Regency sewing - it was tidy for 10 minutes.: The bunny

Saturday 24 August 2013

The bunny - sitting dress.

The unbearable smugness of being.

Actually made it, and to deadline, the inside is as neat as the outside, all hand sewn! - a simple day dress of fine poplin, back closure with hooks and eyes plus top button, gathers to the front bodice with drawstring fitting, plain sleeves gathered to the shoulder. Bodice lined with fine white cotton (left over sheeting!)

Just one or two flies in the ointment: not having black thread to attach the top button, not sure about the trim for the hem. I have enjoyed working with the fabric, it is light, quite densely woven and behaves like a gentleman. It makes working the purple velvet for the spencer an act of misguided inspiration. How it didn't bend or flex, the pain of the bulky seams are only slowly fading from the memory. Or perhaps not. I haven't started sorting that one out as you will see.

Working this fabric to fit Gwendoline has been easier, I cut quite generously and each stage it was fitted, adjusted and then marked up. Gwen was lacking in the giving of feedback so marking her where each seam lay and gather should be as well as on the fabric helped considerably. I give thanks and praise to the disappearing marker pen. The sewing is still improving, doing more edge stitching has encouraged more even and accurate stitches, the blood and tears don't show but if I am to get close to the extant garments, practice is still needed.

The dress was again to complement one of the spencers, not a stand alone piece, so embellishment is not essential, the bodice will be covered. I like the idea of the hem trim but it doesn't work well with the spencer, starts looking like a nightie. It shortens the proportions rather than lengthening.

One of the original questions was whether Gwen could look like a Regency girl. Conclusion has to be – no. She has a long low waist, no real definition to the boobs and wide shoulders. While these are very human problems we have recourse to substantial underwear but poor Gwen has no squidgy bits. It is most obvious with the spencer – the extra emphasis on the shoulders makes her totally top heavy, more like a bouncer- sorry, door attendant,- than a svelte youthful lady. The slope from bust to waist is too gentle. The Empire line emphasises the difference between bust and ribcage, hers just isn't there. The narrow hips and shapely bum look great but don't help to balance the shoulders.

Things to try, a bum pad to lift out the back of the skirt, more A line shaping rather than straight column from the waist and maybe lengthen the skirt to give her lower half more bulk. Also stick to light weight fabric for the spencers. The pattern pieces were the same for both garments but the results are very different. The shoulder seam on the spencer is too high and interferes with the shoulder line but worked sweetly on the dress. The back seams also need adjusting, I might try moving the side seam back or creating a side back panel. The narrower back might help to draw attention to the centre rather than the breadth. Also should pad the sleeves out before photo-ing - they do look very stringy.

One of the great things about this week away from home has been exploring a new area with a fabric head on. New selections, new ideas, new possibilities. I have succumbed a little, some two tone acetate that I might try to pretend is silk and have a go at one of the really fancy pelisses. One problem is not having brought a lot of kit or supplies with me, so repeat excursions to the city centre haberdasheries on the bike have been required. While I try not to hold grudges, the dress has cost about 15 miles and counting. (but also had some lovely squishy fresh dates from the market stall next to the haberdash) Must admit the rabbits have not taken much interest in the project and the cats.... well, one has shown far too much, usually when after more food. Guess which?