Pattern Making- The Late Bustle Era Bodice
Adjustments for Small Bust/Waist Differences
and Dart shape for when the waist is larger than the underbust.
If your waistline is close to your bust measure (within 3 inches) then you will not need to take out any waist
taper on your initial pattern. Simply draw in the seamlines and expand the hip measurements out from that point.
Point B will become point R.
35. The bust dart shape will also change somewhat-
You will need to move you curve up so that it curves more sharply directly under the bust and tapers in smaller
at the waist. Bust dart with will be Bust-Waist divided by 4 or at least 3/8 inch wide (whichever is larger) if
you have over 4" difference at the Bust to Underbust measurement. When using the styling design curve the
top point of the dart will be at about the 18" mark, to give you approximately the desired curve. The darts
will also end at the high hip line as opposed to the hip line.
- 36. Mark a line parallel to waist line at high hip level(3") and at hip level(Waist to hip)
- 37. Square lines down from waistline points R, S, T, T1,I to cross these lines. Extend front dart center down to hip, taper dart back to a point at high hip line. This will leave your dart width at the high hip equalling 0.
NOTE: when drafting the cuirass bodice use your hip measure over your petticoat- NOT the measure over the bustle, as this era did not generally wear large bustles. Also when drafting the hip lines add about 1/2" to the measure of the center back hip flare only (marked from point R to hipline.
38. Half of High Hip measure minus Half of Bust measure divided by 5 = high hip taper
39. High hip taper divided by 2= ____ the amount measured out from each extended line on high hip line. This may
be a negative number, if so extend the mark to the opposite side of the original seam line that the tapered seamline
is on. Taper new seamlines from waist back out to these markings on the high hip line. (For identification each
th hip lines for pattern piece are marked in a different color.
40. Hip follow same directions as for high hip except Half Hip minus half bust divided by 5= hip taper.
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