(no subject)
Jul. 23rd, 2003 07:42 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
greysumi.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
egl_archiveAs promised...
The key thing to remember about bustling is that SOMETHING must support the bustle. Most common options are:
I. Bulk of fabric gathered or pleated and confined to a small area and prevented from spreading out over the body
II. Bulk and crispness of fabric combined with angle of attachment to encourage standing away from the body
III. Underpinnings
I.
Number one is often the one that throws people off. Something must confine that extra bustle fabric to the back and keep it voluminous. Otherwise, it will fall limp and spread itself over the body beneath. Generally, the volume is accomplished with contrasting pleats and gathers (positioned to work against each other, enhancing volume and encouraging the fabric to stand away from the body). The confinement is accomplished either with backing fabric of the width you wish to confine the bustle to or with ties. Generally, the ties are more versatile while the backing fabric gives a better silhouette and a more stable feeling skirt. The volume of the bustle is determined by the crispness and relative size of the bustle fabric to the backing fabric. More crispness/bigger size = more volume.
1. You should make the bustle as one piece before attaching it to the rest of the skirt. This piece looks somewhat like this (only without the wavering lines of a bad mouse *sigh*)
2. On that piece of fabric, mark the points on both sides where you want to pleat your bustle bits to--if you want a symmetrical skirt, you need symmetrical markings. No short cuts on this part. You can use wide pleats for longer "looped" effect or even simple gathering for a bunched effect. A smaller set of pleats gives a more rippled effect. Decide what look you're going for, and determine your pleating accordingly.
3. Pause a moment to hem the lower edge of your bustle fabric.
4. Now determine how much of your bustle fabric if any you want to hang free and mark that section.
5. Measure from that point to the top of your bustle fabric and divide by the number of pleats you decided to put in. That measurement will be how far apart your pleating markings will be.
6. Mark off those increments on both sides of your bustle material.
7. Now gather (or pleat) the top of your bustle fabric until it fits the top of your backing fabric and sew it in place.
8. Once that's done, begin bringing up the pleat markings to your backing fabric markings and pin at marks.
9. Once you have all of the marks pinned, begin pinning the raw edges together smoothly so that you have one harmonious (but layered) edge on each side of the backing piece with the "bags" of fabric hanging towards the floor.
10. Sew down the edge so that all of the pleats are solidly in place.
11. At this point, I finish all of my edges because you will encounter a lot of fraying.
(Alternate 11.5: If I leave a train below the bustled fabric, I roll the edges of the bustle/train fabric under where they'll emerge from the side seams, and pin them in place before I sew the bustle fabric to the backing fabric. This lets me hem the sides of the train neatly after the bustling is done. Alternately, you can hem the sides of the bustle fabric before you sew it to the backing fabric, but this adds unnecessary bulk.)
12. Now that this piece is done, you can sew it to the rest of your skirt, whatever shape you decided that skirt to be.
13. Now that that's done, find the center of the bustled fabric and the center of the backing fabric at the middle of the hidden fold within each pleat (the highest folded part within a pleat that's hidden by the fabric draping over it) and hand-tack it down there if you want a more gathered than flowing effect. The stitches should be hidden by the drape of the fabric. (unfortunately, I couldn't figure out a way to draw this step, but it should become apparent once you've reached this point in the sewing what I mean--otherwise, I can attempt greater explanation). If you want to skip this step, that's fine, you just end up with a more flowing bustle effect.
If you do all steps, you'll end up with something that looks like this:
You can do this with the back piece of pretty much any skirt pattern that's a-line or narrower and based on a straight grain cut.
II.
Version two looks like this:
It's accomplished by very tightly gathering quite a lot of very crisp fabric to a small waistband. You can control where the fabric is most tightly gathered by the manner in which you stitch it to your waistband. If you're making an elastic waistband, you can adjust the gathers on the waistband as you want them to fall on the wearer, and then take a vertical line of sewing through the elastic and waistband at the points where the density of gathers changes. (this skirt has the greatest concentration of gathers towards the back for more bustle effect and none in the front. There are two vertical lines of stitching to either side of the smooth area in the front that prevent the fabric from sliding onto that portion of the elastic in gathers). The lighter and more crisp the fabric, the greater the volume.
III.
Version three looks somewhat like this:
This skirt is made much like version one, but has a "pocket" of gathered netting in the back that lays beneath the pleated fabric. This is just one form of underpinning. You can make a petticoat with the netting gathered only to the back like this, strap on a padded "bum" beneath the skirt (can use a small throw pillow for this even, sew ribbons to the two top corners and tie around your waist) or you can make a larger real bustle out of spring steel and fabric. Unfortunately, THAT one does require a pattern and careful drafting and as such, I recommend that you order one from someplace experienced or at the very least a pattern. For daily wear, netting or padding give plenty of oomph beneath your bustle.
The skirt above is also accomplished with ties beneath the draping to keep the drapes confined to the back of the skirt--this is generally more effective than trying to stitch padding/netting AND gathered fabric onto a stabilizing piece when you're using underpinnings to help with the volume. It is also done without the center tack. You can compare the draping of this version with the draping of the first style to see what changes with the tacked center.
The key thing to remember about bustling is that SOMETHING must support the bustle. Most common options are:
I. Bulk of fabric gathered or pleated and confined to a small area and prevented from spreading out over the body
II. Bulk and crispness of fabric combined with angle of attachment to encourage standing away from the body
III. Underpinnings
I.
Number one is often the one that throws people off. Something must confine that extra bustle fabric to the back and keep it voluminous. Otherwise, it will fall limp and spread itself over the body beneath. Generally, the volume is accomplished with contrasting pleats and gathers (positioned to work against each other, enhancing volume and encouraging the fabric to stand away from the body). The confinement is accomplished either with backing fabric of the width you wish to confine the bustle to or with ties. Generally, the ties are more versatile while the backing fabric gives a better silhouette and a more stable feeling skirt. The volume of the bustle is determined by the crispness and relative size of the bustle fabric to the backing fabric. More crispness/bigger size = more volume.
1. You should make the bustle as one piece before attaching it to the rest of the skirt. This piece looks somewhat like this (only without the wavering lines of a bad mouse *sigh*)
2. On that piece of fabric, mark the points on both sides where you want to pleat your bustle bits to--if you want a symmetrical skirt, you need symmetrical markings. No short cuts on this part. You can use wide pleats for longer "looped" effect or even simple gathering for a bunched effect. A smaller set of pleats gives a more rippled effect. Decide what look you're going for, and determine your pleating accordingly.
3. Pause a moment to hem the lower edge of your bustle fabric.
4. Now determine how much of your bustle fabric if any you want to hang free and mark that section.
5. Measure from that point to the top of your bustle fabric and divide by the number of pleats you decided to put in. That measurement will be how far apart your pleating markings will be.
6. Mark off those increments on both sides of your bustle material.
7. Now gather (or pleat) the top of your bustle fabric until it fits the top of your backing fabric and sew it in place.
8. Once that's done, begin bringing up the pleat markings to your backing fabric markings and pin at marks.
9. Once you have all of the marks pinned, begin pinning the raw edges together smoothly so that you have one harmonious (but layered) edge on each side of the backing piece with the "bags" of fabric hanging towards the floor.
10. Sew down the edge so that all of the pleats are solidly in place.
11. At this point, I finish all of my edges because you will encounter a lot of fraying.
(Alternate 11.5: If I leave a train below the bustled fabric, I roll the edges of the bustle/train fabric under where they'll emerge from the side seams, and pin them in place before I sew the bustle fabric to the backing fabric. This lets me hem the sides of the train neatly after the bustling is done. Alternately, you can hem the sides of the bustle fabric before you sew it to the backing fabric, but this adds unnecessary bulk.)
12. Now that this piece is done, you can sew it to the rest of your skirt, whatever shape you decided that skirt to be.
13. Now that that's done, find the center of the bustled fabric and the center of the backing fabric at the middle of the hidden fold within each pleat (the highest folded part within a pleat that's hidden by the fabric draping over it) and hand-tack it down there if you want a more gathered than flowing effect. The stitches should be hidden by the drape of the fabric. (unfortunately, I couldn't figure out a way to draw this step, but it should become apparent once you've reached this point in the sewing what I mean--otherwise, I can attempt greater explanation). If you want to skip this step, that's fine, you just end up with a more flowing bustle effect.
If you do all steps, you'll end up with something that looks like this:
You can do this with the back piece of pretty much any skirt pattern that's a-line or narrower and based on a straight grain cut.
II.
Version two looks like this:
It's accomplished by very tightly gathering quite a lot of very crisp fabric to a small waistband. You can control where the fabric is most tightly gathered by the manner in which you stitch it to your waistband. If you're making an elastic waistband, you can adjust the gathers on the waistband as you want them to fall on the wearer, and then take a vertical line of sewing through the elastic and waistband at the points where the density of gathers changes. (this skirt has the greatest concentration of gathers towards the back for more bustle effect and none in the front. There are two vertical lines of stitching to either side of the smooth area in the front that prevent the fabric from sliding onto that portion of the elastic in gathers). The lighter and more crisp the fabric, the greater the volume.
III.
Version three looks somewhat like this:
This skirt is made much like version one, but has a "pocket" of gathered netting in the back that lays beneath the pleated fabric. This is just one form of underpinning. You can make a petticoat with the netting gathered only to the back like this, strap on a padded "bum" beneath the skirt (can use a small throw pillow for this even, sew ribbons to the two top corners and tie around your waist) or you can make a larger real bustle out of spring steel and fabric. Unfortunately, THAT one does require a pattern and careful drafting and as such, I recommend that you order one from someplace experienced or at the very least a pattern. For daily wear, netting or padding give plenty of oomph beneath your bustle.
The skirt above is also accomplished with ties beneath the draping to keep the drapes confined to the back of the skirt--this is generally more effective than trying to stitch padding/netting AND gathered fabric onto a stabilizing piece when you're using underpinnings to help with the volume. It is also done without the center tack. You can compare the draping of this version with the draping of the first style to see what changes with the tacked center.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-07-23 08:04 pm (UTC)Thank you so much! *hearts*
no subject
Date: 2003-07-24 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-24 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-23 09:45 pm (UTC)would you mind cross-posting it on my sewing community
i am sure the girls there would love to read it.
thanks
no subject
Date: 2003-07-23 10:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-24 02:07 am (UTC)Thank you. Added to my memories now...
no subject
Date: 2003-07-24 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-25 11:22 pm (UTC)Contrast and brightness enhanced (http://noisebox.dhs.org/~ogre/threeviews.jpg) here.
-Ogre
no subject
Date: 2003-07-25 11:42 pm (UTC)