I posted that I need help with a bustle on the advice forum and that still stands but I thought I may show my pattern so far for my dress and the progress I make when Im on with something... If thats okay with the mod's on here...? If so then It would be fabulous if some of you guys could give me some pointers, ideas (to incorperate in these designs), constructive critisism, help and/or some kind of motivation (as I often get pissed after a while and give up but I really don't want to on this because I have my heart set on it.)

Theres no forum for this is there? This type of stuff doesn't seem to fit in anywhere but if it does then erm... Move it... Heh. I do think that dress making is an art, especially periodical dress making because they take alot of work and time.

So here goes....

Okay. So far I have been working on patterns for a 6 piece bustle dress (3 part bustle dress, the other 3 parts are for the underclothes.) and a Brenton jacket

This is all periodical victorian by the way. (Between 1870 and 1877)

The underclothes are a little easier to make as they consist of a chemise, bloomers and a corset.

The actual dress is made up of 3 pieces. I dunno why its called a dress because it consists of 3 seperate items of clothing. The bodice, the Bustle underskirt and the tunic overskirt. (I was not going to bother having a bustle underskirt and just ribbon up the back to ruffle as a lawn bustle dress but its more difficult than you think and that style dates back further than the period I want to go.)

So far I have the corset pattern and the bodice pattern but they're basic patterns, I will be adding on once I get the correct material. (It was all stripes in the 1800's so I'm looking for some nice striped material.)

Below you will see both basic patterns. The corset has 'below the waist' flaps for a better fit but you can't see that yet. You may get the jist of it if I just point out how the bottom of the corset flairs out a little. I will be putting some metal boning into the flaps so emphisize the waist. (The corset is the one with no straps and is just one piece of paper.) I am (once I get the material) going to line the back with a strong linin so it is more of a snug fit rather than feeling the metal boning lined on the inside. With both the corset and the bodice, I will be hand sewing the eyelet holes instead of using a nasty eyelet machine as in the 1800's they didn't have the metal eyelet thingies and also for my own benifit as the metal eyelets punch holes through the material and if I make a mistake then theres no going back from that. (I hate eyelet machines with a passion, I can't work them anyway.) Sewing eyelet holes by hand is time consuming but I would rather do it that way than with a machine.

The bodice Is just basic at the moment too but I have made a softer front curve at the bottom and mesured the arm holes just right.... (At least I think I have anyway.) I will be adding sleaves soon but I seem to be having problems chosing the way I would like to do it. I am stuck between large ruffles and small ruffles.

Anyway, I will seriously consider any input at all from you guys as long as its not all 'Put the gawthic sleaves in there! Make it gawth!' Mainly because I am attempting to make it as accurate to the 1800's as I possibly can.

Here are some pictures so you all can get an idea of what Im trying to do. The coloured one is 1875 and the black and white one is from 1877.





Well thats me done for now... Check out my patterns so far....

First of all WOW, and Oh Dear God!!!

Just reading that made me hurt.

*Give Neena small curtsey*

So I trotted off to look at my pattern books, but almost everything is too late, I have this great book from amazon 'Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques' but I think most of it might still be a little late for you, about twenty years or so. And although a lot of the advice is good, the chances are you know it already.

Are you doing this for fun?

The only advice I can give you is to keep playing with your mock up.
If anyone (and they don't often, I get a litle evil) asks me to make a dress I tend to use up every sheet in the house first pissing about, but then of course when you get the real fabric it hangs differently, stretches or not whatever might be the case, but at least you have a good idea about shapes.

Is the dress for you?
At least if it is you can keep trying bits on.

Lots and lots of good, good luck.
When it's done, I want to see major amounts of pictures.

cool topic Neena..

Heh, thanks Nivve, I didn't know you were into dress making. I am doing this for fun, also to test my limits, see how well I do and to chill out a little. I find that although is can be tedious and can be fustrating when under a deadline, it helps me relax and gives me something to focus on when I get bored. I am going to fit the dress for me but I really don't have any place or function to wear the dress to so maybe I may just make it and start a collection of periodical clothes.... I think Im going to try something from the Elizibethan period next but Im not jumping ahead like like that just yet, I want to see how this goes first. Heh.

Im going to post my progress and how Im doing. I figured this would make a cool thread as its going to be more or less like a step by step journal with pictures of how Im doing (even pictures of me messing up also) and stuff. At least if people don't know the first thing on what Im doing, they can have a laugh at me ballsing up and making mistakes as I will be taking pictures of that also.

Oh I had a think about what Im going to do and an attempt at solving the dreaded bustle *cue sinister music DUN DUN DUN!* early hours of this morning and as soon as I woke up, I started to make an attept at another bustle pattern... Progress so far:

Evil Pattern - 5
Me - 0

I have been trying my best to design a bustle and after a shitload of papercuts and me losing my temper, I have decided to do it in 3 pannels and use ribbon to compensate the rest of the waist. (What I mean is use ribbon to tie it around the waist.)

The bustle's 3 pannels are going to be ruffled as I don't want the back too bulky (like the mustard/yellow dress in the coloured picture) because it tends to be more work and does require alot of metal boning.

At the bottom, Im going to attempt a 3 row pleat rather than a 2 row and trail it out a touch but not too much. (I think a trail will get damaged easy.)

I found a few examples that I will be working off so I doubt the pattern will take as much work as it was. (I was taking too much time on it and using too much paper.)

This one shows how I am going to try and use the ribbon and the bottom pleats (Theres 2 there but addin on one more pleat is a piece of cake)


The actual Bustle roll is going to consist of 3 pannels that I am going to ruffle up somehow. heh. I was thinking of using ribbon to ruffle it up at the back (basically tie the ruffles with ribbon so it can be undone and used as a lawn dress also (Something the ladies used to do in the 1800's to save money and resorces.) That type of dress was used by the middle class and that is the type of look I'm going for. Although the ribbon thing looks pretty, Im just worried about how the tunic skirt will hold up at the back, I don't want it to go flat so I would love some input on my choice of desgin as it is not final just yet and I really can't make a final decision without a little help.

So yeah, Material.... I need striped material but nothing too loud that I will go crosseyed or make others turn catatonic... Nothing black and white really.... Anyone got any idea's on that also?

Thank you Quiet. I figured it would be a great idea to start this thread for a number of reasons, one of the reasons is that Im just about useless when it comes to actually making the clothes and takes me a few tries (a few is an understatement) to get it right so I figure if I made this thread and took pictures of my progress and had a little bit of a dress making journal to go with it then people could help me out a little and then I may be able to get it done faster.

I find that most people on here have this unique way of thinking and some are very talented at what they do, I am interested to hear of other ideas that may broaden and maybe change the way I make clothes all togeather.

Im also doing this because Im making the dress anyway and this thread can be really useful for me to look back on what Im thinking so I don't forget where I am and also to help me solve the problems a little more efficently and effectively. Heh, I always wanted to see my progress written down when Im making clothes so this should be fun for me to look back on and laugh at, or at the very least, keep me motivated so I don't give up on this project and/or future projects.

I love and hate sewing in equal quantities.
I was forced to learn by evil nuns and a mother who believed that every woman should be able to sew, cook etc.

Then when I was a poor student I was able to do shifts in an M&S knicker factory, and damage myself many times on the machinery. There's nothing quite like bar-tacking your finger, or better still, sticking a little butterfly motif on it.
Yes, I would do the eyelets by hand too...

Hmmm, fabric, my favourite bit.
There's two choices really, something smooth with a bit of silk in it, if you're looking to make it a bit more uppper class, Victorian London 'season'. Or a heavy woven fabric with a bit of wool maybe if it's a bit more working class, Catherine Cookson farmers wife goes to tea in Gateshead.
The stripes are a must, and to be honest, I would swing between something that would be fabulous, stylish and slightly French, a pale cream maybe with thinner red and green details (sounds awful, but I saw some once and it was stunning), and a more traditional navy with lighter blues maybe.
I'd be fighting with myself all the way on this one.

And I'm sure you can find somewhere to wear it. Hell, if it was me and I did a good job I'd wear it to Tescos!
One of the few dresses I've been proud of I kept on a tailor's dummy in the corner of the room. Just imagine how grand your finished dress would look as a piece of art on display.


Oohh, I like this thread. I want to go and sew stuff now.
I haven't done anything since I made an advent calendar for the nipper. Who's stupid idea was it to put a different embroidered design on each friggin' pocket?
Oh yeah, that was me...

Heh, Im glad I have inspired you to go sew stuff now. Maybe you could help solve some problems I have with sewing if you keep some scrap material aside and a needle and thread...?

I think once Im done, I will try my hand at making some acessories for it like the ladies top hat, veil and the reticule. (I have made a shitload of reticules and Im thinking of making a one for this dress from the scrap material left over ) Im going to see if I can find some old fashoned looking brown ladies boots at the thrift store tomorrow and see if I can blacken them at the bottom, or something (hard to describe...)

Im going to see if I can get a pattern sorted for my bustle today then I will post it here.

The material you mentioned Nivve sounds cool, I am looking for something that isn't very stretchy, is durable yet a little lighter than linin but I need it to be thick material. (I find that linin drags alot and weighs down the hips.... I guess it depends on how its sewn.) Im going for the middle to upper class 1800's look so I want the material to be eligent looking (striped of course), thick but durable (maybe I should go for a more heavy material... Im just worried the bustle will not hold once I make the tunic overskirt and place it over the top..... I dunno... Help with that would be awsome.) and not too loud.

I liked the idea of something smooth but unfortunately because its periodical to the mid-late 1800's usually they had more curtain material than the smooth stuff and that may be where Im gonna screw up because, as I have said before, Im not sure how the bustle will hold up underneeth the tunic overskirt. Maybe I could find some stripes that are not too loud... Everytime I try to sew stripes, I go crosseyed and screw up.... Heh

You know, I did think of curtain material.
It'll have some nasty man-made stuff in it, so won't be too authentic.
And I know what you mean about stripes, it's the gettting them to match that upsets me. You just cut it out all good and then make a mistake, or the tension isn't right and the whole thing shifts.

Arrrgghh!!!

I see what you mean about the bustle getting flattened.
I think you're going to have to wire it. Seeing as no one has to sit down in it you could do it quite authentically.
Having few ruffles on the outside as in the pictures above would certainly help keep the shape.

What kind of wire are you using?

Hey Nivve honey... Could you do me a favour and just take a jot down of the bodice pattern? I would like you to mimic the sewing edges on the arm hole area (just the armhole area, would be great.) and see if I can attach a sleve? Its okay if you don't want to, I would do it but I can't seem to find any of my scrap material. Im thinking about cutting up an old bed sheet but I dunno if I threw them all out. I will get around to doing so sooner or later (of course I will, Im making the dress heh) its just that Im a little preoccupied with being fustrated over the stupid buslte skirt......

If you do mimic the armhole (thats all I want to test) I would love you tell me if a sleve can be attched to it or not. Im having problems with the angle... The more I look at the bodice pattern, the more Im begining to see how off it looks. I am thinking about making the sleves once I have made most of the bodice because making it all at once is going to be a job and a half and sleves are my weak point.

I was going to use metal boning Nivve, but I find that shaping it to a bustle proves a little difficult as it is a stiffer material that shapes better to the body than to a material frame. I am going to use metal boning in the bodice and the corset but I am thinking of using a different approach to the bustle, another old method that seems a little easier... I think... I never tried it before so theres a first time for everything.

What I plan to do is use a cushion style bustle, fill it up with really light material and sew it to the underskirt (the underskirt will be ajustable.) so it will flair at the back.

Im going to use the three pannel method thing that I was thinking of using at the begining and I am going to see how that works. The pannel patter is REAL basic for now, I just cut out a rectangle pattern and I am going to ajust everything once I have it on the material. I will be ruffling it once I have the material correctly and I will be placeing the pleats at the back as I said before. I will be cutting the arch at the top of the pannel pattern but I am going to use baby steps first just to see how the piecing goes for it.

As for the ruffles... I dunno maaaaan... Im having problems picturing it.... I gotta make a test run of everything before I start with the real deal.... Im still on with the pattern making though so Im just going to cut out very basic shapes first then use some scrap material (which I will probably do with sheets... Mahaha!) to sew it up and see how it looks... Although Im really freaked about using scrap material first because usually my first attempt looks alot better...

below you will see the rectangle pattern (I must stress that it is VERY basic) which I will be ajusting once I put it to materal. I will most probably lengthen it alot Also you will see the bustle cushion pattern which Im going to probably use... (I say probably as I like to change my mind alot. heh.) I am thinking of just making a ruffled bumroll now like the back and white picture I first posted but I am having problems on deciding... I have cut out the pattern for the cushion one already so we will see if I change my mind or not...

Im thinking 'Damn the 1800's for making everything more complicated than it should be!'

i made a hoodie in grade 9. no, my teacher made all the hard parts for me. but i picked the color and got the arms onto the fabric. the hood was a bitch to get right. that's the story of my experience in sewing.

well, i sew buttons too. sometimes.

Ok I'm on it.

I'm doing a night shift tonight so I'll find some bits today and if it's quiet, get it done overnight and let you know in the morning.

That way I can't swear, being at work and all...

Oh and good call on the bustle cushion.
I wish I'd thought of that when I needd to make one it would have been fat AND comfortable.

*Kicks self*

I figured the bustle cushion would be a little less complicated to do but I may still go with the frame thing... It depends if the cushion works well enough... Im on altering the pattern for the bustle again so Im fustrated... Heh...

I will update tonight or tomorrow or something... Im going to try my dab hand at the linin tonight, I have linin so Im trying out the bustle... I figured that the bustle should be made firdt so I have it out of the way...

Im not sure how it turns out but I guess we will see soon enough...

WOW! Now I dunno about you guys but I can't afford a dress making dummy... It sucks because I have to just sew and fit it by my eye. BUT today, as I was surfing the net looking for an idea on which direction to go with the tunic overskirt, I came across something that will make my life a little easier....

http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/.../DuctDummy.htm

DUCT TAPE DUMMY!

Now Im going to try this later when I can be bothered to go to the store and buy some duct tape... I think this is an awsome idea and will make my fittings alot easier to handle rather than pinning, tacking then fitting.

Now I think this is awsome...

Also, I am on cutting the parts out in scrap material for my bustle.... Its going to take me a while to tack it but as soon as I have done this, I will post pictures of it... Im working on my patterns still so Im going between jobs, thats why my the rough bustle will take a while...

I need an idea on what material to use for the bustle too... Im thinking linin but I am going to need different types of material.... Heres a list of the parts Im needing, if anyone has a clue on what type of material I can use (I already have a fair idea on what material Im going to use for the actual overskirt and bodice.) then please let me know as I need people to help make up my mind on things... I keep changing my mind...

Bloomers and Chemise - something light and cheap (Its underclothes and easy to make.)

Corset - something durable and washer safe. (I say laundry safe because its a corset and its underclothes so it will get rather sweaty in it.)

Brenton jacket - Something heavy yet easy to shape (Remember this is an 18th century jacket that will match the actual dress... I need something of a different material but will match the theme Im going on...)


Im looking at some fabrics and I found a few... Im really looking for something maybe in a nice back and dark green... Im not sure... I want it to be a nice darker coloured looking dress.... What do you think of the samples here? (This is just an outline, I am just looking at some options right now.)






I don't want my dress to look too much like a pair of curtains so Im kinda freaking out on what to use...

The first black and white picture I posted of that dress... Imagine it in colour... Tell me what you think....

#2 is a good fcolour, me thinks.

I used to do ALOT of reenactment. I was actually heavily envolved untill I was about 9 or so, when my family stopped due to both parents working. But I have alot of period clothing around, and my mother made most of it. I myself cant sew clothing worth shiat, but I know how much work it can be.

I applaud you!

But yea, I like #2 fabric.

Black and green for sure...


NEENA!!! INFO!!

So, I'm at work with some bits of green felt,

"Wotcha doin'? " says co worker.
"It's a bit of a bodice." says me.
"Why are you making that?"
"It's for a victorian costume."
"Wow, you're making a victorian costume?"
"Nope, a Geordie in Canada is..."
"Oh." she said, and gave me a funny look.

Anyhoo, who cares, so inform me, what's the deal with the sleeves?
I have what look like perfectly respectable armholes, but I was wondering if you were going for a bit of puffing? A few subtle tucks at the top?

Let me know and I'll see what I can jam into the holes....