A Tounure fit for Royalty!

Phew! I'm all caught up! I just finished this today! It took me about 6 hours (I took a break to bake a cake!) and was awesome! I just need a moment to say: Oh my god! This is such a fantastic item! I love how it fits and sits and it's so light and comfy! It's Truly Victorian's (see a pattern here? haha pun intended!) TV163 Imperial Tounure! It went together so easily!

This is the ruffles pinned on just before sewing. The boning channels are already on and I think they may have been the trickiest bit just because the material kept wanting to fold around them. 

The ruffles sewn on! They look so nice and add a nice flair to the bottom.

Yay it's one! My camera isn't too clear (not sure why, I just cleaned it) but the front is nice. I like how it is open in the front and the sides keep it from slipping around.

The back! It's so bumped out! This pattern comes in two sizes: Regular and Imperial which is bigger. I chose to make the Imperial because I wanted nice a big in the back! 

I got my hubby to take these pictures! It looks just like a lobster tail! It's fantastic! It also feels like it can hold up a lot of weight! 

I'm wearing yoga capris underneath because I didn't want to drag out the chemise. Also, we are in the middle of a heat wave and it's hoooooootttttt!!!

So this is the most recent thing I've made. Next up on my list is a walking out dress to use with this bustle! I'm so excited and now I just need to save!

Hustle and Bustle!

Almost all caught up! This is my first bustle that I made. It's from Truly Victorian (seriously she makes the best patterns!) I believe it's TV108. It might also be TV101. I have both haha. This wasn't too tricky although the ruffles were annoying. I got the hang of them have way through. 

I also find that I don't like using hook and eye closures on any undergarments so I use a drawstring. It works well and can easily be hidden to make the front flush. You can also see where I got a little excited and missed some material sewing. I would still wear this out under a dress though. 

Here's the other side! I love the way it stick out in the back. I've yet to try it with skirts so I have no idea how well it will hold up.  The pattern is simple enough to follow. I don't think there were any super tricky bits. One of these days I will have a dress to wear over it!

Corsetry 101

Oh my! You're back! Next up is my corset! I have to say that I'm incredibly proud of this piece as it is quite technical and it's perfect! I just have to finish the raws edges (hide them with bias tape) and it'll be done! So happy!

I don't think I have any WIP pictures of it. Mostly because I was so excited about getting through and finishing it! 

It was made with Laughing Moon's Silverado Pattern (I believe) and this too was a fantastic pattern to use! Well written instructions and lots of tips and trips with regards to fitting.

I used the regular amount of boning suggested in the patterns so it's not too lightly boned and also not too heavy. I used high quality plastic boning from farthingales. The lining is coutil twill and the fashion fabric is a heavy duty fabric of some kind. (It was on clearance for a good amount so I wasn't asking too many questions!) 

The scariest part of the whole business was sewing in the metal busk. I will admit I was leaning back from the machine quite a bit but I took it slow and go it in there nice and tight! The toughest part was those grommets! I ended up sitting in my garage with a blanket hammering on the concrete! But I got them in there! 

The back is laced with actual corset lace so that I could do it up tight and it will actually hold. It takes  off about 2-3 inches at my waist and completely hides my belly.  I need my husband to do it up though. Haven't quite figured out how to do it myself. 

Here it is on my husband's dress form. I don't have one yet. It obviously doesn't fit the form properly but it was enough for me to get a picture! 

This is just a closeup.

Here it it is actually on me! I love how it feels. I do it up tight and I can still move and breathe. Bending forwards is a little tricky but it can be done. The shift underneath is also from Laughing Moon and is also unfinished. One of these days I will finished a chemise. I swear!

Side profile all nice and flat. I love the curve in the back. I don't honestly know if it's supposed to be there but I love how I look and feel. So sexy!

I slowed down a bit after my corset and got away from sewing. (Life didn't help the situation at all) but I have two more things to show you! Next I think will be my first bustle!

A Grin for my Crinoline!

Hello! I have forgotten in what order I did my projects so I'm just going to post them all as I remember them! So the first on my list is my Crinoline!

It is so pretty! There are two hoops missing because I needed to secure them in properly but the overall shape is there. I really enjoyed using the PVC piping as it's quite light weight. I used the Truly Victorian pattern (this is the first purchased pattern I made). I love her patterns! The instructions are easy to follow and the quality of the paper is fantastic! Some of the hoops are out of shape but it's a simple matter of working them into a perfect round circle. I don't have too many pictures of my hoops. (None close up at least) But I do have this one! It's the hoops with the petticoat over top! Also pictured is my corset which will be the next post!

Apparently I didn't take the time to fluff out the petticoat before I took this picture... Oops!

So Many Missed Posts!

Wow! I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted on my blog! I've finished four projects and haven't posted them! Well. I guess I shall get started!

Petticoat!

I finally finished it! My beautiful little petticoat! And it only took me about three months! I used the free petticoat pattern from Truly Victorian and found it very simple. Although I do not like ruffles. At. All.

Now I do have the wrong hoop skirt underneath it (Elizabethan) but the general shape is there and I made the dimensions for a proper era crinoline. I can also see what they might mean about needing more than one petticoat to hide the hoops! I didn't really change much to the pattern (nothing at all actually). 

These are the ruffles/pleats on the waistband. I wasn't too concerned about getting them perfectly even because I did a drawstring waistband. Although I did have to repin a couple of times!

I feel so pretty in it! I can't wait to start building dresses!

I've currently got patterns from Truly Victorian in the mail. It was a wonderful birthday present from my mother! And to finish off, I present to you Edward: My most Interesting Cat In The World!

A Finished Hoop Skirt!

I finished it! It was scary but I did it! This is probably the third hardest thing I've had to make so far (between the shift and the bum roll). It was all machine stitched, except for the closures of the hoop channels! To start, the finished product!

As you can see it looks pretty good! It was also quite difficult to get down the stairs and squeezed in front of the only floor length mirrors in my house! It's made with a cream muslin, twill tape for the drawstring and channels and the hoops are actually water plumbing pipes from home depot! They're fitted together with the connectors you would use in the house! 

Here are the pipes! I wasn't sure when I was putting them in if they were the right length but once I even the material out around them they were a perfect fit! I do have some tweaking to do with this one (seems like it with all my projects) but I would happily wear it out as it is! Now I wish I had a dress to put on over it. The next challenge is going to be the corset. Once that's done I'll start looking for a nice material for a petticoat. Once the petticoat(s) are done I'll finally start on the gown! I'm hoping to have a dress form by then that I can customize to my size. This is so exciting!

Fairy tale setting outside my house today!