Shoulder Rolls Questions

[Kathleen MacLeod]

I have a gown right now made from Simplicity 3782 with the shoulder rolls. This is what they looked like the first day of faire last year:


Unfortunately, after the first day they start to fray. That gold fabric is an extremely touchy brocade that starts to come apart if you look at it wrong. The green and gold parts are starting to separate, which I could deal with, but the gold itself has threads hanging out of it and looks generally very ragged. So I want to redo the shoulder rolls without the gold.

The Simplicity pattern just has the rolls cut into pieces for the alternating fabrics. Does this look about right for the shape it should be before rolling if I cut it in one piece?  http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2956550590025619629daRhOh If so, would I just start rolling on one side and roll evenly to the other? That doesn't seem right.

Would it be alright if I had it all of the green material but heavily beaded to make it look fancier? I know historically they would've alternated fabrics, but that gold brocade is making me want to die. My other option is to get some trim and sew it on before I roll them to make it look like it has two different fabrics there.

[Lady Rebecca]

Instead of piecing the strips together, you could cut the green in the whole shape of the shoulder roll, and cut strips of the gold, serging (if you have one) and turning under the edges, then top stitching it to the green. That way, no strain is put on the gold fabric.

[LadyStitch]

That gold fabric is a "witch" to work with.  I did a vest for the PP out of it.  I was lucky that it made it through a season of wear.  It frays and lets loose threads everywhere.  And I have to say, even no stress areas will fray. That is the nature of the fabric.

I made this dress for a client.  She wanted solid green, so  I just taped the patern pieces together so that they made the full curve, and then use THAT for the pattern. 

[gem]

I'll also add... if you do decide to use more of the gold for something, back it with fusible interfacing, right to the edges (I'd probably back a whole big piece of it *before* cutting the pattern out), and then either serge or overcast the edges to help prevent fraying.

I also think some wide trim would be a perfectly acceptable alternative to using two separate fabrics.  This portrait shows puffs (which Lady Kathleen has a brilliant way of faking!), but you can also see how you could apply trim instead of two fabrics:

[DonaCatalina]

Because of the nature of the gold fabric. Youl will probably be happier if you redo the shoulder roll in solid green. Then you could use a ribbon trim for the contrast tacked onto the green fabric.

To make it all come together, you could use some of the same trim around the neckline of the dress.
This would give you an effect similar to what gem posted.
A good medium size trim should solve your issues.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

When I did the Pelican Portrait gown, I used Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion book #1 to make a pattern for Shoulder Rolls.

A cresent shaped, more like a football actually. Thyese Shoulder rolls are large as in the acual portrait. There were small darts sewn in order for the roll to curve.

In Margo Anderson's Women's Elizabethan ensemble package, she has a cresent shaped pattern for Shoulder rolls that are already curved. I have used that pattern a number of times for various pieces I have done. I cut 4 pieces, added trims, sewed them together leaving an opening for stuffing, then whipped stitched shut.

Hope this helps.

[Kathleen MacLeod]

Thanks, ladies, I think I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm going to do now! I'll post pictures when I get them done 

LadyStitch, I'm glad it's not just me that it frayed on! It's beautiful but it's such a terror  And silly me not thinking of taping the pattern pieces. I swear my brain just doesn't work right during Midterms!