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1880's Basque - Construction (part two)

8/31/2020

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* Karen opens door.  It creaks, and a bit of dust swirls around her feet.  Karen peeks in. *

I haven't been here in a while.  2020 has been an interesting year for everyone.  When the USA went under stay-at-home orders to try to stem the spread of Coronavirus, I spent a few months at home, sewing and relaxing and getting a much needed vacation.  I blogged a bit, then, since I had new projects to share.  But then I got a new job, and though I've been sewing, I haven't been blogging about it.  There are two reasons for that. 

My silence can be partly explained by my increasing sewing skill.  There was a time when I could make a whole blog post about a hem, but now I barely take pictures, and I find the write-up boring.  When I was a beginner, I found plenty to interest me in talking about the basics.  Now I'm more intermediate, I do the basics without thinking, and so I need to rethink how I approach my project diaries.  For instance, I've really enjoyed sewing new shirts for my brother and sister, but not blogging about them.  I've really enjoyed blogging about the Basque project because it's new territory, and I've got a lot to learn and a lot to say. 

Another reason for my silence here is that there's so much going on in my world, my mind, and my heart that I can't focus to write.  I feel like I'm swept away in deep water, and I need to keep my nose above the swells.  Later, when the waters shallow out, I can perhaps write about the parts of the experience that make sense to me.  (Or maybe, as my sister reminds me when I'm months overdue in replying to her letters, I need to just write something and let go of the need to encapsulate my whole life experience in one place!  The word "essay" means "attempt" or "trial", not "success" or "perfection", after all!)

BACK TO THE BASQUE

Anyway, here I am again, to update the Victorian Basque project.  To recap: I have a cool antique bodice, circa 1880's; I copied the pattern by drafting and by draping.  Assembly being complicated, I broke it down into six steps:
  1. cut out fabric pieces
  2. make trim
  3. make sleeves
  4. sew bodice together
  5. finish bodice Seam Allowances and add boning
  6. attach sleeves to bodice
I blogged last time about the first three steps.  This post will detail steps four through six. 

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1880's Basque - Construction (part one)

5/28/2020

1 Comment

 
So to recap: I have a cool antique bodice, circa 1880's; I copied the pattern by drafting and by draping.  Now I'm ready to sew! 
Picture
Finished pattern, sans hem facing, collar, capelet, and trim. The dotted line crossing the bodice pieces is the waistline.
Since the project is complex, (I took over a hundred photos), I'll streamline the blogging of it by going topically and splitting it into a few posts.  The order of construction is as follows (with much stopping, pinning to the dressform, drinking tea, and so on):
  1. cut out fabric pieces
  2. make trim
  3. make sleeves
  4. sew bodice together
  5. finish bodice Seam Allowances and add boning
  6. attach sleeves to bodice
This post will be the first three steps.  The next three steps will be a later post.

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1880's Basque - Sleeve Pattern

5/20/2020

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It took me about two days to develop a pattern for the bodice of this basque.  I wanted it to have the style lines of the reference piece, but to fit my modern, uncorseted body.  (Corsets are cool and all, but I'm working on my posture and don't want to wear something daily that replaces back muscles.)  Today, I pattern sleeves.
As before, I look at the Burda 7880 pattern and my sloper, just to see what normal sleeves look like.  As these are not a good base for the historical sleeve, I must drape.  

As before, I have standardized my vocab for clarity in this post: the extant bodice from the 1880's is the reference garment or reference, and what I'm making with it is the new pattern​.  
Picture

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1880's Basque - Bodice Pattern

5/18/2020

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Picture
Remember this antique basque bodice, which I have been wanting to copy?  Today, I'll talk about getting a pattern for it. 

My interest in the project is in improving my patterning skills, practicing historical construction techniques, and making myself a Victorian-style top for everyday wear.  My biggest challenge, I predict, will be the sleeves. 

I'm not attempting an exact replica.  For one thing, I don't have the right fabrics (silk taffeta and silk burnout velvet), and for another, burgundy is NOT my color!  But I do want the pattern as accurate as practical. 


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1880's Basque Bodice

5/7/2020

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Picture
Today I am exhibiting a long-buried treasure... long-buried in a drawer, that is.  It's an extant bodice from the late Victorian era, in poor condition, but useful for study and delightful merely by its existence!  It was given to me by my aunt, who shares my interest in historical clothing.  The garment is a basque (rhymes with "mask"), which is a fitted bodice that extends down over the hips, covering a little of the top of the skirt. 

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    Karen Roy

    Quilting, dressmaking, and history plied with the needle...

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