| One tip given to me by a tailor friend, sadly no longer with us. When decorating unconfined breeches with ribbons and metal points, leave a gap of 2-4 inches on the inside leg. The gap will not be very noticeable but the wearer will be able to walk without the points getting tangled up. Like many tips it is obvious after you have been told. | |
| I rarely tack but do use long pins (1" inch) when sewing. If I
want to hold pieces of fabric together during sewing I pin at
90ø to the fabric edge, so that I can easily sew over them - be
careful & do expect some broken machine needles when using this
technique.
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| In the 17th Century small slashes were made by sizing the back
of silk satin often by painting the fabric with gum arabic.
Allowing it to dry. Then stretching fabric tight and stamping
the pattern with a sharp metal shape , not unlike a small
printing block. I have not tried this but I doubt if it would work on thick woollen fabric. |
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| When fitting stays remember that the lady's bustline will be
different to her 20th century shape. A rough guideline is to take 2 inches off her normal bust measurement to compensate. For more advice on fitting stays I suggest reading "Period Costume for Stage and Screen" by Jean Hunnisett. Also see try my article on Making Stays. |
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| Using 2 separate needles stitch along the folded portion
approximately 1 inch stitches 1 inch apart. Gather the stitches
together, i.e.. Pull the threads, and arrange neatly to match
the size of the waistband. Catch stitch the gathers onto the
waistband, right sides together. This means the sides of the
fabric which will be seen on the outside of the finished skirt. When using this method of pleating I strongly recommend leaving a gap in pleating over your tummy otherwise you will be asked delicate questions about pregnancy ! |
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Bought by the yard or metre, can be difficult to cut. Use
ridgeline endcaps to cover cut ends Very firm boning.
To sew use 2 layers of fabric e.g.. cotton calico, sew channels
and slot boning in place. Interlining, the layers of fabric
inside the outer fabric and lining holding the boning, needs to
be cut slightly smaller than outer fabric and lining.
Plastic Boning:
Brand name ridgeline. Bought by the yard or metre. Easy to cut with dressmaking scissors. Cover ends with ridgeline endcaps or melt ends over a flame - in a well ventilated room (Be careful). Can be sewn directly onto inside of lining fabric or onto interlining.
Bamboo Barbecue Skewers:
Approximately 12 inches long, Can be cut with a sharp knife, be
careful. Like steel boning use 2 layers of interlining fabric
and sew channels to slot bamboo in.
These are useful to give a very firm edge centre front or centre
back between edge and lacing holes.
If you have a bodice which has no boning you can bone pieces of
calico and attach the boned calico to the inside of the bodice
to produce a neat finish.
| 17th Century doublets were often stiffened with buckrum. The
collar and belly pieces were stiffened. You can also use iron on interlining down the centre front of the doublet and in the tabs to produce a very professional finish - do this as well as using buckrum for stand-up collar and belly pieces - not instead of (or the authentic crowd will lynch me!) |
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