*Thud*

Busy day today. After working til almost 11:30 last night, I woke up early to come back in. We hosted an amazing embroidery workshop by Larissa of Olde Towne Bead Supply and now I'm TIRED.

"But the bridesmaid dress!" you say.

Fine. 

The inspiration: 

The corset

And the dress

Skirt is Truly Victorian TV208, and the bodice is TV400. The overskirt is an original 1869 Godey's pattern for a pannier overskirt. 

Now if you'll excuse me, my couch and a period drama marathon are calling my name (Oh who am I kidding? I'll be sewing until at least dinnertime. Down time between projects is MY time!) 

A Bridesmaid's Bustle

My oldest and dearest friend, K, doesn't sew. Well, that's not true. She can hem a pair of pants and reattach a button. But that's pretty much it. So when I asked her to be a bridesmaid in my Victorian wedding, it was with the knowledge that I would be making her dress, along with all the underpinnings. 

K loves red and black. I did her corset in a red and black rose brocade (finished in a hurry for her birthday, so no pictures!). When it came time to tackle the bustle, I decided black was boring, so I went for a vibrant red. I used Truly Victorian TV108, the petticoat bustle so I wouldn't need to make a separate petticoat.

Front

Side

Back. So. Many. Ruffles. 

K is a tiny thing so I shortened the pattern so much I lost an entire tier of ruffles. I also extended the bottom ruffle around the entire hem since there won't be a second petticoat. 

And a sneak peek of the untrimmed but otherwise completed dress (she's doing her final fitting tomorrow): 

More photos tomorrow when I have her in it!