back to the 1790s
Jul. 30th, 2021 11:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mandie_rwLooking through all the (manymanymany) pictures from the weekend apparently put me in the mood for late 1790s/ working class. Probably because the Saturday pictures of me in 1790s are way more flattering than Sunday's turn-of-the-century (combination of boater that I really don't like the proportions of on my own head, lame-ass hair, fugly natural form shirtwaist, and limp skirt makes for a resoundingly dumpy outfit!), and because I loved both Robin's new Regency short gown and her "Marilla Cuthbert" 1900s outfit - that's the "everyday clothing" I so enjoy!
So with my free time before I went back to school on Wednesday, and then last night and today, I managed to (probably) finish the transitional "lower sorts" late 18thc stays, that I started, um, back in March? They just needed the basting taken out and have the last two seams sewn for real, bind the edges, and make/ attach the shoulder straps.
I say they're probably finished, because I was pretty wildly guessing at the exact length of these - the pair in Regency Women's Dress I based them on was neither my size nor my proportions, and my shot in the dark ended up with a longer-than-intended center front. I could take off the binding, cut them shorter, make another eyelet, and rebind, but...after having worn them around all afternoon and most of the evening, I can say I probably won't! They fit perfectly fine, even if they're a little on the long side for short stays - I'm pretty long-waisted! And transitional stays really do run the gamut of shape and style, so it's perfectly plausible a working class woman would be wearing longer stays into the new century. Probably. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;)
Goal for tomorrow is to get some pics of the stays (that are over a shift, not a ratty t-shirt, ahem) and either write a blog post on it, or keep sewing the petticoat bodice of the squiggle print dress, whichever I'm more inspired to do. I thought about making a mockup of said petticoat bodice today after I'd finished the stays...then realized I already have a mid-1790s petticoat with a bodice, why reinvent the wheel, as long as it fits with these stays?
Pro: it did fit with these stays.
Con: apparently I didn't make/ keep a paper pattern when I made the petticoat, so I had to take a pattern off my own damn petticoat bodice, derp.
So that took a leeeetle bit longer than if Past Me had been efficient! But as long as nothing weird happened in the process of pattern-making and sewing, I should probably be able to make up the bodice this weekend and finish the petticoat this week. We shall see.
So with my free time before I went back to school on Wednesday, and then last night and today, I managed to (probably) finish the transitional "lower sorts" late 18thc stays, that I started, um, back in March? They just needed the basting taken out and have the last two seams sewn for real, bind the edges, and make/ attach the shoulder straps.
I say they're probably finished, because I was pretty wildly guessing at the exact length of these - the pair in Regency Women's Dress I based them on was neither my size nor my proportions, and my shot in the dark ended up with a longer-than-intended center front. I could take off the binding, cut them shorter, make another eyelet, and rebind, but...after having worn them around all afternoon and most of the evening, I can say I probably won't! They fit perfectly fine, even if they're a little on the long side for short stays - I'm pretty long-waisted! And transitional stays really do run the gamut of shape and style, so it's perfectly plausible a working class woman would be wearing longer stays into the new century. Probably. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;)
Goal for tomorrow is to get some pics of the stays (that are over a shift, not a ratty t-shirt, ahem) and either write a blog post on it, or keep sewing the petticoat bodice of the squiggle print dress, whichever I'm more inspired to do. I thought about making a mockup of said petticoat bodice today after I'd finished the stays...then realized I already have a mid-1790s petticoat with a bodice, why reinvent the wheel, as long as it fits with these stays?
Pro: it did fit with these stays.
Con: apparently I didn't make/ keep a paper pattern when I made the petticoat, so I had to take a pattern off my own damn petticoat bodice, derp.
So that took a leeeetle bit longer than if Past Me had been efficient! But as long as nothing weird happened in the process of pattern-making and sewing, I should probably be able to make up the bodice this weekend and finish the petticoat this week. We shall see.
