The green fabric this time is a drapey rayon. I will use a medium weight fusible interfacing on the back to give it some body and keep it from sagging and wrinkling. I iron interfacing across the back of the fabric before I cut it, as this is easier than trying to match already cut pieces and it will keep my seams from fraying after they are cut.
I am going to change the shape of the neckline and the back waistline this time. To change the neckline I use a large spool of ribbon and mark in chalk on the fabric over the square corner. This is my new curved neckline.
To change the back, I fold up the pattern and pin it down so I have a relatively straight edge.
I know from last time that the bodice fits larger than I'd like. In order to keep the proportions of the garment I am going to trim a bit along each seam instead of taking it all out of one or two seams.
For now I am going to cut out the pieces according to the pattern. I start with the green fabric that has interfacing on the back of it. Working with this fabric will not cause it to ravel, so I will use it as a template for cutting the yellow fabric. Once I have the pieces cut I mark them with chalk, along the seams I am going to trim. How do I know I can do this? After years of making up garments and having to trim an inch or three out of the waist and chest area each time I've learned how to adjust things to fit me. For this pattern I am taking a bit more off the waist than off the bust. When you fit your pattern, take a close look and see if the entire seam needs to be taken in, or if just part of it does in order for it to fit smoothly. At left you can see how I changed the shape of the pattern waist to fit me better.
Using the dark green pieces I have adjusted as my new pattern, I lay them out on the yellow fabric and cut my second set of pieces. This bodice will be reversible, but you could use a plain cotton or linen lining instead.
Once I have all the pieces cut out I can assemble to two shells. I sew all the side seams together, then iron them flat and open. There are more curves this time, so I have to be careful not to crease them when ironing. When all the side seams are ironed I sew and iron the shoulder seams.
I pin the two pieces right sides together and sew along the outside -- front, top and bottom. I trim the corners and clip the curves so it will turn right-side-out easily and neatly. Then I iron everything flat again.
I'm going to do something special on the sleeves this time. I'm going to put in epaulets. To do this I cut two large elongated oval shapes out of each fabric. I start with an 18" long and 5" wide shape.
This is going to be a split epaulet, so I mark a deep V notch in the center of the oval. The fabrics get pinned right sides together and I sew along the side, trim the seams and turn the shape right side out.
Like the other bodice I have to fold back the seams at the armscye and pin them so they can be sewn together neatly. This time, though, I am going to pin each side separately so I can insert the epaulet into the seam.
I pin the first epaulet into place and discover that I have cut it too big. A look in the mirror tells me I can take about 3" of each end to get the type of look I desire. So it's back to the sewing table and three inches comes off the end of each oval shape, making it a shorter fat oval. When I re-pin the piece into the armscye it fits the way I want it to, so I continue and pin in the other piece.
When the epaulet is sewn into place most of the construction is done. I have two major parts to complete, though. The lacing holes and the decoration. This bodice I am going to embellish with purchased cord trim. Several years ago I bought eight yards of maroon, gold and green twisted cord at a post-Christmas sale. It's worth noting that after-holiday sales are great times to buy wonderful metallic braids and ribbons for very low costs. As a general rule you'll need a minimum of 8 yards and more likely 10, 12, or more to decorate a costume. It's better to have too much than too little.
Anyway, I used six yards of the twisted braid on this bodice. As you can see, six yards doesn't even begin to get elaborate. It goes around the neckline and armscye, down the front sides, around the bottom, and is doubled on the front and back side seams. It took me a couple of days to sew all this on, mostly because handwork makes my hands hurt and I can only work at it for 15 or 30 minutes and then stop for a few hours.
