It wasn’t only the corsets in the late 19th Century that had boning in them. No, women’s bodices did too. You might be thinking: Why? Well, corset boning helps hold the body in a fashionable silhouette, whereas boning in a bodice holds the bodice in place. The two garments each have their place for a Read More...
Tag: Bodice
The 1905 Bodice Mockup in Real Fabric
I loved this pattern the first time I laid eyes on it. How could you not?! It’s an original McCall’s #9322 that I picked up from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library years ago at one Costume College. Of course, it’s only a copy of the original that I’m sure the VPLL handled quite carefully to Read More...
How to Deal With Too Much Width in Your Sleeve Cap
Sleeves can be one of the most frustrating elements of a bodice. The pattern can be too long, they hang funny and there is this struggle with getting them set into the armhole and still look nice. Many times a sleeve has to be enlarged in width to fit a larger bicep measurement (a very Read More...
Points to Keep Your Darts on Target
Darts. Those funny shaped elongated triangles that help mold a flat piece of fabric to the body. Once our Regency ancestors learned how to use them properly, we didn’t look back. The 19th Century is filled with darts in garments. Darts may seem like a standard construction element, but their specific placement and manner of Read More...
18 Simple Steps for a Dog Leg Closure on Your Mid-Victorian Dress
Perhaps you’re putting together a new summer dress. Or maybe it’s a new work dress for camp. All you know is that one piece dresses in the 1850s and 1860s had the bodice and skirt attached together. Then there is something about that closure that looks funny and seems daunting…. I mean, you could easily Read More...
How to be a Shield Maiden
You’re standing under the two foot square of shade under the tree, fanning yourself as fast as possible. The cool air you crave is elusive…. Twirling around and around, you laugh and collide with fellow dancers on the packed floor…. If you do any sort of costume events in warm weather or in a ballroom, Read More...
Figuring Out How To Do Pleats on the Back of a Bustle Bodice
Lately I’ve had fellow costumers ask me about those deep pleats you see on the back of 1870s and 1880s bodices. Those gorgeous fluffy pleats tucked into crisp folds floating above the puffed up bustle. The pattern pieces don’t seem too crazy – a little jaunt out about 90 degrees from the seam then straight Read More...
Flatlining in the 1860s
No, I’m not actually talking about dying or death (although so much of it happened in the early years of this decade because of the American Civil War). I’m also not discussing how a costume project nearly “kills you” in its journey to completion. (ha!) Flatlining in the dressmaking or costuming sense is the technique Read More...