Gallery of In Progress Projects

[LadySeasan]

this is the gown that I had started working on last year.  if you remember my thread about me losing that huge amount of weight and having the gown fit super big, this is it!  i love this fabric so much, so i am not giving up on this gown.  I'm going to take in the bodice a bit.  The skirt itself still needs to be hemmed, and pleated properly, as you can see, my pleats are horrible.

Is there some sort of pleating calculator online?  In which you put the inches of how much fabric you have, then you put in the inches of what you need the final width to be, and it will tell you how large/small to make your pleats, and the intervals in between?  if any of you can help me with that, that would be awesome.

so here she is! forgive the gangster lean of my dress dummy, she is kind of broken

[Lady Rosalind]

For pleating, if you are using cartridge pleats, all you really have to do is pick how large you want the pleats, then make your waistband. Just eyeball it and distribute the pleats evenly across the waistband, and sew by hand. Skirts really are more forgiving when you lose weight than bodices. 

I use 1" pleats, and for thinner fabrics, I sew a strip of felt to give the pleats more body. Works pretty good, actually.

Good luck, and congratulations on your weight loss!!!!

[LadySeasan]

For pleating, if you are using cartridge pleats, all you really have to do is pick how large you want the pleats, then make your waistband. Just eyeball it and distribute the pleats evenly across the waistband, and sew by hand. Skirts really are more forgiving when you lose weight than bodices. 

I use 1" pleats, and for thinner fabrics, I sew a strip of felt to give the pleats more body. Works pretty good, actually.

Good luck, and congratulations on your weight loss!!!!

i am HORRIBLE at cartridge pleating, i have tried many times .

[lady serena]

Here is one for drapery, I tried to find one for clothing but no luck. I dont see why it wouldnt work though.

http://www.simplesewingprojects.com/pleat-calculator-for-curtains/

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I must be strange because I love to Cartridge Pleat. Comes out every time.

I have the Shoulder rolls for the Pelican Portrait gown cut out and one sewn with rows of pearls. When I get the 2nd one done, then I begin the embellishing process. Hours of hand work. Gives me an excues to sit in front of the TV to watch my shows as I work.

I made the shoulder roll pattern using the Janet Arnold ...Patterns of Fashion book for clothing 1560 to 1620. I drafted a pattern, made a mockup and stuffed it before I cut out an underlining and the Velveteen. I have enough of the Rustic red velveteen for the Bodice and that is it. I cannot error.

[auntiegiggles]

Here is the gown I am working on for MNRF this season. 

Chemise - is 100% completed as of tonight!   



Underskirt - Almost done - just needs a hem 



Over skirt - Needs to be cartridge pleated, hemmed



Bodice will be started when all else is finished.  Hopefully by this weekend.   

Sorry about two of the pics being sideways.  Couldn't get them to rotate and stay.....

[LadyFae]

Woot-woot!  It was a fun day working together, Giggles!  =)  Now, did you actually TRY ON the new chemise?

[auntiegiggles]

Yes....and the fit is beautiful!

[Tripletap]

I just got my "Fantasy Fashions" pattern in, and I need some advice from my new friends on Renaissancefestival.com
I want to make this style doublet, it has different fabrics for the upper and the lower, unfortunately, the pattern does not show how to do this.
Should I....
A. Join the two fabrics together in the middle?
B. Make the whole doublet in one fabric, then cut out the second fabric in the right shape and sew it onto the doublet?

[Lady L]

You could do it either way, depends on the weight/thickness of fabric you are using. What type of fabric are you using?
If you piece it on the diagonal,  be careful about the fabric stretching. Applying the trim would also hide the seam.
If you sew the contrast fabric onto the base fabric, it would probably have more support.

[Tripletap]

Not sure about the fabrics yet, maybe the top one will be a quilted Taffeta maybe, going to Joanns tomorrow, see what they got.

[Tripletap]

I am thinking if I go with a Taffeta I will have to sew it onto a more stable doublet.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Trace your pattern off and do the size adjustments... 

Cut a second pattern piece and cut that on the diagonal.  Give the new cut some seam allowances!

If your chosen fabric is a bit light, cut a whole front from a firm cloth like cotton broadcloth to use as an interlining.  Cut your two fronts, upper and lower, from your fashion fabrics and join at the diagonal seam line.

Mount the fashion fabric on the interlining and baste together all round the edges inside the seam allowances.  Treat the back and sleeves the same way.  Once the pieces are mounted on the interlining, sew the two layers as one.

A quilted fabric would not normally need an interlining as you have the fashion fabric, the batting, and the backing.  If you are going to have a quilted effect, you will get a much nicer one if you quilt the fabric yourself.  Thread trace the pattern onto the fabric to be quilted and be prepared for it to 'shrink' during the quilting.  Before cutting, check that you don't need to add more...

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Kate gives good advice. The FF pattern is my main go to pattern for Doublets.

For the two Doublets I made for Toki Bloodaxe, I cut up a Grocery store shopping bag, placed the pattern pieces(adjusted for the proper length in the back and front), traced the basic outline, then redrafted the pattern to what I was going for. I made sure I noted that I needed to add 5/8" for seam allowances if the Doublet had more than two pieces.


2009 Doublet using the Fantasy Fashions pattern drafting panels in the front and back of the pattern. I redrafted the sleeve to make it 3 lined pieces, then held together by buttons so that the sleeve of the shirt would show through.


2010 Doublet redrafting the pieces to go diagonally in front and back. I did the same with the sleeve pattern as well with a side opening..

[Valencia]

The color of the first one is fantastic!! Lady Kathleen, did you use an interlining on those doublets?