Okay so while looking for photos for insurance I found my first photos of my new Mina bodice and had quite a revelation.
So I find it very painful to do fitting for historic gear. It’s physically painful.
I have helped that a bit with The Mina because I shaped all panels before putting eyelets in the back so I can lace it closed even during fitting.
But I’m having trouble with boning because well it’s also painful to cut. and to handle in general.
And I realised where most of my fitting trouble is which is the bust.
I need to cord the whole thing!
I want a mid-late 1870s shape and to get that cording is often used in the hip and bust gores.
Of course!
SO this is great.
My Marie antoinette stays need a lot of topstitching before I can bone that too and I may even use a bit of cording in that to soften some of the harshness of the metal stays.
I didn’t account for cording in my pattern but I have a good seam allowance at the sides.
The cording is going to help retain the shape I carefully created in fabric as it collapses off the form.
