1875 corset from De Gracieuse (to match my bustle!!)

I'm so glad I finally finished this corset!! Yay!

I had such a fun little photoshoot with this. I've always wanted to do a Victorian long hair photoshoot, too, so I let my hair fly around a bit.

I used a random piece of knit fabric to cover my bookshelves for a backdrop, and had a chair and a shawl for props.

And here it is with the matching bustle!

My background dropcloth was not quite big enough to get the whole bustle in, so I took it down and did a few just in front of my books.

I made this bustle several years ago, and it was always the plan to make a corset to match. But the fabric just hung around while I waited to find the right pattern. So glad I finally did!

I know of no historical evidence showing matching corset and bustle sets from the 19th century, but I really like having a matched pair!

Here's the inner view of the bustle so you can see how the half-circle hoops are controlled by the ties.

I was too lazy to sort through too many more photos so I just pasted a bunch in, enjoy!

Sitting down in this is very comfy - the bust is low enough that I don't get that annoying "my bust is hitting my chin" feeling.

Nice for lounging, too!

Okay, onto The Details.

I made this from a pattern I enlarged from De Gracieuse magazine 1875 (links at bottom). I used my projector to enlarge the pattern:

I went through a couple of mock-ups to refine the fit:

And finally made the corset from teal green cotton twill with black cotton twill tape bone channels.

The bones are narrow German plastic, except at the lacing edge where they are 1/4" steel. This corset is very lightly boned. There were a few bones sketched into the original pattern, but it didn't seem like a complete diagram, so I just sort of made it up.

I LOVE the angled seams, both for fitting and aesthetics. You can see in the side view how I got extra curves by bending the busk (a trick I originally learned from my friend at Before The Automobile).

The Good: It's super comfy, very curvy, has a tiny waist, and I love the shape. The color is pretty and the topstitching on my boning channels came out nearly invisible. The length is great: bust is nice and low, cute short waist, and I can sit down without bust spillage.

The Bad: I like to think of this as "notes for next time" rather than fussy nitpicking.

The bust curves aren't entirely smooth. Whether this is due to my square pokey ribs or just not having enough bust tissue to fill out the bottom of the gore, I don't know. The bust gores wrinkle a bit too. Possibly cording the gores would solve both of these issues (in another version). Or, as my friend Sabrina suggested, adding some padding inside.

And the top edge is not very smooth, but a bit jagged. Trimming that edge to a smoother shape might help, but I think it's also the one bone poking up. I can see now why flossing is more than a decorative detail! It would help keep the bone in place.

Overall: I really like it. I cannot wait to start making a new dress for over it! But I also want to make another one sometime with a few changes!

Here is the website to find De Gracieuse magazine issues.

Here is the entire 1875 issue 24.

The page with image of the corset is here, and the pattern sheet is here.

Now in case those links don't stand the test of time, you can search for De Gracieuse 1875 aflevering 24; the corset illustration is on page 202 and the pattern sheet is listed as a supplement - (pagina 202/2 subbl no 24 keerzijde).

Doll Clothes and More!

For my new Wee Wonderfuls dolls, I used several of the clothes pieces that came with the pattern. I also modified a few and made up a couple of my own.

I had just as much fun making the clothes as the dolls, and once I started I didn't want to stop! For the first doll I made four outfits, using the Peasant Top, Basics Top and Bottom, Wide Leg Pants, and Pinafore, all from the pattern.

I made up this skirt - it's just a 24" rectangle with an elastic waist.

I used the pattern's Basics Top for both jammies and T-shirts, but I didn't like the way the back was left completely open. For this floral version, I scooped the neckline wider and lower so the shirt could fit over the doll's head, but it ended up too loose and baggy, so I threaded a tiny elastic through it and cinched it up a bit. For the jammies I left the back half-open with a small velcro at the top.

The peasant top and wide-leg pants I made as-is.

I modified the Peasant Blouse and Pinafore combo into a dress and apron. The Peasant Blouse just needed more length.

I made the Pinafore more open in back and changed the strap configuration.

So cute!

I really wanted to make undies, first of all because they are heckin' cute, but also because my niece is learning to dress herself and potty train, so this is a fun example for her!

White cotton knit with lacy elastic at the waist. The leg openings are left unhemmed because I couldn't get them to behave.

I improvised this undies pattern. It turned out. . . okayish!

Of course she needed a bag to carry all her things in!

To make the bag, I stacked up all her clothes and measured how much space they would need, then drafted the bag pattern just a little larger.

 Everything fit perfectly!

I made a few little accessories to round out the set. A snack: bread, lettuce, and a Babybel cheese (my niece's favorite!) a toothbrush, and a little book.

I also made a book for my niece all about her new doll! My sister asked that the doll arrive with a name already (so she wouldn't have to think of one!) so I made this book titled Hello From Louise. I had such a blast taking photos all over my house!

I made a paper/doodle mockup/storyboard first, then printed this on light cardstock at home. I didn't bother to print double-sided, I just glued the pages' wrong sides together. I joined the book by sewing a thick linen thread through the fold.

With all that done, the second doll needed some clothes, too! Her first outfit was pajamas, the same fabric as the first doll's.

You can just see a little of the velcro-top closure here.

Then a t-shirt and pants from some of my super-cool remnants.

Which just so happened to match a shirt I made for F last year!

Then a blousey peasant top and some linen pants.

Which ALSO matched an outfit The Kid already had! Yay for remnants!

Both dolls got wool felt shoes. I was nervous about them fitting but the pattern was perfect! And so easy to hand-sew in front of the tv.

I love them both! So much fun to make and dress!

Everything in this pattern worked great, and it was a fantastic deal for the doll pattern and her whole wardrobe in one! You can buy this pattern as a pdf here.

See my first post about constructing the dolls here.