Justine-- To make enlarging easier, you can buy pattern paper that is printed with a grid. Or it may be sold as interfacing, not paper. It is white with a blue grid.
You need to overlay your small pattern with a quarter-inch grid, if that is not already done in your source. Then figure out what each quarter inch must equal on your finished pattern to fit you. If your bust is 42, and the pattern pieces would give a bust of 4 inches, you have to enlarge at least 10 times. So each quarter inch would have to be 10 quarters, which is 2.5 inches. It is much easier to enlarge if you number both grids, the small one and the large one. Just number each row down the side, and each column across the top. Then you won't get lost when looking between the two. All this takes a lot of time, and a big table. It would be far easier to adjust a pattern you already have. For a late Victorian bustle dress, just keep all the fullness in the back. You could modify any skirt that has 5 or more panels. I usually make the center front panel about 1/6 of the total finished size, use one panel on each side, and 2 or 4 more in the back. Then I keep gathering up the back at the waist until fits, and add some sort of waistband. You can have the opening at any of the seams, but center back is easiest. If you want an overskirt or draped apron of any kind, work with muslin, folding and pinning until you get the shape you want, then make an overskirt from your fashin fabric and attach it to the skirt. This is where you need to get creative with placement of snaps and hooks and eyes. You need a closure that is invisible. A simple way to form a bustle is to use boning and ties. I put 2 rows of twill tape, or something similar, inside the skirt. These are HORIZONTAL rows, on the back only. Sew along the top and bottom to form a casing. Boning goes into the casing. Attach a tie at each end of the casing, and simply tie the ends together, forcing the boning to bow out and shape the bustle. The ties rest on the back of your legs. Of course, you wear a petticoat. And you can't use cheap plastic boning--I had some plastic-covered metal stuff I ordered from somewhere. The bodice is trickier--I would either enlarge from a book, or buy something authentic from Laughing Moon or Truly Victorian. Don't know if this is very helpful--it's hard to explain without illustrations! Kim -----Original Message----- From: h-costume-boun...@indra.com [mailto:h-costume-boun...@indra.com] On Behalf Of ladybeanofbun...@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 3:42 AM To: h-cost...@indra.com Subject: [h-cost] HELP! Hello all, I am in need of some help from an experienced pattern enlarging bustle dress maker! I woud like to throw together my first bustle dress, or make for myself a bustle since my budget is not allowing any new acquirements. At one point before I got very enthusiastic about doing this, as I have many times, but got so overwhelmed before even starting due to facing the dred task of "grading" that it never came into fruition. I would try ordering a pattern from one of the many good sellers of period patterns, but I want something very specific, I don't have time to wait for one to arrive, and I can't afford to spend on one (especially since I spent so much for the three books new which have hundreds of patterns). The pieces given scare me in each scaled down pattern, because I know quite often, to acheive from the basic pieces the glorious ensemble presented in the illustrations, there is usually a good deal of improvising and use of skill the handy seamstress must utilize to do so! Here are my main questions. 1: How do I enlarge the tiny pieces in the book the simplest, quickest, or least math saavy way? 2: Once I have the pieces enlarged and they are adjusted to my size and I'm ready to cut, how do I assemble a bustle skirt?? These are NOT simple one or two sentence answers I know, but any guidance would be greatly appreciated right about now. I've used period patterns that I bought multi-sized and kinda had to play with those until they fit me the right away and could figure out basic construction but this seems so daunting having never done it before. Thank you so very much for the kind person who can help, and to all others for your patience:) Regards, Justine. _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
