For Margie
(Though the rest of you are welcome to the info, too. *grin*)

• Get a good pattern for a bodice. So far, the Big Three haven't come up with one that I like. The pattern I like best is by Fashions in Time.
• Failing that, fake one. The basic shape of a bodice is pretty easy to come up with; just make the right shapes in the right size. (It isn't exactly as easy as it sounds, but it isn't really that hard, either.) There are some really good bodice pattern sites out there, too. (I'll link to some as soon as I hunt down the URLs.)
• Make a muslin first!
• Boning from the fabric store, unless it's steel, is junk. Use it for modern stuff, or on the edges of lace-up gowns.
• Steel boning can be had from Lacis, Grannd Garb, or Farthingdales. There are other places that carry it, but these three have the best prices I've found. (And are all places I've ordered from and like a lot.)
• If you don't want to order steel boning/can't wait for it to arrive, get thee to a K-Mart and buy some of those tubular plastic hangers. Make sure you either have a pair of sharp, indestructible scissors in the house, or some good wire cutters. It takes a bit of work, but you can get some decent lengths of boning for the front, lacing edge of a bodice out of them.
• The length of your boning has a lot to do with the length of the front of your bodice.
• For arm-hole gaposis, put on the bodice, pinch the gappy bit and pin it so the strap lies flat (it looks like a little dart, almost). Leaving it pinned, take it off and flatten it as best as you can. Re-draw the strap to the new angle, and cut out a second muslin. The gap should go away on the next version.
• When lining the bodice, it's far easier to sew the lining in BEFORE you attach the shoulders together. This way, you don't have to hand-sew the armholes.
• The waist of your bodice shouldn't be much more than 2" smaller than your waist measurement. It can be, of course, but it will be uncomfortable. The same goes for the bust measure of the bodice.
• To get impressive cleavage, measure the bit of you that the underwire rests on, and the widest bit. Now, average the two numbers, and cut the bodice to be that size at the bust. (Sorry, but this really only works on the already ample.)
• To get even more impressive cleavage, lean over so gravity helps you as you're putting the bodice on.
• And the third cleavage tip is to reach in, and twist things toward the center slightly while pulling up a bit. This'll give you a more 'rounded' effect.
• Remember, really scary cleavage is NOT period for nice women. Probably not even for not-so-nice women. (Don't let that stop you, though. All this reenactment is about fun, as well as history. Nobody minds. Really.)
• Side lacing that is actually on your sides (and not two lines down the sides of the back) is probably not period. Also, it adds bulk and visually widens the figure. Yes, there were early period gowns that laced on the sides, but they were losely laced, and often open between laces to show the undergown.
• A pointy bit at the bottom front of the bodice is almost always more flattering than a straight front. And I don't care which commercial pattern you saw it in, a point at the bottom of the back of your bodice is NOT period and just looks silly anyhow.
• If you are short-waisted, make the bottom of your bodice hit your natural waistline, not the one that modern fashion dictates. You will be much more comfortable. (This goes for long-waisted folks, too.)