>I spent some of the weekend sewing on the Bustle dress! I had neglected it a bit last week, so it was nice to pick it up again.
I did have to make several new changes to the pattern, especially since I realized I hadn’t sewn a Victorian gown in several years so I did have some different fitting issues than I remember having previously. I transferred the bodice with changes to manila papers it will be easier to make new versions and adaptions in the future by using it as a block.
Playing with the stripes to make them not too much of a headache was a bit of a challenge. The space between the stripes is somewhat large, so figuring out how and where to place the stripes to make it not look strange or make them seem odd was a challenge, especially when considering how the skirt flares at different points because of the skirt and bustle. With more stripes it would probably be fine, but because there’s so few I was afraid it would just look odd and unevenly spaced unless I made it more simplistic. In the end I just took the easy way out- I cut the stripes to where they would make construction easiest on the front, cut the two side pieces without stripes, and used the back for creativity by placing a chevron. This is all interlined in brown cotton, so you can see that peeking through at where the lapel will be. Since the back is not cut on straight of grain I cut the interlining from straight of grain to keep it on track. Also, that stripe at center front may not show when it’s finished as I added extra seam allowance and that’s just where the pattern decided to line up.
You can also see the line I decided to use for the bottom of the bodice. The previous version in muslin is here.
The form and I are not proportioned the same, but you get the idea :)
Next up I’ve got to finish all those inside seams since this will be unlined, put in my boning, and fit it again before I can add the collar and facings.
