Bustle Review

I pulled out the gown yesterday to take lots and lots of construction photos to aid my recreation. A overview of this gown can be found here but I needed measurements

First, let's start with scale. I am 5' 8," so tall but not giant. The gown may have been worn a little shorter than this, but this is to take some rough measurements so I can determine how long things need to be.

Measuring my shoulder height to the gown's shoulder height, this gown is 85% my size height.That means to get the same proportions I need to increase everything by 15%.

Getting a similar waist reduction shouldn't be an issue. The bodice has a 25 inch waist - scaled up it's 28 inches. I can get down to 29 with my existing corset, making the proportions entirely doable. I am more concerned about my long arms, as hers were quite short compared to mine. If I go elbow length on the the cape it will obscure my waist, which it didn't on her.

Buttons and hats, buttons and hats. And a cravat, to obscure the transition between single breasted and double breasted. What to do what to do.

And now, gratuitous construction shots of the gown, for your viewing pleasure.

Cut straight along the front, curving for the tails.

The second seam is the side seam, which may either be angled slightly back to make the back appear smaller, or she carried her weight to the front like I do. None of the commercial patterns I've looked at do this.

Whipped armhole, not clipped. Seam allowances are either tiny (many on the sevlage) or wide and turned in on itself. Tie for hanging. Skirt has a set as well.

Bound hem, faced inside with a polished canvas and outside with silk taffeta. Pleated edges are double turned on the bottom, single turned on top. Stitched down from the top.

Probably won't be recreating this. Pleats started getting narrower and the facing doesn't quite line up at the side seam. There are all lot of little things about this gown I wouldn't let leave my sewing room.

Showing the curve of the bodice. It lies straight over the hips. The pleat breaks just below the waist. Used to have buttons down the pleat.

Edge of the cape. 3 rows of piping - blue bias satin, beige bias taffeta, blue bias taffeta, faced with a hair reinforcement, also on the bias. Flat lined with polished twill, faced with taffeta binding to hide the raw edges.

Polished canvas facing in the skirt, with hand stitching from the rouching visible.

Rouching, which is visible in the back between the fall and the over skirt. Gathering stitches visible as are the stay stitches.

A pocket is hidden in the side pleats. May it have been tacked up a little higher to support the pocket's weight?

Back panel is cut straight, with 3 gored front panels. Fullness in back. Skirt is 70 inches around. Hemmed from the top. Over skirt attached separately. You can see the machine stitching just below the waistband, tacking down the overlap from the twill base skirt.

Cuffs were altered to make them longer, unrolled a bit to turn a fairly wide cuff into a narrower one, plus added lace for even more length. Probably when the mockery that is the buttons was done. Cuff is faced on the bias with taffeta, with evidence of stitching inside for some sort edging. Standing collar show evidence of an edging too.

Turned under seams. The seam allowances were cut wide and turned under, held together with a straight stitch. This instance is unusual as the shoulder seam for the cape is only partially pipe (single blue bias, no cording, in case) and  and rather than flat lining turned against fashion and opened, both are finished at once. The thread is from where the cape was tacked to the bodice.

Selvages are used all over the place. You can see the multi colored weft. Brown reeled silk (very had to spot) against the rougher white spun silk. It is what gives this taffeta an unusual depth. It's white taffeta that shot with white and brown. Beautiful stuff. Wish I could find something like it.