The Crafty Side of Life: Under and over

In my last post I promised to show, what I have under and over my blue and silver polka dot dress, so here we are. We all know that accessories, and understructure can make of break a historical outfit, so it is all worth to think them through.

I did mention in my procrastinating post that I made two different bustle...

Actually I made three, as my friend, Anna wanted one, and I was like, making one would be just as difficult or easy as making two, so we started with hers.

It was a lobster tail, from the Truly Victorian pattern.

Then, since my dress is an early 1870-ies dress, when bustles were still trnasitioning from the round hoop-skirts, and then the oval shaper crinolins, so they were still round-ish, though the emphasis were on the back. Besides, I am talking with someone about a comission for a set of underwear for the early bustle period, I was like, why not try the grand bustle, then I will have the pattern, the knowledge, the experience, and the choice, so I can decide what to wear under a certain dress.

The pattern also came from the Truly Victorian company, there is two things I might note: one that a smaller one might have been enough, not for the back, that is fine, but I had to gather the front of the skirt lightly. The other, that if I used the pattern as it was, the back was to rounded, or two flat, I am not sure which is the right expression. Anyhow, I took out some bits from the inner insert (that actually holds the shape of the back). Now, I might have taken ot too much, thus the back is more pronounced, more shelf, like, so next time I would probably go for some middle route. However, I love all those ruffles, even though they did took a ton of fabric (I used some embroidered white cotton, I Love Textile has in their shop these days. ).

Then I became a bit unsure (besides I was on high levele procrastination mode, so I did a lobster tail for myself too.

Just for the fun of it... and because I could not decide which shape would fit my dress better, and I kinda thought that this dress would not be my last bustle dress, I do have fabric for others (inluding some 1880-ies stuff), and also, because I could procrastinate doing the actual dress, while working on it.

Then, the bustle shape also needed a new petticoat, and you know I love fun fabrics peeking out, an di had the choice either to make it from the white, embroidered fabric, or the blue stripy one... For this time, I chose the blue stripy one, because... just because I loved it and it went well with the blue dress anyway.

This is the petticoat on my dressmaker dummie with the lobster tail bustle. Also used Truly Victorian pattern for it, but next time I will have to be more careful, as I started with more pintucks as the original said, and I still had to add two extra, because it was so long.

At the end, I did decide to wear the grand bustle and the stripy petticoat, and even though I do have an 1860-ies corset-cover, the edwardian I just made fitted so much better with the neckline of the polka-dot bodice.

So basically what is underneath? A chemise, a split drawer, stockings, shoes, corset (yes, in that order!), bustle, petticoat, and a corsetcover.

And what is over the dress? Meaning, what accessories I used?

First of all, I needed HAIR. My own hair is rather deceivingly dissapointing, as it looks okay, like fairly long, and rather white, but I have precious little of it. Using hairpieces are also a careful balancing act, as every ~~gray~~ umm, silver hair is totally unique, and not only most of the hair-piece makers largely ignore the fact that silver haired women might want to add to what is already on their head, the rare silver hairpieces that are out there, very difficult to match. I have a bunch of them, that are just a bit off, not quite right, or okay under a hairnet, etc. Also, since I have very little hair on my head, and what is there is very sensitive, even if I do find hairpieces in the proper color, they are very difficult to attach, as 1). I don't have enough to attach too, 2) I do not have enough to hide the place they are attached.

In this case I had a lucky stroke, as in one of those asian type of stores, that have everything from underwear through food to showerheads, they also had a few hairpieces, and one, that you can click around an existing ponytale had just the right color.

And I could click it around to the ponytail I can make from my own hair, so attaching it was easier too.

Now, I only needed to make ringlets from it. To do that I rolled up around some old foam hairrollers, that passed their prime, so I wanted to cull anyway.

Dipped the whole thing in boiling hot water, leaving it long enough so the hot water truly penetrated it, and then left it until it was absolutely, totally bonedry.

Then I only had to add a braid, I already had, and my 1870-ies hairstyle was done.

There was two things left, a hat and a handbag. I do have two antique handbag, but since tas pretty as they are, both of them are really old, they are starting to fall apart, and I wanted to keep them, and not abuse them any longer, so the last night before the event, as an attemp to win the who does the craziest thing the last night I decided to make one. I wanted to give ribbon embroidery a try, but I failed at the first stitch, I resorted to some soutache, I already knew I can make. This was the first bag (that is attached to a wire frame) I made and I know, there is room for improvement, but now, that I tried it, I know this is not the last one.

As for the hat, I had tiny small hat I bought off E-bay a couple of years ago (after I looked it for years, thinking that once we are doing bustle period, they will be good.) I was thinking about doing a wire and buckram hat, but run out of time, and this small base hat was my safety net.

I added ribbon, some blue flowers, and a couple of blue feathers.

I wore it at the top of my head, and secured with hairpins.

I used an old pair crocheted glove I had, and that is it. Depending on the event, a parasol and/or a fan could be added (and I had them with me at the event), but at the minute just before I went out, I decided, that they would be too much, and would not add to the caratcter, but would hiner my performance if I have to pay attentin to them too, so they were left in the dressing room.