New Project! Making a Nobles Gown From Scratch-and I need your help!

[LadySeasan]

So as many of you know, I converted a wedding dress into a nobles dress.  I received alot of help from you lovely ladies, and here is the finished product:



now i love that dress dearly, as it was my first big project. but the sewing machine is calling me again and it wants me to make a new nobles dress!

now i dont really read patterns, everything i do is freehand. so i have no problem with making the skirt, and the underskirt part, nor the sleeves. what i need help with is the actual bodice part

see my current gown is a wedding gown, so all the work was done, all i need to do was sew the fabric onto it to complete the gown. now that i am making a gown from scratch, what is the easiest way to mimic a sturdy bodice?

i know you ladies can help   thanks in advance!
xoxo

[gypsylakat]

generally, patterns aren't that complicated, but you could use the elizabethan corset generator to make up a picture pattern and then it's pretty easy to put together.... http://www.elizabethancostume.net/custompat/

[Kate XXXXXX]

I'm of the same opinion: go with the corset generator and use the instructions for doing it as a bodice.  Mine came out like this: http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk/KatePages/Costuming/Kate's_Klobber/DSCF0047.JPG

If you want the lacing up the back or at the sides, that too is doable.

BTW, that conversion looks pretty convincing.   

[LadySeasan]

thank you for the suggestion Gypsy. i went to the website, entered my measurements and the pattern looks very easy for me to follow so it looks like i wont be having much trouble with that

and kate your bodice looks very good what i want to know is besides the fabric i am going to use, what can i use to make the modice sturdy? is there an alternate besides boning?  I don't really want to be bound up in a tight bodice type. also i dont know how to do boning, lol and i may not have the patience to do so...  ill take the non historical route and wear a girdle underneath the dress, so the bodice doesn't need to be terrible sturdy, just sturdy enough to hold

and Kate, thanks for the compliment im glad that it is convincing, lol

[LadySeasan]

So at some point today I am going to draw out a mock bodice on paper, and then possibly use extra fabric i have around the house to do a real one

im still dont know how to do boning, so are there any suggestions on how to make the fabric sturdy?

[sealion]

Heavy twill interlining (sandwiched between your fashion fabric and lining) will help but sewing boning channels really isn't difficult. I really can't imagine a modern girdle being comfortable out in the heat and humidity of faire. I baste the lining and interlining together then sew the boning channels. (Some people sew two layers of interlining together and do the channels then put that between the fashion fabric and lining if they don't want the channels to show on the inside.) I use the thickest plastic cable ties/duct ties from the home mprovement center for my boning. I cut them with my kitchen shears then pass the cut ends through a candle flame to smooth them.

(This is from the front closing bodice I just finished but I did the boning the same for the side-back laced bodice in my avatar.)

[gypsylakat]

sewing channels really is easy... i was scared of it too when i set about working on my first one... now i am not, you may decide to wait till your at fair and try on one of the bodices there, a good one. see if you like it first, then decide if you want a modice or a bodice...

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Lady Season!!  Huzzah to you to undertaking a Noblewoman's ensemble.

Here's the link to one of the best sites on how to do this and that, as well as see what others have done in regards to making Noble Garb. It is quite a lot to research and learn.  http://www.elizabethancostume.net/

Enjoy the challange. We are here to mentor you when you need us.

[Kate XXXXXX]

My best advice for both comfort and looks would be to go the whole hog!  Use the Corset Pattern Generator to make a proper corset: you'll really only need one (though making them gets addictive!), and then you can use the same pattern to make as many bodices as you'll ever need.   

A modern foundation garment won't give the correct shape and, being made of nylon and latex and spandex, and all sorts of other nasties, will be much hotter and sweatier than a linen canvas one.

Sewing boning channels is dead easy: they are just straight lines, and if you draw them on in chalk first, they are no problem, honest! 

[LadySeasan]

ok, so my question is, how do you sew the boning channels?  between what layers do they go to? the lining and the interface?

[gem]

If you're making a corset, you'll be making it out of something heavy like 2 layers of canvas, so you'll sew right through both layers of canvas, and then bind the edges (see the beautiful blue one that Sealion posted).

For a bodice, I like to use 2 layers of canvas for the interlining/flatlining, and again--just sew through both layers.  You can then decide if you want a fourth layer of lining (fashion fabric|canvas|canvas|lining)--which I recommend--or if you just want the three layers--the fashion fabric on top of the canvas.

See here for some good construction tips:  http://freespace.virgin.net/f.lea/kirguide2.html

[LadySeasan]

ok i think! i can do this
i will definitely try

what do you suggest to use as the lining?

[Kate XXXXXX]

plain cotton or linen.  Personally I'd make the whole thing out of either linen OR cotton so that both the lining and the foundation layers behave the same way.

[LadySeasan]

plain cotton or linen.  Personally I'd make the whole thing out of either linen OR cotton so that both the lining and the foundation layers behave the same way.

cotton, got it

so basically what i do is
1) cut out the shape of the bodice on my fashion fabric, and lining/canvas
2)sew the lining/canvas and the channels and insert the boning
3) sew the lining/canvas to the actual fashion fabric
4) and then use bias tape to cover the top and bottom

do i have it?

[Kate XXXXXX]

Pretty much.  You can see the whole process for that black velvet one of mine here: http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk/KatePages/Costuming/Kate's_Klobber/black_bodice.htm

I will say that in the future I will use two layers of cotton canvas rather than the poly cotton twill and sheeting, and line the thing as well as add the fashion fabric to the outside.