In a message dated 10/7/2005 7:49:21 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
I just have no idea how to assemble clothing from this era without it looking like a bad home ec project. ************************* Oh c'mon! I'm sure your skills are more then adequate. The way I was taught: One thing is, you have to trace all sewing lines and not rely on even seam allowances like a commercial pattern. Indeed, if the bodice is flat lined, as they usually are, the best way is to trace on the flat lining, and then hand baste the lining to the fashion fabric while each piece is flat on a table [FLAT lining after all] right on [or just outside] the traced sewing lines. This way you can see the sewing lines on both sides of each pattern piece. [If the fabric was thick, we would baste right on the traced lines, and sew just to the outside of them...to make up for the thickness of the layers of fabric.] You then line pieces up by sticking a pin through the two pieces being sewn together to line them up. Then using ANOTHER pin to pin it in place before you take out the pin you used to line it up. Lots of balance marks help. The other non-modern thing is you must set sleeves into the armseye. None of this sewing the sleeve seams and underarm seam at the same time stuff. Again using the line-up-with-a-pin method and matching seams if they match and lots of balance marks. My friend who used to work with me on period movies would hand bast in sleeves after pinning if they were difficult, like Gigot or leg o' mutton sleeves, before sewing them in by machine....but you don't NEED to do this. All this basting is of course pulled out later. And of course clipping the allowance of curved seams so they will lay flat when pressed open is a must. I once saw a pair of 1890s bodices obviously made by the same TOC seamstress. The insides were beautiful. The curved seams of the 6 piece backs were scalloped....not just clipped...like they were clipped every inch or so and the right angles of the clipped seam allowance cut off in curves. Then pressed open. Then the raw scalloped edges were bound in narrow magenta seam binding. THEN a bone, covered in brown glazed cotton, was cross stitched down the center of each seam, to the seam allowance, with magenta thread. All those scalloped and bound and boned seams converging to about an inch apart at the waist was a thing of beauty! The front was just 2 pieces [as usual] with 2 darts on each side of CF under the bust, again with boning cross stitch down each dart that was clipped just once at the waist. This is the way to do it. Time consuming? A bit. But, y'know....if you're gonna do it anyway..... _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
