 heavy duty cable ties, ribbon
How historically accurate is it?: Perhaps 40% or so. Modern materials and machine stitching abound, but the bias tape is entirely hand-applied and the eyelets were all done by hand.
Hours to complete: I lost count. If I had to guess, around 20 hours?
First worn: For pictures only.
Total cost: Perhaps $30, max. Most of the items came from my stash, and the cable ties were purchased specifically to try out as alternative boning.

Shown here over an Elizabethan shift, I'm quite pleased that it's finished, even 10 months late :D Insert all the excuses not to work on it, up to and including moving and writing a novel in November. Then I debated for a time on whether or not I wanted to do hand eyelets or use two-part grommets, and finally decided that while grommets would undoubtedly be easier, it wouldn't be "correct" and darn it, if I was already putting all this effort into it, I might as well go the extra steps and do them by hand.

I initally started out with 5 eyelets on each side of the back and was thrilled that I even got to try it on properly for the first time. I decided it needed more eyelets in the back, but to work with the holes I'd already made, I needed to add 7 more per side. I sat down Saturday evening with a good show (Spartacus) and before I knew it, I'd done 10 eyelets in three hours.

Sunday afternoon I was fighting the urge to start a new project when all I had left to do was reinforce the straps, shorten and narrow them, finish the top binding and put eyelets on the straps and it would be done. So I watched a few more movies and made myself do it and I'm so glad I did, since I can now check this off my to-do list :) And start on the garments that go with it! It's been a year since I decided to finally venture into the 18th century, and now with a proper stay, I can start to build a wardrobe.

I'm not wholly sure on the fit, as this era is totally new to me. I'm reluctant to opine on how it fits around my back as I took a bad fall on the ice the other day (I bite my thumb at you, winter and freezing rain!) and really need to see my chiropractor. It's rather conical in shape, giving me a three-inch difference between bust and waist. My tummy resists shaping in any shaper I try to put it in, so it sticks out underneath the stomacher and pushes the bottom of it forward. I'm hoping this will even out visually in the full kit.

Since I've spent nearly half of the day hand-sewing and I finished a project, time to celebrate with a cup of tea :3

The HSF: Planning for the Future

This year was a total write-off for me in terms of the Historical Sew Fortnightly. I failed miserably at completing each challenge on time. I still intend to finish each challenge in the spirit of it, if not the law. I probably will not complete another challenge this year. When I started writing this post in October, I was becoming rather overwhelmingly busy. I needed to move at the end of the month (I ended up moving on November 2), NaNoWriMo starts on November 1st of which I am one of the people that coordinates events for my region, and then, when I started writing the post, I was working in a retail store. I usually go straight from the craziness of novel-writing straight into holiday shopping. But I decided mid-October to search for a new job. I do not recommend moving, novel-writing, AND job-hunting all at the same time. It does not make for a happy frame of mind.

But I persevered :) My move went very well even though it made me realize that I have too much stuff. Novel writing eventually came together, though it was just past midway when I decided I hated my novel and I wasn't going to write it anymore and then had to switch to a new novel and write 37k words in under 2 weeks. My new job involves covering the reception desk for a couple hours a day, and while I have a project to work on when not there, I can't do it at the front. So I've been spending a lot of time looking at costume blogs and planning future projects :)

I've decided to participate in the Historical Sew Fortnightly 2014! And at the same time finish all of the 2013 challenges too! Hooray!


Since I am still trying to organize my apartment (I moved from a 3-floor, 2-bed townhouse into a 450 sq ft apartment), it's mostly all in the planning stages right now. I've been taking Leimomi's advice and trying to plan ahead so I can be better prepared for actually finishing this year :)

I am thinking about what I want to do for all of the challenges. So, here is a run-down.


2013
Completed:
#2: UFO
#6: Stripes
#10: Literature

Planned:
#1: 'Centennial: 1913ish Stays (based on Festive Attyre's pattern)
#3: Under It All: Finish the 1770s stays I started in January.
#4: Embellish: Blackwork embroidery on an Elizabethan shift.
#5: Peasants & Pioneers: Hadn't totally decided yet. Either a Flemish ensemble or a dress inspired by Sienna Guillory's in Gunless.
#7: Accessorize: Finish the Victorian Bonnet I started in July.
#8: By The Sea: I was gonna do a cute Victorian seaside outfit, then I was going to make a Hogwarts-themed Victorian bathing costume, or perhaps a SWEET nautical-themed dress from Voice of Fashion.
#9: Flora & Fauna:
#11: Squares, Rectangles & Triangles: Probably a petticoat, unsure on century.
#12: Pretty Pretty Princess: I haven't quite decided yet. This one was due a day after the one-year anniversary of a beloved friend's death, and we had a "princess boot camp" with some other friends for the express purpose of dressing up. I need a bit more time to think on it and get the inspiration right.
#13: Lace and Lacing:
#14: Eastern Influence:
#15: White: A Regency gown made from the Folkwear pattern.
#16: Separates: A Victorian bodice to go with one of my many skirts.
#17: Robes and Robings: There is a lovely early 1900s "kimono" pattern I have that I'd like to try.
#18: Re-make, Re-use & Re-fashion: Turning an old 1980s costume Victorian gown into something lovely, likely an Edwardian gown.
#19: Wood, Metal, Bone:
#20: Outerwear: I think I will do a Victorian coat..? I don't wear most of my outfits in winter cuz it's just too cold without a coat, and I do not have a coat that will fit. I should start this soon, it's full-on winter here!
#21: Green: Linen 1770s gown.
#22: Masquerade:
#23: Generosity & Gratitude: A 1770s gown with major props to Katherine C.G.
#24: Re-do: A chance to re-do a challenge! Maybe "Under it All" with panniers or a bum pad.
#25: One-yard:
#26: Celebrate:

2014

#1: Make do and Mend:
#2: Innovation: a new corset for myself.
#3: Under it All:
#4: Pink!:
#5: Bodice: A cream-coloured Victorian ballgown bodice to go with skirts I already have.

HSF: #10: Literature

Now that my dress is finally finished, over 3 months late, and I have pictures, I shan't keep the juicy details from you any longer ;)



The Challenge: 10: Literature
Fabric: 5m? (I lost count) of bronze faux-silk, 3m of mushroom? maybe real silk?, 1/2m of brown cotton velveteen
Pattern: Truly Victorian's Vest Basque, 1870s Underskirt, and Side-Draped Overskirt
Year: 1875-ish
Notions: plastic boning, thread, buttons
How historically accurate is it?: All machine-stitched, hand-hemmed, largely modern materials. Patterns and overall look, like 70%?
Hours to complete: Too many... around 30.
First worn: WorldCon San Antonio (August 31, 2013)
Total cost: The bodice materials were all given to me as gifts, so for buttons and skirt materials, around $20 CDN.

As mentioned in the inspiration post, I'd had the skirt languishing in my to-do pile for over a year when I read Gail Carriger's Timeless. On page 43, Alexia's dress is described as an "ecru [dress] over a bronze skirt with brown velvet detailing." I laughed quite hard as it was the second time she'd managed to write about my wardrobe, and I thanked her (publically) for giving me an idea on what to wear with the skirt, whenever it was finally finished (turns out I just need to remove and reattach the waistband; I made it too small). I'd been on the lookout for a material that would go with faux-silk ever since.

My aunt gave me some possibly-real silk for my birthday earlier this year and I was VERY excited to see it was a neutral-enough colour to match bronze and brown velvet quite nicely. Then I procrastinated forever, as I always do (man oh man, did I regret it though), and my mum gave me enough of the brown cotton velveteen to finish the bodice off. Add some funky buttons, and I was set.



What's missing is the hours I spent at work, worrying about how I would get everything done, making myself physically ill when I was at home and not working on my costumes for WorldCon (yes, even when I was making supper. You can't sew when you're fainting from hunger!), and sewing until late in the night. It didn't help that I caught a sinus cold 2 weeks before I left and needed several days to recover my brains. THEN I decided to make a new skirt, since the one I already had was a "late" bustle and the outfit was, generally, "early". And I still had to get up early Saturday morning to hem my new skirt (I'm glad I made it, it swished nicely) and attach the rest of the buttons. I ended up being ready for the day exactly when I said I needed to be.

I got some lovely compliments on it :3 San Antonio was very warm and humid, especially for this Canadian girl! The AC worked very well inside, however, and I was quite comfortable for most of the day. The times when I felt overheated was when a room was very crowded and I was surrounded by people. These photos were taken at the end of the day, with the timer function on my camera.