The "Wench" Top -- construction pics!

Ooh, look'it what I found!  In-progress pics of the construction of the "wench" top!  How fun!  Well, you've already seen the result of the alterations, but read on to see how I did the alterations on the bridal bodice. 

MAKING THE HIGH BUST

Here's the original bodice.  I have already taken off the poofy sleeves (which became my own bustier later!) and pinned on some lacy straps from a different gown.  See the line of pins on the left side?  They go from the front of the armpit, over the apex of the bust, to the center front (marked with a red pin).  The apex of the bust is the area of the most fullness, around the middle. 

And here I've cut the bust-holes out, leaving some seam allowance... in other words, I didn't cut exactly on the pinned line, I cut to the side of it.  The pinned line will eventually be the fold line, so it'll be the finished edge of the bust. 

Now why, you might ask, did I cut the holes for the bust so high, starting at the apex of the bust?  Because Eryn and I wanted a historical look, so we wanted to create a high "shelf" for the bosom to sit on, mimicking the look of stays. 

Here are the trimmed foam cups, covered with gold brocade fabric, pinned into place in the holes I just made!  I hand-stitched the brocade on, but machine-sewed the cups into place in the bodice. 

THE BONING

The boning was easy to insert, since the princess seams of the original bodice were already there and perfectly placed.  Think of the bones as stilts that hold the bosom up and the pointed bottom down.  They keep the bodice from wrinkling at the waist.  To insert them, I simply sewed the seam allowance from the front two seams down, making two channels.  Then I slid the spring steel bones into the channels, and sewed them shut at the bottom and top.  Easy!  And to be honest, the bones made the biggest difference in the perceived quality of the finished costume: they are so simple to add, but have you ever seen them in a commercially made Hallowe'en costume?  It's the little details that take any outfit to the next level. 

Sewing the boning channel

Inserting the bone.

And here's a reminder of what the finished bodice looked like after all this tomfoolery:

Elizabethan vampire? Fun!