Yaaaaaay’

I am in the midst of it. Less than an hour? Nope. Fits? Enough for a pre-muslin.

Funnily enough, that's exactly what I'm doing right now. I have some late Victorian inspired dresses I made myself and which I've worn for years already and love them, but living in a village I sometimes feel a little overdressed. However, I'm so sick and tired of having to shop for something I both like and that fits me decently enough - and which often is lacking in quality anyway, that I'm no longer willing to invest in this kind of nonsense, so for me, this is the way to go. I recently bought some nice lightweight woollen cloth and as soon as my mockup is done, the actual adventure can begin. That's why I'm watching this again, I still need to draft the sleeves, everything else is ready to be transferred onto paper again. Whoohoo! Have fun sewing. :)

@@nicoleroth3127 may the odds be ever in your favor! I've learned I don't care if I feel too dressed up. I just point out to people that you, in fact, can wear a dress for a normal day rather than pants.

@@penelope-oe2vr Thank you! And I completely agree with your statement. Glad to say, that in this instance it had little to do with what others thought (they likely think me completely bonkers anyway, but 'normal' just isn't for me, so hey), but with how I felt (there are days when I love looking and feeling like a lady, but others where I wanted something that felt less formal without the need to resort to modern clothes) and what was more practical on an everyday basis, for example, to work in the garden. Since I love both styles equally, it wasn't a compromise either, and I still do both styles. It was just that I hadn't enough knowledge before to make something decent and fairly authentic when it came to medieval clothing (especially pattern drafting, which is something I'm fairly new to) but aside from hanging around on KZfaq, I did quite a bit of research since. I mean, around where I live, there are a few medieval markets once a year, but they are very heavy on the fantasy side and cannot be taken too seriously. What you can buy there garment wise, would make every fashion historian cringe big time, however, for a long time, that was all I knew (that and that it had nothing to do with reality). Not that I'm going for 100% accuracy, seeing that for summer I took the liberty of making two more kirtles from linen, nor do I cover my hair despite being married, but I didn't want any of those very loose interpretations (to put nicely). Have a wonderful week and stay safe. And again thank you for your very wise words.

Awesome! I hope you have lots of fun! Definitely go to a camping event if you can, sitting around the fire making friends is the best :D

@@MorganDonner I believe it! I worked at a Renaissance faire in high school and loved the immersion into an old culture. The after-closure jamming sessions, where everyone who had an instrument would get together and play, were the best part of the day.

With the increased work from home and overall unemployment, I honestly think we as a general population should start building smaller "villages" inside our larger cities, and compared to modern gang styles historic styles make it easy to identify "friends".

This is exactly why I am rewatching this today. How did you like them?

I didn’t think I’d ever relate to a comment so much! I’m working on this in my sister’s apartment since she has more desk space compared to my dorm, but the downside (or upside?) is that she has 2 free roaming little rabbits

Oh, a lapel mic! That sounds perfect, I'll see what I can find!

Yay, thank you! I'm looking forward to sharing the finished dress!

If you have a large bust, then I'd recommend doing your measurements, or if draping, your first drape with a good supportive bra, but something more in the sports bra style if you have it, rather than anything pointy or with hard cups. For this style of dress, your bust tends to get pushed together, so you might as well start with that shape. And as you say, any subsequent mock-ups should be without any under-support that you don't intend to wear with the final dress. Some ladies prefer to wear their modern bras under their dress - -whatever floats your boat!

@@MorganDonner with large busts and non narrow necklines the lengburg bra would be historically acurate

@@MorganDonner What about an underwired, non-padded bra? Will that work? I'm looking to get into making clothes again and I feel really inspired to make historical garments.

@@mangalover0149 I would honestly suggest looking into making a early stay or corset as one of your first projects. They are much more support than modern bras.

@@leechowning2712 Thank you! I have a pattern for some stays, but I think I might find another one since it's the simplicity American Duchess one. I've heard that it turns out short waisted. Do you know of any patterns I could use?

You are very welcome! I am not very professional, but hopefully this video helps at least a little bit!

Excellent! Thank you so much!

Let me know if you’d like the photos 😁

You are very welcome!! I'll be posting a draping video for this same style of dress soon, be sure to check it out :D

Looking forward to it! I just stumbled across your channel today (sometimes the algorithm gets it right) and have enjoyed everything I've watched so far. Keep up the great work!

Sometimes I buy sheets or sturdy curtains at the thrift store for exactly that reason!

I buy seconds and damaged fabric at a discount from my local fabric store.

Don't use good fabric for mockups! Go buy the ugly discount fabric or use your cabbage from other projects!

And don't forget if your mock up is of something large (like a dress) you can most certainly repurpose that fabric for more mock ups later!

Or, perhaps, if the mockup needs few alterations, use it to go history bounding! I have some quilting cotton which has a lovely print, useful for 19th C. Except, I'm not volunteering anymore, as I'm not able to drive. So, I'll use it as a mockup for my kyrtle & do my best to fit it properly. Then, I will be able to have a pretty winter dress.

The wimple is a circular piece of silk fabric, folded along the bias and wrapped around my face :D Very easy, and great for using as a veil too!

Have you perhaps figured out a solution yourself? :o I am having the same problem with creases around the bust.

I typically use 3/8ths of an inch, or half an inch. If I encounter a spot where I'd like a smaller allowance (like a deep curve) then I trim it after sewing. I don't often sew gathered sleeves, so I don't usually worry about treating those seam allowances differently. Sorry, I hope that helped!

Hey Kevin! Thank you for your compliment! I typically buy my pattern paper at Home Depot or some other home repair store, I think it's often called butcher paper? I have a link at the bottom of the description box for a similar product on Amazon, although my paper is a little bit wider at 35 in vs Amazon's 30 inch wide. One roll will typically last me several years!

The brown paper I use is from hardware stores, search for 'Builder's paper'. I find that it's very thick, like construction paper, and is the same on both sides. Mostly smooth, like normal computer paper.

I do typically finish all my lacing holes by hand, although I tend to do very quick, minimal eyelets, nothing fancy! The lacing method is called 'spiral lacing', if you search for it online, there should be a few different blogs that cover the why and how of it! :D

To actually make cord you can use a lucet ! As far as I know it's period accurate and from personal experience, really easy to use!

You are welcome! And yep, that is exactly right about the gores. If you have two bias seams meeting, then they will stretch over time, so it's recommended to pair a bias edge with a straight grain edge!

@@MorganDonner thank you for your reply, i can't wait to try out your tutorials! :)

I'm here for this as well. It's SO. DAMN. HOT. I love wearing the layers but way more often do I need to worry about not getting heatstroke even with only 2 layers of linen....!

Sartor (www.sartor.cz/44-historical-textiles) is some of the best historical silk brocade around! It's also quite pricey, but it truly is lovely if you can afford it. I have had to use whatever I can find in my local fabric stores, sometimes I lucked out with something that's at least reminiscent of historical designs.

Do you only use apparel fabric, or is upholstery fabric an okay substitute?

Bernadette Banner is another sewing channel I watch and she has scoliosis and she mentioned in several of her videos that she has to adjust all her fitted Victorian creations to it, to the point that it doesn't fit on her dress form after she's adjusted. I'm not sure if she directly discusses how she accounts for her asymmetry, I haven't watched all her videos yet.

If drafting out a pattern is just not treating you kindly, then I suggest draping a pattern instead! I am 95% done editing a video on exactly that, it should be out in a few days. If I am helping someone make a pattern, I highly prefer to drape directly on their bodies, but I recognize that not everyone has a sewing buddy available, so I put the drafting video out first!

Have you made a duct tape pattern of your body before? That might help

Muslin would work enough to at least get you in the ballpark. It won't act exactly the same, but it will be close enough. If you are concerned about sturdiness, but really want to use the muslin, you could try flat lining two layers of muslin together and using that for a bit more structure.

What do you mean with lacing lay flat? What exactly happens with your lacing? Does it create little folds perpendicular to the slit? Maybe a thicker fabric or a piece of interfacing and/or lining on the inside of the part with the lacing holes would prevent that.

I have been trying to figure out the same thing. It seems like some amount of that is unavoidable, but it would be nice if it was flatter. I don't know for sure, but I wonder if making extra space for the bust at the side seam rather than the center front would help. Then the center front pieces wouldn't have such a strong curve and would have an easier time laying flat. Princess seams might be another good option.

If the drafting seems weird, then I would grab a friend and try the draping style instead: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rrV6o7F0qr61XWg.html I have seen very shapely ladies have a lot of success with that method!

First try to pull up the shoulders tighter, that often reduces the wrinkles for me, and also make a second mock up with an interlining included, as the properties of the fabric may behave a little bit differently then.

I always have a bit of a wrinkle under the bust, but if it bothers you, I'd keep trying until you are happy with the result!

@@MorganDonner just out of curiosity how many yards of fabric did you use? i have about 5 7/8 yards of one and 2 of another. the main yardage is only 45 inches wide though, but the second is 60. do i have enough?

So the undergarment would likely be a Camicia- Something similar to a chemise. And I would use this draft, ending a bit above the waist- Maybe half way between the waist and the underbust. The skirt I would just do a gathered dirndle. Only adding triangular gores if you make a skirt with a train, otherwise I'd just gather two rectangles. The sleeves will be a bit different, and I'd suggest looking up extant art and doing a lot of research on Gamurra style gowns.

Yes, you should include the undergarments when measuring and trying on the mockups (if you can!)