. Truly Victorian Grand Bustle 108

 

I like Big Bustles and I cannot lie

Materials: 

Sheet from Goodwill: $1.50

Boning from an old hoop: $0

Bone casing from goodwill: $50

Pattern: $10.00

Total: $12.50

So this pattern is pretty straightforward. There are four gored pieces that make up the front and are smooth. There is on curved piece for the back, and another piece that is used to pull the ends of the boning together and keep the boned bustle part off your legs. 

I did the Truly Victorian Digital patterns that are printed off on the computer, laid out so the sides and matching, then taped together. I then cut it like a regular paper pattern and use it like normal.

Like this!

So for the next step, cut out all the pattern pieces and put boning channels on the back piece before sewing to the front and sides or putting in the brace piece. I chose to put the ruffles on next before adding boning or doing any more sewing. The instructions said to put the boning channels on the outside but I put them on the inside and just closed the boning casings by hand. 

Mark on the back piece where you want to place the ruffles. I put mine every four inches so that the ends are overlapping. Using this spacing, the bustle took seven ruffles.

I gathered the ruffles by hand, and sewed them on by machine, making sure to be mindful of the boning channels, and skipping over the spot where channel 7 goes vertical. Channel 7 is kinda special as instead of going horizontal like the other channels, it will go in a bow vertically, run through a tap, then bow back down and tuck into the other side. Like a rainbow that lays over the other bones. 

If the ruffles are sewn on upside down, when you flip them over like the picture above, there should be no exposed seams.

Next step is to sew this back floofy piece to the back brace, and then taking the edges where the two pieces are sewn together and sew to the side. This should make a circle. The front two panels will have your waist opening. hem the whole things and add a waistband. And you are done!  This style is for the first bustle period and works from early to late 1870's and will fall out of fashion with the transition to the natural form era. 

And yes, dancing around the house singing "I like big butts and cannot lie" is totally acceptable.