devynconstance

[devynconstance]

They should have audio of the fabric being moved on listings selling fabric online since we can't feel it. You can tell a lot about a fabric by the sound of it moving, including but not limited to, the actual thickness of the material and the quality of fibers.

It also tells you if its straight up plastic in a 'this is a natural fabric' trenchcoat and is as loud as 50 plastic bags filled with plastic bottles being crushed with a trumpet.

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First round of paint on some blueberry magnets im making. Tried a new air dry clay recipe for the base and it seems to have worked out very well!

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Petticoat is finished! Two more skirt layers are in progress and close to being finished as well. Im super excited to finally see all of this coming together!

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Im fighting for my life right now

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Progress update on my renaissance headpiece. Lucet braiding some silver embroidery thread was my best idea ever, its turning out way better than I expected.

[devynconstance]

I would agree that your best option might be a corset of some kind. The key to the strapless element is the boning. It lifts and holds everything in place by shifting the weight to the waist while the hips keeps everything from falling down. Keep in mind though that a modern designed corset, even one you make yourself, could be uncomfortable if its not designed right. I'd recommend historical patterns/modern patterns with historical inspiration if possible because they're designed to naturally follow the shape of the body.

Etsy might be a good place to look for patterns/ready made corsets but do some research before buying anything because the cost can get very high depending on how well its made, which will make a difference on comfort.

I'll list a few options so you have a good place to start.

A half corset option could be the Regency short stays but because its short, essentially a bra, it does have straps in the design but the boning does alleviate some of the pressure on the straps so it might still work.

Another option is the classic Victorian corset (1860s to 1890s is a good range to start with), its a little bit longer but might be the most supportive option while still giving a passable modern look under clothing. I'd also recommend replacing the busk (the metal hooks) in the front with a zipper so its easier and less noticeable under clothing.

Finally if your okay with a less modern appearance 18th century stays could work (i perosnally find these the most comfortable). It's slightly shorter in style and while a lot of designs come with straps they're completely optional because of the style and boning. I'd recommend adding a zipper to the front of these as well or it'll take 10 minutes to get dressed every morning and the tabs at the bottom can be left off the pattern to make it easier to make.

Unfortunately I dont have any specific pattern recommendations but I have a few YouTuber suggestions that might help pattern/corset construction wise to start.

- Bernadette Banner - Historical

- Abby Cox - Historical

- Bella Mae's Designs - Fantasy/Costume

- Nicole Rudolph - Historical

- Mariah Pattie - Historical with Modern Adjustmants

Sorry the post is so long but ill happily answer any questions that come up!

okay so I am in need of a little bit of advice from people who are good at sewing, I have a health thing that makes straps on bras and things like painful sometimes, just the pressure of them, it doesn’t even have to be a sports bra it can be a laze about no structure bra and oops pain, so I’m trying to figure out a way to like have a structural garment, because I’m a b-c cup but also not have to deal with straps? I’m okay making one if I can but also like brands and things would be great, I’m leaning towards a kinda half corset thing but honestly no idea how this would work

[devynconstance]

It definitely an option but its not water proof so it might not be the best choice if you want to wash it or use it while its raining. If you go this method I'd recommend a solid cardboard sheet instead of the corrugated cardboard used on cardboard boxes as it could warp and crease over time.

If you want just a stiff bottom but a little flexibility is okay a thick interfacing workings great and you'd sandwich that between two layers of fabric like your picturing the cardboard. Ive also used duck cloth/canvas fabric to stiffen fabric but its still pretty flexible and folds under weight.

And if you want a solid bottom that will hold its shape more similar to cardboard and is waterproof I'd suggest a plastic canvas sheet. You might still need to add interfacing or a felt to it to make it more cushioned and so the holes in the plastic dont show through.

Hmmm if I wanted to make the base of a bag stiff, would I just sandwich cardboard between the fabric?

[devynconstance]

I realized I could 3d print a lucet fork instead of going out to buy one and its working perfectly! Of course I would prefer a nice wood one but ill happily make do with what I have. Im doing a pretty loose braid here because I want to use this silver cord to embroider onto my headpiece for renfair and I think its coming out beautifully.

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Finally starting to see some progress on my renfaire costume this year. Still have more to do obviously but the skirts are almost finished!

[devynconstance]

So I needed a mannequin head and it needed to be at least close to the size of my head so I, of course, went the make it yourself route instead of buying a foam one and I can honestly say my first mockup is a little cursed.

Im on a bit of a time crunch unfortunately so it'll have to do for now. I'll definitely be fixing up the pattern and making an actually good one soon though since I'll be needing it again but for now enjoy whatever this is.

[devynconstance]

I love a good Very Specific Resource. Here are the links to my posts about resources carefully crafted to share a specific bit of history (updated as needed)

Public Domain Image Archive - thousands of images from various repositories no longer available under copyright

Medieval Murder Maps - interactive maps of murder and accidents in medieval London, York, and Oxford

Travel in Times - plan travel routes in England and Wales in various centuries

The Quilt Index - a digital repository of quilts, makers, and their stories

Louis Armstrong Archives - Some highlights from the archives and how to access the full collection from home!

RSN Stitch Bank - hundreds of sewing and embroidery stitches, their uses, their structure, how to make them, and history!

Archive of 80s mixtapes - a whole lot of tapes from the 80s and also tapes of background music from Kmart in the 80s and 90s

Feast Afrique - What started as an exploration and celebration of West African culinary heritage has since expanded to include history, language, culture, and customs of West Africa and the African diaspora.

Letterform Archive - Thousands of high quality images celebrating graphic design, calligraphy, and typography. The beauty of letters!

Historic Menu Collection - Over 17,000 historic menus, 1.3 million historic dishes transcribed. Historic popularity and price range, map it, and more.

Palestinian Embroidery - Digital archives dedicated to the preservation of Palestinian embroidery. Over 1,000+ free patterns

Black Craftseople Digital Archive - enhancing knowledge of Black crafts people (both free and enslaved) and the objects they produced.

Georgian Lady's Magazine Embroidery Patterns - Free embroidery patterns from 1770-1819

The Dutch Textile Trade Project - History and trade of textiles in the 17th and 18th centuries. Fabric types, images, data on trade.

Estonian Knitting - Bog knits! History! Techniques!

[devynconstance]

Since I was in the middle of 3d printing stuff anyways I took a break to print this mask I found on thingiverse and I love it. I contemplated 3d printing a full sized one next but I'm going to hold off for now since I'm pretty busy making other things right now.

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[devynconstance]

I started my next crochet project last night. Im making a cardigan this time and I gotta say, it is really nice working on a more mindless piece again. It's the perfect relaxing project to work on while all my other projects are in complete chaos right now 🙃

[devynconstance]

Im doing some research into mantua gowns specifically around the 1700s for an upcoming project and one of the best resources ive found so far for historical dresses is this book

There's hundreds of patterns here and they are completely usable if you know how to scale and/or adjust measurements. It's also got a lot of details on construction methods though there isn't any illustrated instructions so that'll make it a little more difficult for beginners.

This is the pattern I'm working with this time but ill definitely be coming back to this book at some point!

Link to the book for free on scribd (i love this site but the ads can be highly irritating if you dont buy the subscription, you've been warned)

[devynconstance]

I finally started actually cutting up my scrap fabric into patchwork blocks! Its going well but I can honestly say I'm excited to move onto the patterned fabric, the plain colors are getting a little visually boring to look at for hours on end at this point.

[devynconstance]

Super busy day today working on costume stuff for renfaire and I decided to throw a folding fan into the mix as well. Luckily I have access to a 3d printer so thats what I used for the stick part of the fan, gonna glue some lace on the end next but I think it's going to look very nice!