As I was making the Bodice in a short amount of time (3-4 evenings) for a person sight unseen, I chose to make the simplest version. I made View A of the bodice, which has a high, closed neckline, the narrow sleeves, and the gored skirting. According to the measurements I was given, the pattern specs said to make a size 22, but I cut all the pieces in size 24 (just in case). The construction of the bodice was fairly straight forward. I did not have too many sticking points. The instructions have only a few illustrations and, as I am a visual learner, I really wished for more — especially when I got to the few problem spots, such as the sleeves and gores. All in all, I was able to assemble the bodice from beginning to end in a few evenings. My only problem with this pattern was the sizing. Admittedly, in an ideal situation I would have made a muslin, had the person try it on, etc, but I was too short on time for that. However, the bodice came out way too small. I’m smaller than the person I made it for and there was still a 3-4″ gap in the front of the bodice when I tried it on. There is a companion pattern discussion list which I would recommend using (I was just too short of time in this case).
The Petticote is very straight forward and easy to make. It is just squares of fabric, cartridge pleated to a waist band, with either a tied or hooked closure (I made the latter). The pattern includes instructions on cartridge pleating.
Mary Bucher –
As I was making the Bodice in a short amount of time (3-4 evenings) for a person sight unseen, I chose to make the simplest version. I made View A of the bodice, which has a high, closed neckline, the narrow sleeves, and the gored skirting. According to the measurements I was given, the pattern specs said to make a size 22, but I cut all the pieces in size 24 (just in case). The construction of the bodice was fairly straight forward. I did not have too many sticking points. The instructions have only a few illustrations and, as I am a visual learner, I really wished for more — especially when I got to the few problem spots, such as the sleeves and gores. All in all, I was able to assemble the bodice from beginning to end in a few evenings. My only problem with this pattern was the sizing. Admittedly, in an ideal situation I would have made a muslin, had the person try it on, etc, but I was too short on time for that. However, the bodice came out way too small. I’m smaller than the person I made it for and there was still a 3-4″ gap in the front of the bodice when I tried it on. There is a companion pattern discussion list which I would recommend using (I was just too short of time in this case).
The Petticote is very straight forward and easy to make. It is just squares of fabric, cartridge pleated to a waist band, with either a tied or hooked closure (I made the latter). The pattern includes instructions on cartridge pleating.