Victorian Update - Bustle pad-whatever
Even though the bodice is nearly finished, and I only have to sew on the buttons and make some button holes or something and sew the darts, I really can't be bothered doing either of those things. Probably because those things seem to make a small difference - like only changing what it looks like by a few small buttons - but they seem like they would take ages or are just too annoying to bother with. Also because there is lots of describing to do and various pictures I have to work out the point of, I haven't written anything about it either.
So I am going to have to write about other stuff instead. Like how I made a bustle pad that pretty much sucks, but maybe it is alright after all, and it only took an evening, or maybe two (but not like two whole evenings since I also made dinner and whatever else in it, so not ages).
Anyway, first I examined the pictures found on this page, Mode Historique - Bustle Era Underwear. and decided on several things, like that it looked like it was as wide as long, that it stuck out about 1/3 of its length, and that, in proportion to one's bottom, it was about so big. From this I drew out the approximate shape on paper and searched my bag of white and off-white almost white materials for suitable fabric. I didn't want to use any linen cos it is too nice, and wanted the thicker base to match in colour the lighter material that made up the gathered sticking-out bit.
Then I got a ruler and divided my drawing of the base piece into three sections, like the pictures. Then got my tape measure and ruler and curved the tape measure over between two of the dividing lines so it stuck up about as much as the padded bit would - ie. used the tape measure to mimic the curve of the padded bit to find how much material woud be need to make that curve. I think it may have been about twice the width of the section. So that told me how much material I would need length-wise to allow for stuffing. Then, since it will be gathered across the width, I think I about doubled the total width to give me enough material to gather. Then I gathered it. And then I gathered up some scraps of material that I decided to stuff it with.
The Ingredients:
I didn't know what I was supposed to stuff it with, and didn't want to use normal stuffing stuff like you use for cushions and teddy bears because I don't have very much, and you always need more than you think, and that's something that I have to pay for to get more of. So I used material scraps that came from making the rest of the outfit so far. Mainly white and cream so it wouldn't show through too much. I cut it up smaller than it was, and needed more of that than I thought as well, so had to use some from my small-material-scraps-to-use-one-day-for-stuffing-something-lumpy bag. Because scraps probably make for lumpy stuffing. But I think the bottom two rows are not stuffed enough anyway. I figure that anything I think of doing that was not actually impossible at the time I am trying to represent can be considered possibly authentic, because if I had the idea surely some other random person in the past could have. I applied this a lot with the other items of clothing.
So I sewed the gathered upper layer onto the base along the top and bottom and along the gather lines, and along one side.
After stuffing it as afore mentioned, I sewed normal bias binding tape stuff along the edges, except the top, where I just folded the edge of the base material over the edge of the gathered section, because I made that edge be along the selvedge and so it is nice and finished already.
Pictures of front and back, stuffed.
I made a ruffle to sew on around the outside, like in that other person's pictures, but I didn't cut a long enough piece of material and it looked stupid, so I didn't bother. I attached it to a random piece of thick woven tape stuff I found from somewhere, and it velcros shut :) Ha ha, velcro. I'm not sure how you are supposed to attach them or whatever, so I decided to just go with what was easiest - especially since this way I didn't have to put everything on and see how much I measured around the waist, and the velcro fastening makes it adjustable.
So, that's it! I should get a picture of it and the petticoat on the dress dummy, and then on me. It will be a similar picture to the one on the site above, but less good looking.
So I am going to have to write about other stuff instead. Like how I made a bustle pad that pretty much sucks, but maybe it is alright after all, and it only took an evening, or maybe two (but not like two whole evenings since I also made dinner and whatever else in it, so not ages).
Anyway, first I examined the pictures found on this page, Mode Historique - Bustle Era Underwear. and decided on several things, like that it looked like it was as wide as long, that it stuck out about 1/3 of its length, and that, in proportion to one's bottom, it was about so big. From this I drew out the approximate shape on paper and searched my bag of white and off-white almost white materials for suitable fabric. I didn't want to use any linen cos it is too nice, and wanted the thicker base to match in colour the lighter material that made up the gathered sticking-out bit.
Then I got a ruler and divided my drawing of the base piece into three sections, like the pictures. Then got my tape measure and ruler and curved the tape measure over between two of the dividing lines so it stuck up about as much as the padded bit would - ie. used the tape measure to mimic the curve of the padded bit to find how much material woud be need to make that curve. I think it may have been about twice the width of the section. So that told me how much material I would need length-wise to allow for stuffing. Then, since it will be gathered across the width, I think I about doubled the total width to give me enough material to gather. Then I gathered it. And then I gathered up some scraps of material that I decided to stuff it with.
The Ingredients:
I didn't know what I was supposed to stuff it with, and didn't want to use normal stuffing stuff like you use for cushions and teddy bears because I don't have very much, and you always need more than you think, and that's something that I have to pay for to get more of. So I used material scraps that came from making the rest of the outfit so far. Mainly white and cream so it wouldn't show through too much. I cut it up smaller than it was, and needed more of that than I thought as well, so had to use some from my small-material-scraps-to-use-one-day-for-stuffing-something-lumpy bag. Because scraps probably make for lumpy stuffing. But I think the bottom two rows are not stuffed enough anyway. I figure that anything I think of doing that was not actually impossible at the time I am trying to represent can be considered possibly authentic, because if I had the idea surely some other random person in the past could have. I applied this a lot with the other items of clothing.So I sewed the gathered upper layer onto the base along the top and bottom and along the gather lines, and along one side.
After stuffing it as afore mentioned, I sewed normal bias binding tape stuff along the edges, except the top, where I just folded the edge of the base material over the edge of the gathered section, because I made that edge be along the selvedge and so it is nice and finished already.Pictures of front and back, stuffed.
I made a ruffle to sew on around the outside, like in that other person's pictures, but I didn't cut a long enough piece of material and it looked stupid, so I didn't bother. I attached it to a random piece of thick woven tape stuff I found from somewhere, and it velcros shut :) Ha ha, velcro. I'm not sure how you are supposed to attach them or whatever, so I decided to just go with what was easiest - especially since this way I didn't have to put everything on and see how much I measured around the waist, and the velcro fastening makes it adjustable.So, that's it! I should get a picture of it and the petticoat on the dress dummy, and then on me. It will be a similar picture to the one on the site above, but less good looking.
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