I had thought that my first pair was "good enough" - and in many ways they are - but as I wore them around the house and worked them in, I started to notice more and more problems which would result in frustration when it came to fitting and wearing a gown. In addition to the fit problems, I have happily learned so much in the last 8 months that I now see some of my issues are due to incorrect period/style for the silhouette I was going for.
So buckle up for an episode of "Morg critiques her own work and learns from mistakes
The Fabric Choice | The fabric I used was not bad. In fact, there are a lot of things I like about the cotton canvas, but in the end, two layers of canvas were not enough to create the structure I was hoping for. The panels are quite soft and are very very comfortable, and provide a surprising amount of support for the bust, but let me move around and bend at the waist quite significantly.
The Pattern | I used Butternick B4254. Yep, a commercial pattern. And you know what? It isn't bad. The shape of each panel is actually quite good, and it has a lot of customisation built right in. HOWEVER, the back panel goes up very high, and the front is very low. This style is much better the later decades, say 1784-1790ish, and so do not give me the elegant flat front I was looking for. Without making a stomacher, these stays give me a very pronounced prow front and much softer bust line.
The Fit | This is where I have the most room for improvement. I did make some modification to the commercial pattern in order to have them fit better but didn't make a mockup after my adjustments so it still did not fit as I would like.
Overall they are about 2-3 inches too wide all the way around. I can close these right up, back and front. Ideally, I should have more space to adjust the tightness.
They are also too wide across the front of the chest which pushes the armholes too far back pinching my armpits and gaping in the front.
The Pattern | I used Butternick B4254. Yep, a commercial pattern. And you know what? It isn't bad. The shape of each panel is actually quite good, and it has a lot of customisation built right in. HOWEVER, the back panel goes up very high, and the front is very low. This style is much better the later decades, say 1784-1790ish, and so do not give me the elegant flat front I was looking for. Without making a stomacher, these stays give me a very pronounced prow front and much softer bust line.
The Fit | This is where I have the most room for improvement. I did make some modification to the commercial pattern in order to have them fit better but didn't make a mockup after my adjustments so it still did not fit as I would like.
Overall they are about 2-3 inches too wide all the way around. I can close these right up, back and front. Ideally, I should have more space to adjust the tightness.
They are also too wide across the front of the chest which pushes the armholes too far back pinching my armpits and gaping in the front.
The New Pair
 |
| Work in Progress | Already some big improvements |
The Fabric | My new pair will be made from 2 layers of linen horsehair stabiliser (a good approximation of buckram) a light blue linen outer layer and then lined with cotton. Already the pieces are much stiffer than my original and I think will be a huge improvement.
The Pattern | I still used the Butternick pattern as a base, but I made many alterations. I lengthened the front by about 3.5 cm and reduced the overall width by 5cm. I was a bit too aggressive in reducing the waist but I am still much happier with the fit. I also lowered the back, made them strapless and changed the shape of the neckline. *phew*
I will do I fuller write up when they are complete.
I am pretty happy with the changes I have made to these, but I am regretting the choice to make the back lacing... I am starting to wonder if I will ever be satisfied...
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