Last post left off with me making the pattern to fit my dress form perfectly. While the form is close to Lily’s measurements, aseach body is just so different even when the measurements are similar. One size never fits all! I wish. Here are the results of our first fitting…
I knew the bodice was going to be long. It was about an inch too long so I pinched out the length at around the belly button level. I also had to take in the princess seams. I measured those adjustments, traced the bodice pattern and made the changes to Lily’s pattern which I’m keeping for future projects for her. I think I’m past the age of wearing strapless party dresses! But I’m glad to experiment on her. I made sure to stay stitch the top and bottom to keep it from stretching out.
The patterns I shortened are next to the original pattern pieces. I cut into the pattern horizontally and overlapped it to shorten it. I also took in the princess seams. Since those changes were pretty major, I made another muslin. I have some silk twill I bought for pennies at an estate sale. I know it’s kind of fancy for a muslin but I have no idea what I would use it for otherwise. Maybe a middle ages tunic for a play.
This next muslin is a lot better. I added some boning to it and that helps to see the fit better. I just needed to take the seams in a little more so I made those changes on my pattern, too.Now the fit is good! I’m going to sew boning into the seams and use this part as the inner structure of the bustier.
This is the silk I’m using on the inside. I love how it has the same color of the lace running through it. I bought it years ago and am glad to finally find a reason to use it! The lace is from The Fabric Store in Hollywood.
To see the finished result visit this post.
While I know how to flat pattern, draping is something I am just learning to do. I am finding this series really interesting. Thank you for sharing.
Coutil is a type of fabric commonly used in making corsets, I have never seen the word used to describe a finished process, though I certainly am not the final authority on this. Since I have to wait to see what you do with it, I can’t say for sure, but I think you are making an underlining, which is a really smart move since then the boning doesn’t show up in the fashion fabric.
When my daughter was a teen she would have gone nuts over your fabric choices.
thanks for the clarification. i thought it was the name for the inner bustier part. I’d love to see what this coutil looks like in person. I’m taking a corset class at the Costume College convention this summer.