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[lesmisloony]

Hi all!  I'm Loony, and I'm delurking a bit to ask some advice... or, I guess... feedback?  Something like that.

I've decided to venture into the world of sewing (and will have help from my very talented grandmother) this summer, and of course I want a robe à la française.  This will be my first attempt at a ballgown, but with the help of google I'

Comments

[smileysweetie]

I believe my mother (who made these dresses, and pretty much anything else she's wearing on that site, so she knows what she's doing) has said that the Simplicity patterns you're using are actually quite good for not being, like, reproduction patterns or something.

[msmcknittington]

You'll definitely want to measure the pattern pieces before cutting out the Simplicity pattern. Choose your size based on the finished measurements, not size measurements given on the back of the envelope. Simplicity puts wearing ease in all their corset patterns, when corsets need negative ease, so the final product will come out massively too big if you cut according to what the back of the envelope says.

For the stays, you can use tightly woven cotton canvas. It's what I use for my 16th-century corsets, and it works great. I'm not sure what the directions say in the Simplicity pattern, but if you want a pretty fabric on top, then you can flatline the pretty fabric to something stronger, like the canvas. Your grandma will probably be able to explain flat-lining to you if you don't know what that is.

Good luck! :D

[petit_rien]

I second the canvas suggestion. I usually sandwich a layer of canvas between the outer fabric and a natural fibre lining, like linen or cotton.
I started making the stays from the Simplicity pattern some time ago, but the project was lost to the in-progress pile and has yet to be finished. :-/ Please let me know how it goes, I'd love to hear how it turns out!

[stephsicola]

JP Ryan is fantastic, although I think the sizes run a little small. If you're going for historical accuracy, she is definitely the way to go. I don't know how much you're going for that, but Simplicity is more for just costumes. I love JP Ryan and have used a few of her patterns

[mandie_rw]

Oooh, congrats for your venture into the world of sewing! A sack back gown sure isn't starting small, but then, I didn't either, when I started sewing. ;)

I agree with the suggestion of canvas for the stays - that's what I've used for all of mine. And I also agree with the statement you need to measure the pieces first...I made a pair of stays from a commercial pattern years ago, and man, I was pissed when it came out ginormous. And out of curiosity, what are you planning on using for boning in the stays?

Never used a pattern for a gown, so I can't really help there, but I believe I've heard good things about JP Ryan.

And I use cotton muslin for my shifts and under-petticoats (because I am cheap), so I can give a thumbs up for that.

Good luck with your sewing! :D

[isara]

JP Ryan is going to be your best bet for the gown, as nothing even comes close, but I'll warn you - it's really, really not an easy pattern. You will want lots of fitting help for that one. demode has her construction diary here: 1760's Robe a la Francaise. Do check out her other construction diaries for this era - the other dresses she draped, but they have great construction advice.

For the underthings, JP Ryan's stays are faaaabulous. They went together a dream for me. Stay away from the Butterick or Simplicity stays. My construction notes from putting together the strapless stays are here (with supplies list) and the finished project here.

I used JP Ryan's pocket hoops pattern, too. Very easy to put together, but I think they're a bit big, or are angled a bit high. I'm going to make them again, a little smaller with the angle a bit downward. And yes, they can fit bottles of champagne...

For the reed, I went to The Caning Shop. I prefer the flat oval reed, but many other folks use the flat reed. I used the 1/4" in my green stays, but