It has been so long since I last felt I had something worthy to talk about. Of course, I still don’t, but that’s what blogs are for, right? Rambling about one’s life in hopes that someone somewhere will find it interesting?
Anyway, I finally finished sewing my stays. Handsewing isn’t so bad afterall! I also have the JP Ryan pattern for my Anglaise in my possession. The bodice pieces are all pinned to muslin so I can try it out. The version with the seamed bodice back rather than the en fourreau version seems REALLY easy now that I actually look at the pattern pieces. I hope I haven’t spoken too soon, saying that. J There are only four or so pieces, which are very obviously too short for my torso, same as the stays. I plan to make them in the regular size and then whilst trying the muslin over my stays to get the correct fit, slashing the pieces and actually pinning them to my stays so I know the exact amount to lengthen. Plus I won’t have to get my boyfriend to lace me in and out of the stays so often this way. I would like to make a second set of slightly smaller stays sometime...a front AND back-lacing set, so I can do it myself.
I have several fabrics in mind for my gown. Mostly they are flowered cottons, even though my preferred fabric would be a luscious striped silk. As soon as I get my bodice fitted perfectly, I will order the fabric and carry on from there. Hopefully I will be able to get a couple gowns made, so I can go to weekend-long events and have a different gown for each day. Petticoats should be easy…if I can figure out the complex-sounding written instructions from my pattern. There isn’t a pattern piece, which makes sense, because of varying length and varying sizes of panniers, but I would love if someone else would do all the work in drafting, so I wouldn’t have to! :P
