Pattern Making- The Late Bustle Era Bodice The Look of the 1880's Patterns and Cutting Guides

In addition to studying original garments to see how fashions changed, it is also helpful to aquaint ones self with dressmaker's systems and patterns of the era. These could be aimed toward the home dressmaker or the professional seamstress. One of the most famous and popular was the McDowell Cutting Machine (see this link McDowell Cutting Machine) This is especially helpful with flat pattern designing because it lets you see the basic shape you are trying to achieve. I have a variety of tailors systems in my collection and for the most part use them as guides only. It is also helpful to look at the patterns published in the fashion magazines for at home dressmaking to see how different details are achieved when cutting out. The below picture shows the basic bodice pieces as you will be drafting them There are a variety of magazines which printed patterns, but unfortunately most had tissue paper pattern inserts by the 1880's which unlike the pattern diagrams printed in the 1860's and 1870's had a nasty habit of getting separated from the magazine. Diagram of pattern that was enclosed in an 1881 Peterson's Ladies National Magazine You can see the main parts of the late bustle era bodice in the polonaise pattern- (I sketched them in with red lines) Front fitted with two darts, underarm, side back and back Instead of being separate the front and underarm are joined by a dart instead of a seam as are the Back and Side Back pieces. The sleeve is also shown with the cuff decoration sketched on. The rolling collar is also shown but not the additional sailor collar that is shown on the fashion plate that corresponds with this pattern. 1884 Peterson's pattern supplement- Basque Corsage: (reduced diagram) This shows plainly our basic bodice pattern. No 1 - Half of front No 2- Half of Back No 3 Half of side-back No. 4 Half of side front (underarm) No. 5 - Cuff No. 6 - Sleeve No. 7- Collar You will see these pieces in basically the same form no matter what type of bodice you are drafting. The main difference will generally be in decoration, the bottom edge, and how the allowance is made for the bustle. This is an optional body style form suggested by several tailor's guides for stout figures (bust measure over 40-43") This particular one is from a pattern drafting system called the Standard Square Inch Tailor System. The main differences found in this and the "normal" bodice patterns are this one has a larger outside dart on the front body. (We will learn how to adjust for this when we draft the pattern) and the fact there are TWO underarm pieces instead of one. "...The double side form and French Bias dart add a very desirable change in the appearance of stout forms. On account of the two side forms the whole Basque displays a very slender appearance, and in connection with the bias dart, the garment, while it adds ease and comfort to the wearer, also adds grace and elegance to the whole form." (I have also seen the double side form used in very early German dressmaker's systems- see Norah Waugh's- The Cut of Women's Clothing.) This particular bodice cut can be very effective in a striped fabric, but it is not for the flat of chest. I suggest browsing through as many period patterns as possible to get a basic idea of pattern shapes and manipulations. Some great books for this are: Patterns of Fashion - by Janet Arnold The Cut of Women's Clothing by Norah Waugh Cutting a Fashionable Fit by Claudia Kidwell More Patterns to Browse Patterns as Printed in Harper's Bazar from Costumer's Manifesto La Couturière Parisienne Costume and Fashion Site-1880 patterns Lesson 1-Page 6 Lesson Index Page 1- 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

Copyright 2001 by Marna Jean Davis. All contents of the websites associated with the lessons of Marna Jean Davis and Shooting Star Enterprises are protected by U.S. copyright laws. They may be printed out by registered students for their own personal use but may not be reprinted in any other manner or reproduced in any form. Costume Classroom is a division of The Costume Gallery, copyright 1997-2001. Having problems with this webpage contact: questions@costumeclassroom.com