Dress Improvements - skirt & sleeve questions

[broadwaygal24601]

Hello my helpful sewing geniuses!  Well, I wore the dress many of you helped me make to the Az ren fest and my friend wore the one I made for her as well.  I DEFINITELY have some improvements to make and I need some help.  Here are the 2 dresses:


Mine is the gold one.  So, besides the horrible hemming job I did right before we left...I have some things to fix.  Any suggestions on an easy way to make the bodice smaller?  The shoulder straps I can do easily because of how they were attached, but the bodice itself is too big.  Laced all the way up, the top part of the back of the bodice on both dresses sticks out...that's WAYY not supposed to happen.

Also, I'd like to add sleeves to the gold dress.  I'm thinking about doing sleeves like on this dress from The Other Boleyn Girl, only the sleeve would be all the gold fabric, then the little tab things would be the red fabric I have on the skirt...I think.  I may change up those colors, but that's another story.



Finally, the skirt on my friend's dress, the green one, pulled apart from the waistband when some guy stepped on it.  Now, I know it can't take a lot of stress, but it should have held better than that.  Any suggestions on how to put in a waistband?  I've just been laying if flat against the skirt, stitching them together, then laying the band up, if that makes sense...

Help!!!

[isabelladangelo]

If the straps are removable, I'd just take a chunk out of the sides and re-sew up the seams.  After that, re add the straps.

For the waist band, you might want to consider just attaching the skirt to the bodice and making it a full dress.

[broadwaygal24601]

Yeah, the pattern is for a full dress, bodice and skirt together, but I like them separate...

[Lady Rosalind]

  Any suggestions on an easy way to make the bodice smaller?  The shoulder straps I can do easily because of how they were attached, but the bodice itself is too big.  Laced all the way up, the top part of the back of the bodice on both dresses sticks out...that's WAYY not supposed to happen.

Yep, sounds like they are too big... While the person is wearing it, I would take the back edges and overlap them until you get the fit you want, then see how much of a difference there is in the measurement. Then, I's take apart the bodice, and remove the half that amount from each side seam. Just sew the seam, do not trim it, then try it one again to make sure you have the right fit.

The bodice may also be too long. I see this a lot in commercial patterns, when the person being fitted is shorter waisted than the pattern (and have done this myself by accident). I have also seen this, believe it or not, in professionally sewn, custom-made items. Did you also have problems with the bodice neckline scooting way up when you were sitting? If it turns out that the bodice is too long, you can trim the bottom of the bodice, making sure to keep the same contours of the bottom. I'd do this at the same time you are taking it in, so that you can adjust the overall fit.

Both dresses are quite lovely!

[Cilean]

Firstly? I think you look very nice! Both of the gowns are done in really nice colors and I love the purple/green on your friend.

May I ask some questions?

Do you have a Corset under?
If you do can you let it out a bit?
If not? Then you will have to undo the seams and have someone with you to bring it in and fit you correctly. 
Also? are you wearing a hoop of any kind? Even a corded petticoat? It will help with the shape of your gowns.
If you taper your bodice a little more like take off at least an inch to the point? It will make you look longer and give you a better fit on your skirt as well!
I would suggest a removable sleeve that is either open in the front or closed like this from Margo Anderson's Site:



These would better fit your gown, Figure A, B or C would be lovely on your bodice! It would just complete it so perfectly!

Cilean

[broadwaygal24601]

Did you also have problems with the bodice neckline scooting way up when you were sitting? If it turns out that the bodice is too long, you can trim the bottom of the bodice, making sure to keep the same contours of the bottom. I'd do this at the same time you are taking it in, so that you can adjust the overall fit.

I don't remember, but my friend said there might have been some "scootage"...and she's taller in the torso than I am.  So, it might be a little long.  My only concern about shortening it is having it still cover the waistband of the skirt.  Although, I'm going to put hook & eye things on the top of the skirt and under the bodice.  That was a suggestion on this board to keep the skirt from slipping down.

Do you have a Corset under?
If you do can you let it out a bit?
If not? Then you will have to undo the seams and have someone with you to bring it in and fit you correctly.
Also? are you wearing a hoop of any kind? Even a corded petticoat? It will help with the shape of your gowns.

1. Yes, we both have on corsets, but they're too big.  I made them off the corset generator site and clearly my math skills aren't the best because they're a bit big and gave us both back trouble.
2. Yeah, they could be let out, but they are too big as it is.
3. We are both wearing hoop skirts, although hers kept collapsing, so I have to go back to the drawing boards with it.  But most of the day, we had on hoops.

If you taper your bodice a little more like take off at least an inch to the point? It will make you look longer and give you a better fit on your skirt as well!

I don't understand what you mean here. Where would I taper the bodices?  How do I taper a bodice?

And does anyone have any suggestions on how to strengthen the waistband so that it doesn't tear the seam as easily?  The heavy fabric makes getting small, tight stitches difficult.

[broadwaygal24601]

Also wanted to add that I'm going to make us both new corsets using the 3635 Simplicity pattern.  It's an 18th C. corset, but I think if I make the back part have tabs instead of those long flaps, it would be pretty close to what I need - at least give the right silhouette.  I tried using the custom corset generator and both corsets ended up too big, so I'd rather go with a physical pattern this time.  Any suggestions from anyone who has used this pattern for a corset?  Should I make 2 layers of canvas on the inside, then my fashion fabric on the outside?

[Baroness Doune]

Before you take a stab a making a corset using Simplicity 3635, you need to determine what the problem is with the corsets from the Corset Pattern Generator.

The CPG produces a corset that allows for 2 inches of squish and laces edge to edge.  That is fine if 2 inches of squish matches your personal squish factor and you are making a bodice (because you generally want the bodice lacing edges to match.)  It is not so good if you have an overall higher squish factor in the torso or if the bust has a higher squish factor (because the bust is a C cup or better) than the waist.  Also, for corsets, you generally want a 2 inch lacing gap in the back to allow for weight fluctuations.

I took a look at the model on the cover of the pattern and I can see that her corset is too big on her because the lacing edges touch.  There also seems to be possible issues with the locations of the straps on the corset.  I ran into this recently with both 16th century bodies (Tudor Tailor Effigy bodies pattern) and the location of the bust points on 18th century stays (J.P. Ryan stays pattern.) 

The bodice worn over the top of a corset with straps will need to be drafted very carefully to make sure that the corset does not show.  It is much easier to do the necessary alterations to the corset pattern before cutting it out than to try and draft the bodice pattern to cover the corset.

[Merry]

The removable sleeves are a good suggestion. I have made them for mine and it works very well.  I did the Loose Sleeve.  I used  chain stitched loops on both the sleeve and the bodice and used co-ordinating ribbon to attach.  The sleeves look cute tied behind your back on hot days and they are there and ready for unexpected formal events (The Queen is progressing!)

I also made my bodice and skirt separate also for versatility, but I'm thinking of attaching them...  The weight of the skirt pulls the waistband down below the bodice no matter HOW tightly I attach it.  I'm thinking of attaching some flat pant fasteners to the inside of the bodice and the waistband.  That way I can have it both ways:)  Here is a pic that shows the sleeves...

[broadwaygal24601]

you need to determine what the problem is with the corsets from the Corset Pattern Generator.

I know what my problem was: I made it too big = my math skills are horrid! Lol.  Basically both my friend and I are D+ in the bust and yet the corsets not only did the seams touch, we could have laced them each up maybe another inch.  But, we wore them because they gave the look and didn't realize back pain would soon ensure because they were too big.  I considered trimming about 2-3 inches off each side so that we could lace them up tight and still not have the edges meet...but that seems like a lot more work than just making a new one.

Should I instead maybe just retrace the pattern and shorten it, then remake a new one?  I did well on the overall shape (which is surprising considering my lack of drawing skills), the tabs worked, ect...it's just too big. 

What is your suggestion?  Make a new one from the CPG or pattern or fix my old ones?

'm thinking of attaching some flat pant fasteners to the inside of the bodice and the waistband.

I'm going to do that.  Someone suggested it awhile ago on the boards and I'm doing that route.  I also really like you're sleeves.  I think I'm going to do a combo thing where they can just hang down, be detatched completely, or be buttoned to look like the Paned Sleeve (but w/ only one row where the chemise can come through) by putting a row of close buttons on one side and looks on the other side of basically a rectangle.  That lets me have 3 different sleeve options.  IDK though because I really like the multiple rows where the chemise can come through....hmmm. 

PS: any tips or site on how to sew a strong waistband?

[Baroness Doune]

Are you talking about a sturdy waistband or keeping the skirt attached to the waistband?

The solution I used for both involves cartridge pleating which may not be possible in a skirt previously gathered to a waistband.

The easiest solution to prevent people from stepping on the skirts and the skirt then pulling away from the waistband, is simply to shorten the skirts.  I originally had the skirts of my hunter green velveteen WAY too long.  People (including myself) were stepping on the skirts before I even got inside the gate.  But I simply stopped dead in my tracks and would not move until the problem resolved (well, except for me stepping on the skirts - I had to back up.)  There was never a problem with the skirt pulling away from the waistband because it was cartridge pleated to a VERY sturdy waistband with nylon upholstery thread.  The fabric would have given way before the nylon upholstery thread.  Hmmm....  Good thing that never happened.  I would have looked kind of funny walking around in just my farthingale, underskirt and with half an overskirt.

So, what do I use for a waistband?  Well, originally I stuffed the waistband with commercial belting as recommended in the manuals for Margo's patterns.  When I couldn't find commercial belting anymore at Hancock Fabrics, I whined about it on Margo's patterns list and Margo suggested using a double or triple layer of cotton duck cloth quilted together by sewing rows 1/4 inch apart down the length of the waistband.  Really, the stiffness of the duck cloth waistband with the quilting is very comparable to that of the commercial belting.  The commercial belting or the quilted duck cloth is a free floating layer inside the waistband which means it can be done to any waistband.  Even as a retrofit.  It does add bulk to the waist though and needs to be taken into consideration with the bodice worn over the top.

Here are a couple of tutorials for cartridge pleating:
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/cartpleat/index.html
http://www.vertetsable.com/demos_cartridgepleating.htm

I use strips of Tru-Grid, which is marked in 1 inch squares, as a stitching guide and then tear/cut away the Tru-Grid after all the stitching is done.

As I mentioned above I use nylon upholstery thread for stitching the cartridge pleats to the bottom edge of the waistband.  Nylon is stronger than any other fiber so the fashion fabric is likely to tear before the nylon stitches give way.

For gathered or box pleated or knife pleated waistbands, the skirt fabric should be sewn once and then again as a security measure to prevent the separation of the skirt from the waistband.  Overcasting the raw edge of the skirt and waistband join creates another line of stitching and extra security.

As always, to keep the bodice and skirt together and not gap, I sew thread loops on the top of the skirt at the junction between the gathering/pleating and waistband.  I sew coat hooks near the inside bottom edge of the bodice which hook into the thread loops of the skirt.

[nliedel]

Where does one purchase Tru Grid???

[Baroness Doune]

You can find Tru-Grid in the interfacing section of Joanns.
It is really a material for tracing/enlarging patterns.

About Tru-Grid

[broadwaygal24601]

Hey girls, well, I got to wear my dress again at the KC ren fest.  It's cool how the more you work on it, the easier it is to wear.  I just want some opinions on a few things.  I did alter the corset and the bodice to make them actually fit.  I put in a placket on the back so my corset doesn't show through even thought the panels don't come completely together.  I also added small tabs and changed the undershirt fabric.

I did wear a bumroll, but no hoop as I explained later in the post. 

I'm thinking of doing a darker red/maroon skirt and a thick (maybe 3-4 inches on the skirt portion) wide trim w/ beadwork.  Also, I'm trying to decide sleeve options.  Here's my dress:



I didn't wear a hoop skirt because mine keeps buckling and I have to fix it still, but yeah.  The bodice looks kinda bulky to me for some reason...anyway, here are some sleeve options I liked:


The red one


Or these

Which would slim down the bodice and not make it look so bulky?  Could it be the corset I'm wearing that makes it look bulky?

[Kate XXXXXX]

If the hoops in the farthingales are buckling under the weight of the gowns, it means that the hoops themselves are not strong enough.  Either double them up with another lot of boning inside the same casings, or take them out and replace them with stronger hooping.  You might get away with just adding a stronger hooping to the bottom hoop closest to the hem and to the top hoop at the hips.  Try it.  If it works, you haven't wasted cash unnecessarily.  If it doesn't, you can get more... 

Fitting a corset and a bodice is something you should never try on your own.  You need someone who knows what they are doing to help.  After all, you cannot pin things between your own shoulder blades by yourself... 

The reworking of the bodice has improved it a lot.  Well done.

Just a note in passing...  I'm usually VERY wary of taking things in solely at the side seams.  Yes, it's more work to take it in all round, but if you only work on the side seams, you can end up with armscye's that are too small and necklines that are too wide.  You are better skimming a bit off each seam.  You also need to look at WHERE on YOU things need taking in...  Sometimes people need the back taking in rather than the front, especially if you are a C or bigger at the front.