Finished 18th c. corset and chemise

Made from an old couch cover and other scraps, and reed boning, which is very light. It's very comfortable, maybe too much so. I wish I could lace it tighter. For the chemise, I used real silk organza for the neck ruffle. :D

On the cutting table: 18th c. corset and gown

So I've been working on a "big" sewing project, little by little, when I can find time, and its just something I've been wanting to do for a while. I finally have most of the materials I need together, and I've been trying to use as much from my stash as possible. It is basically an historical costume, but with a little fantasy thrown in.

I am almost finished with the corset:


For being a Simplicity pattern this is actually historically very accurate. I have a collection of historical corset patterns, and just decided to try this one because its relatively simple: has the least number of pieces and was easy to adjust for a large bust. Some of the other patterns I have from this period are dauntingly complicated. I might use the chemise pattern here, too, but I'm not doing these panniers. I have my own pattern for those, which I drafted from one of my historical costume books.

And for the gown, I have a bunch of patterns to choose from there as well, but I think I'm going to go with this one:


I have a felt hat blank waiting in the wings for this project, and I have the most awesome pair of Jon Fluevog shoes...will post photos soon, I promise!