Sewing Through the Years

 finished June 17, 2021 self-drafted based on Mariah Pattie's video about arc-drafting system  no tabs- covers hips based on 2 extant stays white muslin as fashion fabric and as the lining, white canvas layer, tan "twill" layer stitched boning channels in muslin fashion & canvas layers, added bones, then assembled (stitched seams together). tan "twill" fabric padstitched to canvas layer (after boning and assembly) primarily over the boning channels. Made eyelets down back and down front. Edged everything with 3/4" off-white/ecru twill tape. Then lined with white muslin similarly to Gracie Sews' suggestion  to use as few total pieces as possible. I then added straps using the same twill tape.  The boning is 5mm plastic whalebone. I drew the boning channels at ~1cm wide.  This fits reasonably well! It's a little big at the very top of the bust, bust the front closes entirely with a ~2" gap in the back (as designed). But the lacing in the bac...

 made May 2-5, 2021 based on Sharon Ann Burnston's pattern from an extant held by Atwater Kent Museum Friends Historical Association Collection (https://web.archive.org/web/20161105102340/http://www.sharonburnston.com/quiltedwaistcoat.html#winning) my changes: did not do peplum, added about an inch of seam allowance, eyelets and a cord instead of ties, diamond quilting pattern, reversible 2 fabrics: 2 layers of leaf-print cotton flannel sheet (last used on knife pleated petticoat back in early 2020 https://sewingthroughtheyears.blogspot.com/2020/01/2-pleated-skirts.html), and 1 layer of gray geometric print cotton flannel leftovers from the two corsets I made in the corset class in 2018 (https://sewingthroughtheyears.blogspot.com/2019/09/corsets-via-class.html) 7 eyelets on one side and 8 on the other (so i can spiral lace)

Started around January 24, 2020 and finally finished (after a long break) on January 29, 2021 The pattern is via  https://kleidungum1800.blogspot.com/2014/05/short-stays-studies-schnurleib-studien.html I originally used 2 layers of muslin, but it was too light/stretchy so I bought some cotton twill (not a true twill weave, rather a tabby weave, but works well enough) and so added 1 layer of cotton 'twill' on the outside for further structure.  used  https://foundationsrevealed.com/index-of-articles/corsetry/corsetmaking/107-wrinkle-free-insertion-of-bust-gores-and-gussets-by-laura-loft   to put in bust gores. worked well I ran a strip of 1 1/2" cotton twill tape down the inside front for added support & down the outside front for a busk casing. I bound the entire stays in twill tape as well. The side seams were covered with 1/2" twill tape on inside and outside for added support. I don't know why, whether it's my/my proportions, if I messed up drafting ...

I took a 1-week intensive class at the beginning of the summer (June-ish) of 2018 and sewed 2 corsets utilizing 2 different modern commercial patterns - Simplicity 8129 and Simplicity 1345. S8129 is an underbust corset with 4 views while S1345 is an overbust corset with 5 views, blue and black/gold respectively. I don't know how the instructions are in these two patterns as I followed the teacher's instructions and never looked at the provided instructions. The teacher provided the interlining, the grommets and the tools to set the grommets, the steel-ring boning, the sewing machines, and advice/instructions. We brought our own inner and outer fabric, bias binding, and lacing. Neither corset does much in the way of shaping, though both are relatively comfortable to wear. I haven't worn the black (overbust) one as much as the blue one. The blue (underbust) one does lift my bust a bit. What I learned: refresher on machine and hand sewing (finishing the bias binding),...