Re-making and making things up as I go along

This is the last day of my holidays and I thought I'd do something that I really enjoy. So I spent the afternoon sewing and listening to The Cleric Quintet on audiobook.

First I started re-making my regency stays again. I showed the first re-make in my previous post, when I had taken them in c. 8 cm. However, while they worked as they were I knew that my bust would look more correct if I shortened the bust gores. So that's what I did.

Yesterday I was at my friend Anna's place contributing with advice and moral support (and artificial whale bone) when she started patterning her first stays, late 18th century transitional stays with cups. While talking (i'm good at multi-tasking ; ) I took in my regency petticoat.

Current version of stays and petticoat:

When they were first made:

Then I started on the bodice. I made the sleeves yesterday, though I think I may have to re-do them, they are maybe too wide. We'll see how it looks when they are sewn in to the bodice.

First I had to make a new pattern, but with the help of my previous, too large pattern, or at least the front piece, since I couldn't find the back piece, it wasn't that difficult.

Apart from the usual sources such as Patterns of Fashion and Kvinnligt mode under två sekel  by Pernilla Rasmussen and Britta Hammar, I also looked at a couple of patterns from the internet, generously shared by the 19th US Regiment of InfantryCapt. Angus Langham's Company1812-1815. 

Here you find their images and patterns of extant gows and outerwear.

And I sort of make it up as I go along. It is all hand sewn, as the rest of my regency clothing except for the stays, which were a test version whee only the lacing holes in the back are hand sewn. And making things by hand you can do it piece by piece and figure out, for example, exactly where to attach the skirt later. So I am basically making it up as I go along. There is one narrow channel more to make, the bodice will be gathered in front, before I have to figure out the skirt. And I can do that tomorrow, when I'm less tired.