Simplicity 8114

A dressmaking exercise in which I completely disregard the pattern directions!

I wanted a new bodice to go with the bustle skirt I wear to the AnimeIowa Convention. 

The skirt and bodice are patterns by Truly Victorian, TV 216 and TV405. I love this dress with the fiery heat of a thousand suns, but Iowa in late July is hot as balls, as the young people say. Or at least they used to, I dunno. I'm old and tragically un-hip and chronically late to the pop culture party. 

So anyway, when I saw S8114, I thought it would look great with my skirt, and I lunged! Look at that neckline, that collar! It's amazing,  It's also completely in the 1890s and my skirt is from 1875 but all ya gotta do is say 'steampunk' and all is forgiven. 




I planned to wear my new vest (for that was my intention, forget sleeves in this heat!) over a cool-to-wear blouse I love, a lacy, modified version of Kwik Sew 3668 and my TV skirt. Now, TV patterns are true to the Victorian era form and are meant to be worn over a corset. I lace my corset pretty aggressively. I may be pushing fifty, but my waist will always be thirty...inches. :D




Ordinarily I would cut a Big 4 pattern in size 18 and do a generous FBA. I've never made a Big4 pattern for my corseted figure. For this project I cut size 20, using the finished garment measurements aiming for a bust 1.5 inches over my corseted bust measurement. I added three inches in length between bust and waist and let the extra width at the waist do what it was gonna do. Whatever, that's why we have princess seams. Speaking of which, I particularly like the shoulder princess seams in S8114. 




Tested it in muslin and holla! It worked! Let's do this thing! 




My fabric is a lightweight silk probably meant for drapery. It's not so slubby that I'd call it doupionni, but definitely not smooth enough to be taffeta. I Whatever it is, when I got  a gozillion yards of it years ago to make the original bodice and skirt I washed and dried it. "Gasp!" you say?  Ain't nobody got time to fuss over fabric. Washing did change the texture a little but it does nothing to change the lustrous glow silk has. I don't wash the pieces very often but it gives me enormous peace of mind knowing I can break a sweat now and again and not have to wear it forever and ever amen. 




Anyway, it all went together without incident. Had to make some changes to the back and side back to accommodate the bustle. It's hard to see my marks but I added a good three inches in length at the hem and lots of flare for fullness over the bustle. I tapered back to the original hem length at the front.

I brought in the waist, mostly at the side seam and the only other fit adjustment was in the shoulder seam. It was fine at the armhole, but gaped a bit at the neck edge. Pinched out the excess and redrew the back neckline. I hadn't cut the collar yet so I walked the seam  lines to be sure they'd still matched up. 

I should mention at this point that the pattern calls for fusible interfacing on all the pattern pieces.  Fusibles and I have a tense relationship so I did as TV patterns  instruct and flat lined with a sturdy cotton. This comes in handy for boning. I cut the seam allowances such that there is just enough space between the serger edge I use for flatlining and the seam to slide in a piece of quarter inch flat steel corset boning. (I haven't used plastic boning since I learned corset making. Flat and spiral steel boning will NEVER buckle.)

The pattern wants you to add the collar and lining, leaving the hem open. You match up the seams and then topstitch to create boning channels between the interfaced outer fabric and the lining. Then they want you to bind the hem...Talk about fussy! No. Doing it my way. 




 The pattern calls for boning all the way up the front and back seams, clear to the shoulder seam. I  boned from hem to bust level at front,  hem to two inches away from the armhole at the side seam and waist to bust level at the side back and back. 




After boning the seam allowances, I applied the collar and then bagged the lining, turning out through a space at the back hem.   I cut a two inch facing of the brown silk for the armhole following the lines of the pattern. To keep it less bulky I didn't flatline but interfaced with French Fuse and worked a Hong Kong binding which I slip stitched to the lining.  I'm giddy over these facings. Plaid bias bindings are my BFF!

If you're looking at that lining and thinking, "Aaugh, my eyes," well, join the club. 

For a gift, Offspring the Elder had an artist friend from Tumblr draw me as a dragon jealously guarding a hoard of fabric. I feel like she's trying to tell me something, so I try to use up stuff I have. The plaid is also silk, gotten from Hancock Fabrics. I found two ten yard rolls of plaid silk in the deco Spot-The-Bolt section marked at 90% off the tagged price which was $14.95. Silk, for a buck-fifty a yard. Might be part of the reason they went tits up. 




The pattern has sort of an under-vest that zips closed and is covered by the double breasted front. The tight Victorian fit I was aiming for is incompatible with zippers so I used a buttonhole and hook arrangement to hold the underside with ball buttons on the top side. 

I used  radically different construction construction methods but stayed true to the pattern because I'm in love with the collar as it looks on the pattern envelope. Did it come through? Heck yes it did!!