Bustle Overskirt: A kinda Tutorial Thingy...
I originally tried to drape the overskirts of my dress with a length of fabric, and had a kinda thing happening. But then I asked my teacher her opinion, and she was able to work out a much easier way to do it (which I would never have thought of, and it's probably much closer to period accurate!). We ended up doing a mini version, which I have taken lots of photos of to demonstrate how I'm going about it. I figured by posting lots of pictures, it might be of use to others.
As a refresher, here is the Inspiration Dress:
The front section will be made using TV 208 Trained skirt ensemble, View B. In this pattern, it's supposed to be attached into the skirt seam, but I'm just going to let it sit loose. I had thought about using View A front apron, as this meets at the CB, but I didn't think this was really necessary as the back skirts will overlap the front at the sides. They'll both be attached to the same waistband. I'll wait and see how it looks on the mannequin, but I may add in a fake trim to simulate the second, higher overskirt. I think this is actually meant to be part of the bodice, but I would make it a fake trim if I add that in.
Now for the back section:
First pic is the top of the back overskirt, second is the back. Now lets see if I can explain my markings! The little circles denote the embroidered taffeta, the diagonal lines indicate the lining. As you can see, it's an oval shape, which will be made from two widths of fabric with a CB seam (marked by a solid line)). The dotted line is where the overskirt will be folded (photos later will demonstrate). The two solid lines either side of this fold are the seams between the embroidered taffeta and the lining; this is so the embroidered taffeta will always be shown once the oval is folded, and allows for an overlap (I'm thinking 10cm) so I can play with the draping on the form. Hope that all makes sense!
Folded along the dotted line. Here you can see why I need those seams, so that the embroidered taffeta will always be on top. I would actually LOVE to do something similar to this with a jacquard or brocade, showcasing both side of the fabric! Actually, there's a few different variations you could do with this.
The CB of this top, folded over section is then pleated along to CB. I'll do this on the form, to make sure the pleats sit nicely. I tried also pleating along the fold line, but it changed the shape of the the folded bit too much, and didn't look as nice. I think I will have to do some kind of pleating along this line, as it's visible in the illustration, but this might be something else to play with on the form.
The finished product as modelled by my little friend Henry here. You can see how well it mimics the shape shown in the illustration. I still can't believe how easy this is, compared to the method I was going to do (which required pieces lots of bits together).
The Embroidered taffeta is the outer fabric for the overskirts, and I have some lining fabric for the lining. It's a pale pink, which kind of matched, but not perfectly, so I'd prefer not to show it if possible. I'm considering also adding some tulle between the two layers to help add a bit of body to the overskirt. I had also thought that I might add tapes to the overskirt as well, so that I can bustle it when wearing the day bodice, for a bit of a different look (the day underskirt is being bustled too).
I also need to decide what trims I want to use, as I plan to bag out the overskirt, so they'll need to be sandwiched into the seams. I bought some 10mm satin ribbon for use around the very edges, as illustrated (I had hoped to find a matching velvet ribbon for this, but I could not find one that matched well enough, or one that was within my price range!). I really like the pleated frill in the illustration as well, but I'm not sure what fabric to use for this. I could use the embroidered taffeta, but I'm not sure it will look as effective as a plain fabric. I can't use either of the underskirt fabrics (the satin or the taffeta), as they do not match each other, and I need to be able to mix and match this overskirt with both underskirts. It's almost impossible to find a matching or even complimentary pink, and I think a green (to match the leaves) might not match with the two underskirt fabrics. I'm leaning towards a cream/ivory/white, depending on what other trims I use.
As a refresher, here is the Inspiration Dress:
The front section will be made using TV 208 Trained skirt ensemble, View B. In this pattern, it's supposed to be attached into the skirt seam, but I'm just going to let it sit loose. I had thought about using View A front apron, as this meets at the CB, but I didn't think this was really necessary as the back skirts will overlap the front at the sides. They'll both be attached to the same waistband. I'll wait and see how it looks on the mannequin, but I may add in a fake trim to simulate the second, higher overskirt. I think this is actually meant to be part of the bodice, but I would make it a fake trim if I add that in.
Now for the back section:
First pic is the top of the back overskirt, second is the back. Now lets see if I can explain my markings! The little circles denote the embroidered taffeta, the diagonal lines indicate the lining. As you can see, it's an oval shape, which will be made from two widths of fabric with a CB seam (marked by a solid line)). The dotted line is where the overskirt will be folded (photos later will demonstrate). The two solid lines either side of this fold are the seams between the embroidered taffeta and the lining; this is so the embroidered taffeta will always be shown once the oval is folded, and allows for an overlap (I'm thinking 10cm) so I can play with the draping on the form. Hope that all makes sense!
Folded along the dotted line. Here you can see why I need those seams, so that the embroidered taffeta will always be on top. I would actually LOVE to do something similar to this with a jacquard or brocade, showcasing both side of the fabric! Actually, there's a few different variations you could do with this.
The CB of this top, folded over section is then pleated along to CB. I'll do this on the form, to make sure the pleats sit nicely. I tried also pleating along the fold line, but it changed the shape of the the folded bit too much, and didn't look as nice. I think I will have to do some kind of pleating along this line, as it's visible in the illustration, but this might be something else to play with on the form.
The finished product as modelled by my little friend Henry here. You can see how well it mimics the shape shown in the illustration. I still can't believe how easy this is, compared to the method I was going to do (which required pieces lots of bits together).
The Embroidered taffeta is the outer fabric for the overskirts, and I have some lining fabric for the lining. It's a pale pink, which kind of matched, but not perfectly, so I'd prefer not to show it if possible. I'm considering also adding some tulle between the two layers to help add a bit of body to the overskirt. I had also thought that I might add tapes to the overskirt as well, so that I can bustle it when wearing the day bodice, for a bit of a different look (the day underskirt is being bustled too).
I also need to decide what trims I want to use, as I plan to bag out the overskirt, so they'll need to be sandwiched into the seams. I bought some 10mm satin ribbon for use around the very edges, as illustrated (I had hoped to find a matching velvet ribbon for this, but I could not find one that matched well enough, or one that was within my price range!). I really like the pleated frill in the illustration as well, but I'm not sure what fabric to use for this. I could use the embroidered taffeta, but I'm not sure it will look as effective as a plain fabric. I can't use either of the underskirt fabrics (the satin or the taffeta), as they do not match each other, and I need to be able to mix and match this overskirt with both underskirts. It's almost impossible to find a matching or even complimentary pink, and I think a green (to match the leaves) might not match with the two underskirt fabrics. I'm leaning towards a cream/ivory/white, depending on what other trims I use.