Put Together (halfway!)

Okay so this is where I'm at! I haven't gotten chording to make my piping with yet, but I'm working on everything else and the sleeves are put in temporarily. Well one sleeve is!

As I'm sure you're getting used to hearing! I need to work on the darts a little bit! haha xD But I'm really pleased with how this is going! I'm having so much fun! I almost freaked out this morning when I cut my panels too long and then thought I didn't have enough material to make a third panel! But then I found out that if I made my panels the right length, I did have enough material, so this is three panels and I'm REALLY glad I decided to do three!

Enjoy and don't forget to check out my custom work at Bespoke By Ruth

God Bless!

Progress

I know I really should have posted this yesterday morning, because this is what I did the day before yesterday! lol But anyhow, better late than never... I've cut out the bodice, basted it together, cut out the sleeves, basted them together, pleated, and set them in the armscye (basted), and basted in the closure. Here's some pics of how I've been doing it! xD

This is the sleeve being cut out. Those colorful object in the top right are scraps of material.

Oops! I didn't have it sitting right there!

Here's the front. You can't see it in the picture, but in person, the top of the dart has white thread showing. I wonder how to fix that?

Here we are. Now the back's sitting right!

Well, how am I doing? I got the grey thread from Hancock's yesterday and so now I can hem my skirt and pleat it and then I'll have to find some sort of cotton twine or string and make piping! *sigh* So much to do but I think I can do it by next Tuesday at least. That is, if I can find something to make piping out of. If I wasn't doing piping I think I could finish it in another day... probably today actually! Well, hope you enjoy my post and don't forget to take a look at my custom clothing site at:  Bespoke By Ruth

ITS A .... WOOL!

My wool's here! I am SOOOO excited! Here are some pictures of how BEAUTIFUL it is!

Isn't it just beautiful?

Look at the shine!

There are just miles and miles of it! (well, at least, it sort of seems that way lol) I'm so scared to cut into it! O.O I might mess up! But anyhow, I'll be posting pictures of my progress with my wool... It might only take me like 2 days, but I'll be sure to post pictures of how I made it! 

Enjoy!



Don't forget to check out my website. bespokebyruth.weebly.com Maybe you've got a friend or family member that would really enjoy a period correct dress? ;D

Reflections on a Wool Dress (aka I've been planning before my wool gets here!)

Alright, so in case you've got some of the same questions I had, here's a list of the questions I asked on The Sewing Academy


                                            Reflections on a Wool Dress (LOL)


I've got LOTS of questions before I cut into my wool!    I'm going to number them to keep them organized!  

I've never done piping before, so I'll start with the piping questions.   


A. Piping Questions:

    1. How should I make my piping? I know that I use the same fabric that I'm making my dress out of, but what goes inside? Can I use hemp?

    2. What should be piped? Can the fashion darts in the back be piped?

    3. How do I determine how long to make my piping? Just measure what I'm going to pipe?

    4. Finally, I am right in assuming that I sew the piping on by using the side that has the seam in it to go on the inside of the dress, right?   Or am I nutty?

    5. I should pipe the waistline, correct?


Okay. Piping questions are over with. Now for the "before cutting your material" blahblah!  


B. Pre-cutting Questions:

    1. Should I preshrink wool? I don't know if I've heard of this being done. If I'm supposed to, how should I do it?

    2. How much seam allowance should I leave?

    3. How Deep should I calculate for my hem?

    4. Is there a way to make absolutely certain my neckline from the front and back will match up right when I sew them together? 


Alright, that's it for pre-cutting. Now for assembly!  


C. Assembly Questions:

    1. Should I bone the darts in front? I've heard of this being done...

    2. Should I make 'french seams' or whatever they're called? (the kind of seam where you sew it right side out and then inside out)

    3. Can I sew the neckline of the fashion material inside out to the lining and pipe it? Is this a proper neckline treatment?

    4. For the cuffs I have a bit of a problem... Every time I hem something that is curved, I have to make small pinches on the inside while I hem.... Is there a way to fix this?

    5. Is a cotton (sheet material) lining alright? Or should I use something a bit different?


There! I think that was the last question! I'm just very scared of messing up on this material... Because I know if I can't find another wool sale, I will be out a wool dress! Besides, I'm hoping on making this one REALLY brag worthy! Like (I hope I'm not aspiring too high) Miss Samantha Bullats', or Mrs. Hollister, or... the list goes on!  

Anyhow, thanks for listening to my problems!   I know, I talk way too much, right?  


And as usual, I got some helpful answers from the lovely members! Unfortunately, for posting here, I will have to put the answers in my own words, as I was mainly supplied with links! I think I should have done a search first... *sigh*



                                           Answers to Reflections on a Wool Dress

A. Piping Questions:

    1. Use cotton kitchen twine.

    2. (I didn't get a direct answer yet, but hopefully will soon.) Armscyes, neckline, waistline, and cuffs should be piped.

    3. Just measure and then make  bit extra even! Just to be sure I have enough.

    4. Yes. Actually though, I think the piping gets left with its raw edge and you sew the piping's raw edge to the fashion fabric's raw edge. In my case, I will be encasing the piping's raw edge in between the fashion fabric and the lining.

    5.Yes, pipe the waistline.


B. Pre-cutting Questions:

    1. Pre-shrink it either by washing and then ironing or steam ironing. Actually, though, before I preshrink the whole thing, I'm going to see if it needs to be done, by washing a swatch of it and letting it dry in the washing machine! I was told that can be done, too, because factory's usually pre-shrink for you. So just test a small swatch to be sure they did! Oh and I can't forget to measure it before I throw it in! :D

    2. Anywhere between 1/8 and 1/2 of an inch, really.

    3. A hemmed facing is usually what was done. So just leave a seam allowance.

    4. This one really wasn't answered, but I think it'll work out anyhow!


C. Assembly Questions:

    1. Yes, bone the darts.

    2. No, just whip-stitch it to keep the edges tidy.

    3. I'm just going to encase the piping.

    4. I'm just going to pipe the cuffs.

    5. Heavier than sheer will work for lining.

That's the answers! xD


Oh, and I was also told that the Dressmaker's Guide is very important to get... but I think I'll make out alright on my own. But I'll just recommend it here, since about every answer someone gets for a question they have, people can point them to the dressmaker's guide. It's only $30, so if you've got that kind of money (which I haven't right now) go ahead and get it, it will be a great help!

Edited to add: I've had to edit this post like four times trying to get everything aligned right!

Sleeve Muslin for My New Wool!

I've been experimenting with sleeve styles for my new wool dress. As I already told you, this is the original I'm basing it off of. I just want it to be there for comparison because I'm really wanting the sleeve from this dress. :)

See the lovely poofiness? 

I think I've got it! xD

Take 4 (two you didn't see!)

Here's another take. I think I FINALLY GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It isn't puckering!!!!!!! Hooray!

Custom Clothing

Hi everybody... I forgot to put this up. It's my new site for custom ordered Civil War clothing. On it you can see examples of my past work. I hope you drop in and buy something! lol

Bespoke by Ruth

If you have friends that need clothing, tell them they can get it here for a reasonable price! There are no set prices. It all depends on what style, what material, and what trims you want used! Enjoy! :D

Another Take

Here's another take on the mockup for the same dress... *sigh* This is so hard and these darts just aren't working!

See the slight pucker? That's what's getting me.

Slight pucker right there. This is driving me insane! LOL

Little sister's dress

So now that I've shared the horrors of sewing... I'm going to brag a little on the dress I sewed for my little sister.

This is a cotton gathered dress. The bodice is on the long side, but little sis loves it anyway! 

Here's the sleeve and shoulder seam. I'll probably be shortening the sleeve and adding a little ruffle.

Here is where the front is gathered to the waistband. That took me like three takes to get it right!

You can't see them very well, but the skirt has two tucks in it and a DEEP hem! 

Here's a picture of the whole thing. I'll be shortening the bodice and the sleeves, and probably adding some trim.

Hope you enjoy looking at my blog! All comments are welcome. :)

Hi

Hi there everyone and welcome to my new blog that's about my little sewing room projects. Warning: Some of these projects can become large! LOL So... to get started:

My name's Ruth. I'm 14 years old and I've been homeschooled my whole life. I love sewing, taking care of horses, dogs, and other animals. I also enjoy playing guitar.... But anyway, here are some pictures from a mock-up of a wool dress I'm going to be making. First though, I would like to show the wool pattern, and the original dress that is my inspiration.

Aren't those sleeves lovely? They have a large cuff that is folded back on them. The detail on her bodice is called 'brettelles'. This dress I believe, is actually made of silk, but I will be doing basically the same thing in wool.

Here's my wool! I'm so excited, as this is the first non-cotton, period correct material I have ever gotten. It's on its way right now!

This is nothing like the original's material, but I'm still doing the same style.

So, that is the inspiration and the material. Here is the trouble I am having with my darts. :( I'm going to be posting these on a forum I am a member on. www.thesewingacademy.org  I will post the results of how to fix these problem I'm having.

See all those wrinkles? I can't figure out how to fix it.

This 'loop' is really irritating me.

Look in the right by the armscye. There's the loop. See, this pic was taken through a mirror, and the one before wasn't! :D

Here's the right side where I tried a different direction for the dart to go in. There's still something wrong. It loops!

Another shot of the right side's loop. This dart is badly place anyway. I'll have to fix it. I've made this mock-up, precisely that way this sort of thing won't happen with the fashion fabric! Am I ever glad I did!

So those are the pictures of what a terrible predicament I'm in! I hope someone can fix it for me! Otherwise I may have to choose a different inspiration! o.o So I hope you enjoy my new blog! xD