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Rapunzel bodice - Pattern alteration

3/5/2014

 
Even though I'm not going to get much done this year in the way of new costuming, I have made some significant headway into Verson 2.0 of my the bodice for my Rapunzel costume. In the first version, I used an amalgamation of different patterns to try and match the construction of how Rapunzel's actual bodice was "sewn". It worked all right, but I had to make the sleeves custom and I didn't do the most stellar job. 

This time, I chose a different approach. I'm starting with a different pattern, McCall's M6420, because it tallies the highest on matching Rapunzel's bodice with one pattern: the puffed upper sleeve with the lower fitted sleeve and the waistline that comes to a V. There aren't as many panels, and it uses princess seams instead of an empire waist, but I'm willing to live with that. The only thing I needed to change stylistically was to add the sweetheart neckline in the front and the lower, squared back.

Below are drawings of the alternations I made (for everything BUT the sleeves).

Exhibit #1 - I combined pieces 3 and 4 of the pattern as shown below and drew the sweetheart neckline.
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Exhibit #2 - I lined up pieces 4 and 5 of the pattern and matched the edge of the neckline on both sides. The seam ripper is pointing to where they line up. I also finished drawing the squared back, which you can see in full later in this post.
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Exhibits #3 and #4 - Using some plain, stiff muslin, I drew a new, altered pattern for each piece of the original. Note the curving pencil line a couple inches from the top. I also lengthened the pattern by two inches because of my long waist. This is actually one inch less than how I lengthened my first bodice, though. It's true my natural waist falls lower than it does on off-the-rack clothing (or patterns) but it turns out it's not quite as low as I've been telling myself.
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I made sure to label it clearly and note the notches to help keep things lined up.
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Exibits #5 and #6 - Repeat the process for Piece 4.
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Exhibit #7 - After the new patterns were cut out, I lined them up to make sure everything would fall as expected (most particularly the new neckline and the length). 
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Exhibits #8 and #9 - Repeat the process for Piece 5. Here you can also see how I squared up the back. I did discover later, after assembling the bodice for wear, that I should have made the edge of the strap more up and down (not so parallel to the armscye, as I did below). I ended up up tweaking a correction for the error with little darts at the corners.
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And with that, (and a quick test, which I probably should have given a little more care), I was ready for construction!


More to follow.

Sewing and Costuming goals 2014

1/4/2014

 
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In 2013 I took a break from any major sewing challenges so I could focus primarily on writing. This was handy, since I didn't have anything I especially wanted to do for costumes.

This year, however, the break has done its work and I have sewing ambitions out the wah-zoo. (Is there a proper spelling for wah-zoo?)

They are as follows:



  • Redo my Rapunzel bodice - The first one was a major endeavor in pattern alteration, and I'm very proud of everything I learned and how well it turned out. But there are several things that could be better that are starting to get to me. I didn't get the sleeves right and they could be a lot more comfortable. Some of the grommets on the front lacing weren't punched well enough and they're starting to fray the satin despite my reinforcement. In fact, I think this time I'm going to forgo the whole "realistic" approach of really lacing it up the front every time and just have fake lacing with a secret zipper on the side. My friend Rachel advised me to do this from the beginning, but I wanted to be all purist. Also, zippers scared me a little more two years ago than they do now. Plus, since I had to buy the fabric in bulk, I have plenty to spare!!

  • Make a better Rapunzel wig - The one pictured above is starting to get really scraggly, which, truth be told I could probably fix, but I have an inherent problem when it comes to any kind of wig: Too much real hair. And since I won't cut my real hair, any costume wig I wear is tricky to fit and irritating to keep in place. Add to that the weight of the long braid, and by the end of a day of con-going I want to fry the dumb thing in the frying pan I'm also lugging around. (It's always worth it, but the enjoyment does start to incrementally diminish as the day goes on). I noticed that the Disney parks Rapunzel's wig actually comes in separate pieces. One short, shoulder length headpiece and the braid, which attach at the shoulder in such away that makes it look like it's draped over her shoulder. I'd like to experiment with something like that. Again, to make my Rapunzel costume better quality AND better comfort.

  • Make pillows - Even with the 2nd Rapunzel bodice, I am swimming in extra yards of purple brocade in two different shades. It's a long story. However, it just so happens that the purples correspond with some of the color schemes in our house so I would like to try my hand at making some basic square throw pillows out of it. This would also force me to try out the "piping made easy" feature of my serger.

  • Make at least one article of street clothing - I've been sewing for four years now and have yet to make a single article of clothing I can wear out in real life. And I keep saying I'll do it. So... consider it resolved.

And my biggest, most time-consuming goal of the year will be... (*drumroll*):

  • Make a Sif warrior costume from Thor: The Dark World. (Link to photo) -I'm really excited about this challenge. The deadline will, of course, be Dragon Con (Labor Day weekend). I love this costume because it is tough but also very feminine. There's a skirt! I get to expand my skill set a little bit and learn about costume armor. I've been slowly collecting tips and techniques and pinning them to my Sif Pinterest Board.

So that should keep me busy for the year. My working plan is to do a little bit of sewing every Saturday, which is a good form of light activity, another thing I'm trying to do more of this year (Handy!).

Today I got a start on my sewing year by putting away my Christmas tree, (which shares the same space as my workstation) and reorganizing all my tools and supplies. It feels really good to have that done. Makes me excited to get started!

Next week I'll start on the new Rapunzel bodice, since I already have all the stuff I need and it saves me having to spend money on supplies or worse, having to go outside to get there
(shudder). It's shaping up to be a very cold, snowy winter!

    Faith King

    Writer, Christian, Accountant,  Linguist, Thespian, Musician,  Seamstress, World Traveler, Cool Aunt, and Really Terrible Dancer. Currently living and working in Mexico, joined by my two super-spoiled cats.

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