First time making a bodice pattern need advice please

[alforddm]

I'm making (trying to make  ) a bodice for my daughter to wear for Halloween.   I have drafted a modern bodice and done a test fit and it fits well.  However, I'm at a bit of a loss as to where the period seams need to go.   As you can see she has very rounded shoulders and a low bust.  I kept telling her to quit slouching when I was fitting her but if she throws back her shoulders much more than this it doesn't look natural and her shoulder blades stick out really really bad... This really does fit well lol.     Most of the patterns I have seen use armhole princess seams but that doesn't seem to work well with her shoulders.   

Suggestions?  She just wants a basic "wench" type bodice.  Also, how much should I take out at the seams so that it is tight like it should be?  It will lace in the front. 

Thank you! 

[gem]

The quick & easy way to get it tight enough is to close up those darts and then cut a mockup WITHOUT them. Basically you're rotating them into the side seam--you're trying to get rid of the fullness they're creating space for.

This site has a good, simple tutorial:
http://www.reddawn.net/costume/darts.htm

You'll definitely want to AVOID princess seams--they will do exactly the opposite of what you want a period or wench bodice to do, which is to lift & support the bust. In contrast, princess seams are designed to make the garment curve gently over the bustline--not the silhouette you're looking for at all.

Remember the rule of thumb is that modern clothing shapes the garment to fit the wearer (building in curves and ease so clothes skim the body), but period garments shape the wearer (shifting and supporting various soft body parts into their ideal position).

Good luck! There are a few things to unlearn when moving from modern mundane garment sewing to Ren costuming, but thankfully, it's MUCH easier than the other way round! 

[isabelladangelo]

First, I'd highly suggest getting Janet Arnold's patterns of Fashion.  Princess seams,  as you have here, are modern sewing techniques.  Princess seams came about in the 1870's/1880's as part of the House of Worth's fashion.   

The neckline looks quite high to me and rounded.   Most necklines were square at the time.  Check out both pinterest and Elizabethan-portraits.com to see what the bodices actually looked like in the 16th Century.   

Here is the bodice from Elenora di Toledo's gown, which is pretty typical for much of the mid 16th C:



Notice the narrow ish straps, the square neckline, and no darts or princess seams.  :-)   In Elenora's case, she wore this dress over a pair of bodies (a bodice) that was velvet and lined with buckram.  Most people believe that is more for worth than for her figure but prior to the 1590's, there is very little evidence for any heavy stiffening of a bodice.   

[alforddm]

Thank you both for the replies.  The neckline on the front I was planning to go where I had the line across the chest.   I was drawing it over the modern pattern and couldn't see where things were supposed to go.  How wide should the shoulder straps be and should they go right on the shoulder line or in a bit?  I really have been trying to do research but there are so many different styles when you google that it's hard for a novice like me to know what is period and what isn't. 

[isabelladangelo]

To make your searches easier, what time and place?   Italy, England, France, Germany, ect all had various styles and these styles - just like today- varied each decade. 

Most shoulder straps should be no more than 2" wide.   As for where they go, it depends on the time and the place.   

[CenturiesSewing]

Here are some photos that might work for reference.

I have sloping shoulders and usually make my straps 1.5 inches wide.

In general* you want the edge of the straps to extend to the edge of your shoulder. If you push down on the tip of your shoulder and lift your arm over your head you will see/feel a crease when the joint moves. That is where you want the finished edge to sit.




Kirtle I made for a friend, slightly wider straps about 2 inches, as she has more to support.


The top of my pinned on sleeves are over lapping the top of the strap here. Notice how high the armhole is cut. This helps keep everything in place. If she tends to slump (which I do too) you may need to cut the armhole tilted forward slightly, it will be more egg or L shaped than circular.


*As Isabella points out this will vary due to era, region and so forth.

[gem]

Notice how high the armhole is cut. This helps keep everything in place. If she tends to slump (which I do too) you may need to cut the armhole tilted forward slightly, it will be more egg or L shaped than circular.

...You may also find that an L-shaped armscye helps prevent a little gap (where a dart wants to be) right there, if your wearer is a little busty.

I think just looking at a lot of pictures, and, better (altho' admittedly not as helpful *while* you're sewing!): real people in garb IRL will help you get a sense of how things typically fit and look. When I made my first dress, it was straight from a pattern and I was a new seamstress, so I just followed along... but after wearing it once I realized that the straps were too wide, the neckline too high and round, compared to "what everyone else was wearing." Contrast that with the neckline in my avatar, several years later. (You may also note the darts. )