Woe be upon thy mantua!

[janestarz]

In a mad dash for the finish line I transferred the pleat lines to my mantua, sewed the mid back pleat in, and jumped into my shift, stays and petticoat to get the mantua fitting done.

Yes, strapping on the stays is easier when we start at the bottom. Much easier. The back will come up high enough all of a sudden and the gappage is distrubuted more evenly that way. My shift still moves up, up and away, but tugging it down helps. The shoulders still fall off once the stays are on, and there's not much I can do about that I'm afraid. Perhaps I need to make a new shift which is slightly more modest, but I'm not sure whether improving on Kass's design is really something I should do. I mean, it's Kass! She knows stuff!

On went the Behemoth, as it is called lovingly. The strangest bit so far is that front is only attached to back by the sleeves. The front bit is just flapping loose, which is hard to pin down. But we had the back pleating figured out pretty swiftly. After fumbling with the front for a bit NoKey suggested I'd tack down the back pleats first. I was glad to be able to take the mantua off as sweat was running down my legs already!

One more problem though: the back pleats which had been perfect when I was wearing the Behemoth were very much not perfect when it was off. No matter how much I fiddled with them, I could not get them to lie right. And I'm not sewing down pleats if they don't lie right!

So in short: I have one more night to fix this, but since NoKey will be out training I am stuck with this conundrum alone.
There's just 2 things I can do:
1) Take out some of the pins and try to get the pleats straight as the mantua is lying on the table. Tack down, and try on to see if they will fall right.
2) Skip the damn mantua already and just wear my petticoat and stays with a neckerchief and my cap. I can drape the mantua on a doll and pretend to be working on it there.

The problem with option 1 is that I haven't quite figured out the way to finish off the neck bit yet.
The problem with option 2 is that I'm not sure whether this is acceptable wear for New Amsterdam.

*sigh*
This project is turning out to be a regular pain in the bum.

Comments

[anemoona.livejournal.com]

Solution to problem 2: Nobody knows ^_^. That's the great advantage of LARP. And you hve plenty of time to (struggle with) finish the mantua.

[steelweaver.livejournal.com]

I can still help if you need it. I've got nothing solid planned for the day.

BTW we'll be at the Creaweekend this weekend, anything I should look out for for you?

[janestarz.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome to try and help me out with smoothing out the pleats, if you feel up to it!
Seven-thirty, eight o'clock?

[steelweaver.livejournal.com]

Sure. Let me check with the S/O and I'll call if I'm going to be late/not there.

[kass-rants.livejournal.com]

I usually pleat mine flat on the table, pin or baste in place, and then check them on my dress form before sewing permanently.

And your front isn't attached to the back yet, right? I mean, the front does get sewn to the back under the arms to point... what is it... E? The top of the side gore. That side seam should be sewn closed. It will make it much easier to fit on your body (although less easy to lay flat on the table).

[janestarz.livejournal.com]

Sorry, yes, the side seam is closed! It's just the fact that there is no actual shoulder seam is rather odd (for modern minds). There's just this square flap that gets pleated at the top and then the "strips" go over it, right? And then the strip gets tucked under, if I understand it correctly.

So you have the back, with the pleats and the strip. The sleeves, with the pleats and the strip. And lastly, the front with the pleats and the strip.
I just hope I'm doing this right =)

[kass-rants.livejournal.com]

The back and front are one piece that folds in half, gets sewn under the arms, and therefore has no shoulder seam, correct. It's no different from a medieval tunic or kimono. Matter of fact, it's just like a kimono. Think "kimono".

The front gets a different strip sewn onto it vertically and then it gets folded towards the inside. The front doesn't need to get pleated at all. If you find it difficult, don't do it. It's equally normal not to have any pleats in front as to have some. Just pin the front edge (the fold) in place on your stays in a V shape. That's what I do.

The important part is to get the pleats to fit your back. Ignore the front. It's not as important. Most if it just gets tucked under anyway.

The strips go around the neckline to bind the raw edges, not over anything. I'm not sure if we're describing the same thing.

[janestarz.livejournal.com]

I did read your instructions! Honest! Several times!
Let's see if I get this right:

-Front-
The flap that falls over your collarbones is just folded inside, towards the arms, to create the V-shape in front. This part does not have to be pleated necessarily. The facing disappears inside altogether if you do this, except for where you pin it to your stays at the waist.
(this part was very confusing for me, as I didn't know what to do with the top edge. It just disappears inside!)

-Back-
Tight enough that your sleeves stay put without falling off the shoulder without restricting movement. Pleats run to the waistline vertically, but form a v-like shape (like the drawings). This was the easiest to figure out.

-Strips-
I believe the pattern says: Sew right side to right side and tuck raw edges inside. Does any bit of the strip show on the outside? The drawings suggest so, just like binding; raw edges inside, just a small bit still showing.
Or doe the strips go inside entirely and are they an early form of facing?

[kass-rants.livejournal.com]

-Front-
Absolutely correct. You've got it now.

-Back-
Also completely correct.

-Strips-
Raw edges inside, just a small bit still showing, as you describe. Not like a facing. More like binding.

Sounds like you've got it now. It's a weird construction compared to other Western European garments. It's so difficult before you've seen it and then so easy after, if you see what I mean.

[janestarz.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for helping me out Kass, I'm confident steelweaver and I can tackle it now!