Plus size bodice for a novice faire-goer and sewer.

[Nula]

Hello lovely people,

So I am not exactly a novice faire-goer, having gone to my local one since I was a little girl, but nor am I an expert in all things renaissance.  My best friend, who has never been to faire, has agreed to go with me this year.  I was oh so excited that I told her I would make her bodice.  I am an average sewer, I can follow most patterns without messing them up, and I have mocked up a few things that worked without a pattern, but I have no experience altering patterns and NO experience with the requirements for larger women.  I have the exact opposite body type of my best buddy.

Her measurements are off the standard McCalls and Simplicity charts, and now I'm at a loss. 

I have several questions and I would love ANY help to any of them.

First of all: I'm always comfortable in just a bodice at faire with my teensy little B cups - with her 45" bust, is she going to be?  If not is there any sort of undergarment that won't be extremely obvious under her bodice but could help her?  I don't think either of us are up for creating/buying an actual period corset to go under the bodice. 

I've looked at the Margo Anderson pattern, and the bust/waist sizes don't match up.  Is it easy to work between sizes on those patterns? (45" bust 40" waist?)

I've heard a rumor that I want to take some inches off of her actual measurements to give extra shape, support, and lift.  Is this true?  If so, how much would you say would do the trick?

Is there an easy way to alter the more mainstream patterns to fit?

Failing all of this, are there any relatively inexpensive options out there for bodices of this size?  Historically semi-accurate would be nice, but I don't think she cares about total accuracy at all. 

I've got until August 4-5 to get this all together, so any help would be very much appreciated!  I was oh-so-cocky when I said I could do this, and forgot to take into account that I've never sewed for anyone but me and we have extremely different bodies.  Thank you!

[LadyShadow]

For most of these questions, I have no clue. But I would suggest trying the corset generator http://www.elizabethancostume.net/custompat/
that is thrown around this site. And it does give directions for turning the corset pattern into a bodice pattern and then directions on construction. http://www.elizabethancostume.net/kirtlepat/index.html

[gem]

Hail and well met, Nula!

How wonderful that you want to sew for your friend! I think it's a big job, though, in the amount of time that you have.

I think the first, most useful thing you can do is read this older thread on bodices, which is one of the best we've ever had, followed by Baroness Doune's bodice page, a most excellent online tutorial on bodice construction. Those will get you up to speed fast on the basics of what you'd like to do.

Margo Anderson's patterns do allow the alterations you're looking for, but I doubt they would be delivered in time for you to make it. A faster option, but which requires more brain power on your part, would be to use Drea Leed's Custom Corset Pattern Generator, which will allow you to create a pattern exactly tailored to your friend's measurements. You will probably still need to do a mockup, just to be safe, and make adjustments to the fit, but you would be starting out at the right size.  It's designed to make corsets, but you can follow the additional instructions for adapting the pattern for a bodice, and, of course, make it out of pretty fabric and add various trims & c for your friend to use as outerwear.

As for the other matter... I'm not plus sized, but I'm busty, and I wear a bra under almost all my bodices. It makes dressing easier, and can be more comfortable for people who are not used to Fairwear... and if you have a big difference between your bust and your waist size, it helps with keeping your assets where you want them. I *don't* wear a bra under my historically accurate corsets and bodices, and it's completely possible to build a garment that will give your friend the proper shape and support... but it's also totally acceptable for her to have a little secret under her bodice. The trick is finding one that won't show above the bodice/chemise.

My last suggestion would be to think about *other* things, besides bodices, that your friend might enjoy wearing. An Irish gown is a simple, beautiful, comfortable garment that can go together more quickly than a bodice (the one pictured was my first garb project, and it took me about ten days. These days, *nothing* I make goes together that fast!). Unfortunately, the pattern I used is out of print, but there may be another one available. Another option is a waist cincher, for which you only need two measurements--waist size and how wide you want it to be.

Good luck!  There is LOTS of knowledge on this board, and we can walk you through pretty much anything.

[isabelladangelo]

Actually, since you want the bodice to be uplifting and hold things in, she should be around a size 20 or 22.  I'd cut out the 22, do a quick mock up out of canvas for her, and try it on (pinned, of course) so you can see where to let out or take in.    With a  45" bust, the 20 should be perfect but with the 40" waist, the 22 would probably be better.  Remember, the bodice was used to keep everything were it should be.  She shouldn't need a bra with her bodice.  If she does, the bodice is too big.

I'd do the Elizabethan Corset generator since it should work.   

[Kate XXXXXX]

Or you could go for something like my Mock Kirtle, which is designed to go over modern underpinnings but give a flavour of the period:

[Lady Rebecca]

I would also recommend the Elizabethan custom corset generator. http://www.elizabethancostume.net/custompat/index.html It will give you a pattern that will fit her specific measurements, and tells you how to draw it out on paper. It also tells you how to make various alterations. For example, when I used it, I chose to do front and back lacing and tabs, where the boning continues into the tabs. I made mine reversible, using a home dec-type canvas and some other home dec stiff cotton fabric, with boning channels inside made of bias tape, and cable tie boning. Instead of binding all the tabs, I sewed the two fabrics together and turned. It fits well enough, too, that you don't need to wear a bra under it. And it comes together extremely quickly.

This is how mine came out: