I read through the pattern instructions to make sure I understood how it goes together, especially the false bolero front which is applied on top of the front AND side pieces of the faux vest (lining). The actual assembly I did in my own order, as I have developed my way of doing things where I handle each piece as few times as possible.

After having cut out the pieces, I flat lined the main bodice pieces and assembled them, using the serger to flat line. The lining is brown polished cotton, a common lining fabric in the 19th century for women’s bodices.

What is flat lining vs bag lining? Flat lining is when you line each piece by putting the wrong sides together and either serging or sewing the seam allowances together, and then treating it as one piece. Bag lining is when you sew the right sides together and then turn it inside out finishing the edges. Bag lining is more commonly a modern method, although it was used in some cases in the 19th century. Flat lining is what is usually seen on 19th century bodices (and often skirts as well).

The center front I did differently. I usually sew the CF seam right sides together, turn and press (yes bag lining), and then flat line the other sides. Why? So the center front is already finished. As this CF neckline is to have a ruffle of self-fabric around it, I enclosed the ruffle in this seam. I then turned, pressed, sewed in the darts, and attached the side front piece.

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I then sewed the center back seam.

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And attached the back to the side backs.

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Next I assembled the bolero jacket overlay for the front. For the ribbon trim along the edge of the jacket, I gathered some of the 1 1/2 inch green silk ribbon using the shirring foot, with the gathering stitch 1/4 from the edge of the ribbon:

Then I pinned and sewed the ribbon trim to the right side of the bolero fronts, to anchor it down and provide a stitching line for attaching the lining:

After pinning the lining to the bolero front, right sides together, I carefully sewed on top of the stitching line where the ribbon ruffle was attached.

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Turn and press, then tack to fronts:

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At this point I decided to bone the bodice, saving the final bone on the side seam until after the test fitting. I fitted the lining as mock up (Truly Victorian patterns in size J fit me 99.9% of the time) but before committing the last side seam, I wanted to do an accurate test fitting. This is best done with the bones in.

Sorry Pup, these are flat steel and spiral steel bones. The two curved back seams will have spiral steel bones that allow them to curve along that seam. The darts in the front are boned by putting a bone inside the dart’s seam allowance and sewing the bottom closed.

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I am using prepackaged bone casing.

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To apply boning by machine, sew the edges of the boning to the seam allowance only, centering the bone over the seamline.

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I also boned the inside of the center front (right), to keep it nice and straight.

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Now its ready to have the shoulder and side seams sewn and have a quick fitting.

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Details to finish up: sew the last two bones over the side seams, and finish the neckline of the center back piece. I applied the trim to the neckline and bound it with a piece of bias tape, and then hand tacked the trims together.

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The bottom of the bodice is finished with piping, made with self-fabric. In this case, the off white silk taffeta. I used a narrow cotton cording to making the piping.

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The piping is sewn right sides together along the bottom edge, turned to the inside, and hand tacked.

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On to the peplum! I gathered up more ribbon to trim the edge, using the same size ribbon as the bolero so that it gives the appearance that the bolero and back are the same piece. I assembled the lining for the peplum and pressed it.

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I sewed the ribbon trim to the peplum right sides together, then pinined the lining o top, right sides together. Sewing right on top of that line of stitching (same as the bolero) I sewed the lining to the peplum, turned, and pressed.

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The waist edge of the lining is turned under and tacked to the flat lining (visible in another step – sorry forgot to take a photo). Fold the center back per the pattern instructions and tack to complete.

Next, buttons! I covered button molds with the off white silk using 5/8″ buttons, spaced pretty close together as is commonly seen on Victorian bodices.

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On the left side of the bodice, I measured for the buttonholes and marked them with water erasable pen, then used the marks to sew the buttonholes by machine.

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Sleevils!

A term, combining sleeves and evil, coined but costumers to describe the frustrating process of getting sleeves set in right. These sleeves were no exception. The sleeve part is pretty easy, it is just a standard upper and lower sleeve with two seams. The tricky part is the ruffle. There are two ruffles, an inside and a shorter outside. I did the inside of off white taffeta and the outer taffeta plaid, both pinked with the same pinking machine I used for the neckline trim.

Originally I had planned to sew the ruffles on with the seam facing out, and then covering it with ruffled trim that matched the skirt. However, I pinned it together several times trying to do that and kept getting it wrong, so I just sewed them on the right way with the serger, which finished the pesky inside seam. The ruffle is full enough that the serged seam should not show. Worst case, I can tack some bias tape over it.

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To complete the look by tying in with the skirt trim, I made ruffled strips bound on both edges with the green silk ribbon, gathered them, and sewed them over the join between the ruffles and the sleeve.

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Now to set in the sleeves. To get them right, I try them on and lay them on the correct corresponding side of the work table. Then hold the bodice in front of me and choose one sleeve to begin.

These sleeves fit pretty well. I ran a gathering stitch by machine across the sleeve head to ease it in. I usually sew in the lower half of the sleeve, then fiddle with the easing of the upper sleeve. In this case, the sleeve head was a little to full and I had to remove some of the fullness to make it fit. Taffeta has very little “give” to it.

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Another detail is the waist tape. This is a length of twill tape that is sewn to the three back seam allowances at waist level. Two hooks and eyes are sewn to the finished edges of the front, so it is fastened around the waist when the garment is put on. This keeps the center back tight against the waist while the peplum flairs out over the bustle.

You can see the peplum lining sewn to the bodice lining in the first photo, along with the stitches holding the ribbon bow in place.

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Final trim time! Using the leftover ribbon, I made bows for the sleeves, center back, center front (removable) and the ends of the skirt ruffles.

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I also hemmed the ends of a length of narrow twill tape, long enough to stretch from each bow across the back of the criniolette, and sewed hooks to the end of it. I then sewed eyes under each side ribbon so the tape could be attached to bustle the trin.

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I crocheted a little raspberry reticule to go with it:

Hope to do a photo shoot of the dress very soon!