I am suffering from severe CADD (Costume A.D.D.) lately. My ’30s plaid Christmas dress sits on the mannequin, nearly complete, but with the arrival of a giant roll of green silk, new Truly Victorian patterns, and a healthy dollop of inspiration, all I want to do is sewing a giant green bustle dress.
I have made a bustle or two in the past, but it’s not one of my major periods of study. Pity, that, because I absolutely adore the styles, and I have far more opportunities for 1870s-80s dress up than 1770s-80s. This dress will be used in an upcoming photo shoot for the “Tavistock” button boots, as well, so the project has an element of theatricality to it, in that sense, and is all about texture, color, and mood. Here is the initial inspiration:
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| Michael Eastman: Cuba: http://eastmanimages.com/cuba |
Yep, it’s a room, an incredible room. That color! I imagine a historical gown of the same color, overflowing with ACRES of pleats, frills, ribbons, beads, fringe, trims of all variety, all in that green, all in different textures. These were my inspiration sketches:
I settled on something along this line:
I am using Truly Victorian patterns TV261 (skirt), TV364 (apron), and TV420 (bodice) with some alterations. The skirt pattern also makes a great petticoat, which I whipped up last night, shown here over a wire collapsible bustle, bump pad, and two petticoats:
The fabric I have chosen is a rich green raw silk. I know slubby silk is not accurate for historical reproductions, but I chose this fabric for three reasons: color, texture (this gown is geared towards theatricality and how it will look in the photo shoot), and price. I ordered 15 yards and I’m nervous it won’t be enough.
In addition to the silk I would like to use a matching or black velvet ribbon, and a matching or black sheer of some sort, perhaps a net or a point d’esprit, for effects of this nature:
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| The Met, 1881-84 |
I have also acquired an antique fluter, also called a crimper. It has not arrived yet, but I’m looking forward to testing it out, and fluting a bajillion yards of green silk trim – more on that later. 🙂 This is the one I bought on eBay:
So…back to the sewing room!
29 Comments
Stephanie Lynn
December 11, 2012 at 10:02 PMOoooh! This is going to be fabulous! The color of that silk is to die for! I <3 jewel tones! 🙂
Lauren Stowell
December 12, 2012 at 7:58 AMThank you! I hope it turns out alright 😀
Michelle Hamilton
December 11, 2012 at 10:27 PMBustle's are fun to wear, and you know as the song goes "Green Acres is the life for me."
Lauren Stowell
December 12, 2012 at 7:58 AMHahaha, yes!
Laurie
December 11, 2012 at 10:48 PMIf the antique fluter doesn't do the trick try the "perfect pleater" and vinegar spray.
Lauren Stowell
December 12, 2012 at 7:58 AMI don't have a perfect pleater, but it is on my list of things to get. I've burned my fingers more than a couple times doing pleated flounces by hand.
jennylafleur
December 11, 2012 at 10:54 PMOoh what a fun project and a great name for it too! I'm really interested to see how your fluter does on silk. I've only ever seen them used with linen or cotton, fixed with a vinegar or starch mixture (which I assume one can't do with silk).
Lauren Stowell
December 12, 2012 at 8:00 AMI'm curious to use it on silk as well. Alicia of Litttle Bits Clothing Company sent me an excerpt from the 1881 "Household Discoveries" book that mentions the fluting of silks, so I shall give it a try…on a small scrap only, though, at first 🙂
Zach
December 11, 2012 at 11:00 PMOh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm SO very excited for this project! I absolutely LOVE your design!!!! I just can't wait to see your progress! Good luck with all of the trim! My neighbour is an antique-aholic (like me)and she has one of the fluting irons, but I haven't a clue how to use them.
Lauren Stowell
December 12, 2012 at 8:01 AMThanks Zach! I don't have any experience with the fluter either, but from what I understand it is heated in the oven, then the fabric is dampened before pressing with the crimper. Hope it works as easily as that sounds, haha…this could be interesting…
Lauren Hairston
December 12, 2012 at 1:07 AMI saw Michael Eastman's exhibit of photographs. It was absolutely magnificent. The colors were breathtaking–it really made me want to go to Havana.
Looks like the dress will be gorgeous. I love green.
Lauren Stowell
December 12, 2012 at 8:02 AMLucky girl! I wan to go as well, though that will be, erm, difficult…
Adi
December 12, 2012 at 2:35 AMThis comment has been removed by the author.
Lauren Stowell
December 12, 2012 at 8:05 AMHi Adi – sorry if my reply is weird. I hope I understood the question – how to make the petticoat to train? This petticoat has a total of four pieces – front, sides, and back – and I cut the back piece considerably longer than the other pieces, then tapered the sides into a "U" shape, with the deepest part of the "U" at center back.
désolé si ma réponse est bizarre. J'espère avoir compris la question – comment faire le jupon de former? Cette jupe a un total de quatre pièces – avant, sur les côtés et à l'arrière – et je coupe le dos beaucoup plus de temps que les autres morceaux, puis les côtés coniques en un «U», avec la partie la plus profonde du «U» à au centre du dos.
AuntieNan
December 12, 2012 at 4:30 AMI bet you can make that 15 yards work with a less generous cut on the skirt than your petticoat has. 1881 was a narrower line, right? And, if the crimped trim isn't just the self green, but maybe has some blue or black (or both?) organdy, with a bit of black velvet for contrast… Well, you might make it work, right? The green will be absolutely worth all the work and the BEST color for you!!! (the plaid dress in the background looks a little jealous !)
Best of luck!!!
Nancy N
Lauren Stowell
December 12, 2012 at 8:09 AMHi AuntiNan – I hope I have enough. I factored about 11.5 yards based on what the patterns called for, then added 3.5 yards for trimmings, thinking the flounces will be cut in fairly thin strips, the width of the pleater (unknown as of yet, but looks maybe 5 – 6 inches?), and stacked. I agree with you, though, that adding in something like black organdy would give some more texture and interest to the eye, as well as even more ACRES to the whole thing.
AuntieNan
December 12, 2012 at 6:03 PMI was sooo excited about your green-madness images I went on the Met website and looked at some of the Worth gowns — found 2 I thought might be inspirational, especially this first with its layers of color in crimped trim:
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/80002765?rpp=20&pg=5&ao=on&ft=silk+victorian+worth&img=2
Then I saw green silk used with dark velvet bands:
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/80033899?rpp=20&pg=4&ao=on&ft=silk+victorian+worth&when=A.D.+1800-1900&pos=63
Please forgive any overkill if you've already researched this!
Can't wait to see what you pick!
Nancy N
Laura Morrigan
December 12, 2012 at 7:42 AMOoooh sounds so fabulous! I am entirely jealous!
MaiLoan
December 12, 2012 at 1:47 PMI also have a green bustle gown project to go to the Opera Garnier this summer, I'm going to follow your project with attention 🙂 love your design
vintagevisions27
December 12, 2012 at 2:11 PMOooh what a great color! I've never made a bustle gown but its on my list. 🙂 I've been looking for an antique fluter too. I found one at an antique shop this fall but it was waaaay to expensive. What are some people thinking when they price stuff? It will be interesting to see how it works with silk. Test it on some scrap silk first.
Can't wait to see your finished dress!
-Emily
vintagevisions27
December 13, 2012 at 3:23 PMForgot to mention. I think Katherine from The Fashionable Past has a post on her blog about using this kind of iron.
-Emily
Anonymous
December 12, 2012 at 9:53 PMI think you are going to run really really close to maxing out on the fabric, 7yrds on the skirt; 4 on the bustle, and 1 1/2 for the bodice will only leave you 2 1/2 for pleating, and if you are going all around the bottom of that skirt, plus the bodice & apron/bustle combo it will be very close. You could always order more, hopefully from the same dye lot roll, and fashion a great bonnet to match if you have any leftover fabric. Always better to have too much, than too little. Good luck and will be keeping an eye out for your future posts.
Lauren Stowell
December 12, 2012 at 10:12 PMI'll have to be clever, hehe. The skirt only took 4.25 yards, and the apron calls for about the same. The bodice calls for 2.75 yards, but without the sleeves, and the neckline cut quite low, it will be less. That leaves me, rounded, about 5 yards to cut ruffles and pleats out of. If they are fairly narrow strips fluted instead of pleated, I think quite a lot can be achieved. (haha, famous last words). I may be off to the store to find a complimentary trim fabric!
Anonymous
December 13, 2012 at 12:00 AMThat picture and the fabric are awesome, green is one of my favorite colors. I can't wait to see the dress you make!
Vienna La Rouge
December 13, 2012 at 4:29 PMThis is going to be STUNNING.
Even though the first half of the 1870s has never been my favorite time period fashion-wise, I still see the occasional plate the peaks my fancy. Possibly enough to take a jab at it. Some early bustle styles were just too high-wasted for my taste when paired with such voluminous skirts. This project of yours may just give me the inspiration to do one of my own too.
xoxo
Lauren Stowell
December 16, 2012 at 4:08 AMI agree, I prefer the later 1870s, with the long lines, into the '80s. This gown is kindof a smoosh of the two decades, with a goth-steampunk twist. So far the amount of fabric in just the underskirt is insane!
Lauren
December 13, 2012 at 5:02 PMYay, bustle gowns! This is going to be fabulous!
Miss Daisy
December 15, 2012 at 4:53 PMI can't wait to see your progress! I think you will do a wonderful job as always! 😉 I think you will have fun with this era… especially since the 1870's-80's drew elements of fashion from the 1770's-80's 🙂
Lauren Stowell
December 16, 2012 at 4:07 AMYes, I love that parallel! I think the gowns of the 1870s are so splendid!