1871 dress, ball gown version

The ball gown bodice was also made using the same 1870-71 dress pattern from Patterns of Fashion. I altered only the size. It's lined with cotton sateen and boned only on center front. It also closes with hooks and eyelets.

The making of:

The bodice has piping on the top edge and around armholes.

1871 dress aka the Tissot dress

A sheer cotton voile dress. The bodice is lined with white cotton sateen. It's based on the 1870-71 dress in Patterns of Fashion. The inspiration came from the paintings In the Conservatory and Bunch of Lilacs by Tissot. I for the skirts I basically used the patten as it were and only altered the underskirt length as I added five inches to the hem, cut the train a little shorter and changed the overskirt opening from front to center back. I also had to add an inch to the waistband. For the bodice I altered the size and proportions a little and the bodice back piecing. Apart from the long skirt seams and the main bodice seams, it's handsewn. It's worn over my early bustle underwear introduced earlier.

Construction:

I sewed the skirts with french seams.

The overskirt tapes are attached with buttons sewn on the skirt.

The flounces are edged with a rolled hem and pleated. The box pleated trim and the flounces are hand sewn to the skirt.

The underside.

The bodice is left a little short.

The basque belt covers the gap.

The bodice closes with hooks and eyelets. It's boned only on the center front.

1860's corset

This corset is an unaltered version of the Corsets and Crinolines (Norah Waugh) 1860's corset. It's very short, but I wanted to try it in an unaltered size and it actually works but it couldn't be any shorter. Because it's short it's easy to lace tightly. I can get a 22" waist in it when I usually don't go under 23". It's made of duchess silk satin flatlined with cotton coutil, treating the two layers as one. Sewing technique is the same I always use in Victorian corsets, illustrated in the bottom picture. I really like it, because it forms a very thin seam if you don't overlap the seam allowances. The flossing is also white so it's hard to see it, but it's there.

Early bustle underwear

I drafted the chemise pattern after looking a lot of museum examples online. I tried to make it in a style that would fit both 1860's and 1870's. It's made of thin cotton and the trimmed with cotton lace. The drawers are also drafted by me, trimmed with the same lace and pintucks.

The is a one layer cotton coutil corset, sewn with machine using period techniques described in The Fashions Of The Gilded Age by Frances Grimble. The pattern is based on the c. 1873 corset from Corsets and Crinolines by Norah Waugh. The corset is heavily corded with cotton cord, which stiffens the corset wonderfully.

The bustle pattern is based on the one in Corsets and Crinolines, only drafted a little lager. 

The petticoats are stiffened with flounces and cotton cording.

The layers.