That's similar to what I have to do with my ItalianRen dresses that are made of linen. I scootch up to a friend and get them to help me tighten the bodice lacing (I can't reach). Doesn't do much for the "drop" I've experienced with the skirt, though, the times I've worn them in the summer, and gotten them damp or wet, and had the skirt "grow" several inches....;o) --Sue ----- Original Message ----- From: "Suzi Clarke" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Historical Costume" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 8:06 AM Subject: Re: [h-cost] 18th century breeches question
> At 15:00 01/11/2005, you wrote: > >I'm looking for some basic suggestions. I have a really great pair > >of what look like 18th century breeches - I say "look like" since > >there are some minor details that were left out in the construction > >(like pockets). When my wife made them, she made them from a nice > >heavy linen, and they fit great. They do all the shifting and such > >needed so I can squat and sit comfortably and even wrap my knees > >behind my head without them binding (assuming I could actually *get* > >my knees behind my head...) My problem is that as the linen warms > >up, it loosesn up a bit, and I can't tie them tightly enough to > >actually stay on (which can be somewhat embarassing). > > > >I'm assuming that something needs to be done to the waistband area > >to keep them up, but what? I may have to go with the suspenders > >idea, which is possible for that period, but I'd like to resove the > >problem really since I don't know what late 19th century suspenders look like. > > > Can you split the back seam about 6", fold it back to make the > opening a little wider, then add lacing? This is contemporary with > 18th century breeches, and can be seen in several original pairs that > I have had the opportunity to look at. I do it with all my 18th > century breeches as it allows for both "fat" and "thin" days. > > Suzi > (who's just making two such pairs of breeches.) _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
