This pattern went together easily. The only sticking area was when reading how to put the cuffs on the sleeves; however, when pinning and folding the instructions made sense. If you have already made the JP Ryan Stays, you can use your adjustments from the Stays pattern in making up this garment. In my case, I removed 1.5 inches at the marked shorten line on the pattern. The sleeves are a bit snug. That may be do to my body rather than the pattern; I do have rather thick arms. With the second wearing, the fabric stretched and the Caraco now fits perfectly. I may take a bit off the sides where the stomacher is attached as I ended up with the appearance of a very small stomacher. I have not yet made up the petticoat or the sleeve flounces so I am not sure how they go together.
Rated 4 out of 5
Rowenna Miller –
I found that this is a simple pattern to use. It was one of my first eighteenth-century projects, and I’ve made it several times since. Modern construction techniques are used in her instructions, which are pretty clear. The only tricky bits – you need to know how to sew a box pleat. This is very simple to understand on the back center pleat but a bit trickier on the sides. Also, I’ve found that the stomacher does not attach quite nicely following the instructions – I left the center front open and turned the edges over the stomacher and topstitched it (more like setting sleeves than joining pattern pieces, if that makes sense).
I’ve a longish waist, but the piece fits without much modification. Short waisted ladies may need to adjust. Also, I’ve found the sleeves to be rather tight – you may want to test this on a muslin before working on the final piece. I’ve also found that I make the bodice too big every time, but fortunately the stomacher allows for easy adjustment. You just end up with a kind of dinky stomacher. I kept the front adjustable for weight gain/loss by eschewing the hooks and eyes and using pins to close the garment on my most recent one.
You will, as her instructions indicate, need eighteenth-century underpinnings to achieve the desired effect. I found that I did not need boning in the center front closure on any fabrics I used, from heavy brocade to silk taffeta to lightweight cotton.
Wendy Moyer –
This pattern went together easily. The only sticking area was when reading how to put the cuffs on the sleeves; however, when pinning and folding the instructions made sense. If you have already made the JP Ryan Stays, you can use your adjustments from the Stays pattern in making up this garment. In my case, I removed 1.5 inches at the marked shorten line on the pattern. The sleeves are a bit snug. That may be do to my body rather than the pattern; I do have rather thick arms. With the second wearing, the fabric stretched and the Caraco now fits perfectly. I may take a bit off the sides where the stomacher is attached as I ended up with the appearance of a very small stomacher. I have not yet made up the petticoat or the sleeve flounces so I am not sure how they go together.
Rowenna Miller –
I found that this is a simple pattern to use. It was one of my first eighteenth-century projects, and I’ve made it several times since. Modern construction techniques are used in her instructions, which are pretty clear. The only tricky bits – you need to know how to sew a box pleat. This is very simple to understand on the back center pleat but a bit trickier on the sides. Also, I’ve found that the stomacher does not attach quite nicely following the instructions – I left the center front open and turned the edges over the stomacher and topstitched it (more like setting sleeves than joining pattern pieces, if that makes sense).
I’ve a longish waist, but the piece fits without much modification. Short waisted ladies may need to adjust. Also, I’ve found the sleeves to be rather tight – you may want to test this on a muslin before working on the final piece. I’ve also found that I make the bodice too big every time, but fortunately the stomacher allows for easy adjustment. You just end up with a kind of dinky stomacher. I kept the front adjustable for weight gain/loss by eschewing the hooks and eyes and using pins to close the garment on my most recent one.
You will, as her instructions indicate, need eighteenth-century underpinnings to achieve the desired effect. I found that I did not need boning in the center front closure on any fabrics I used, from heavy brocade to silk taffeta to lightweight cotton.