The Lotta Bustle: Running Around In My Underwear

The tragedy of making period appropriate undergarments is that no one ever gets to see them. All that hard work, and they're always hidden under layers of fabric! Unless you're me, in which case you take every possible opportunity to flaunt your historical skivvies in public. Rather than make a new frock for Friday night at Costume College, I decided to give my "Lotta" bustle its first wearing outside of the sewing room.

Extant "Lotta" bustle from a defunct Ebay sale.

Last year I happened to find a photo of the weirdest, most wonderful extant bustle. I figured it was a strange custom one-off, until I stumbled across a photo of a second surviving example. It had a different number of bones, so it couldn't be the exact same one. Then I noticed the same design hiding in a period print advertisement among several of the more familiar types of bustles. The ad called it the "Lotta" bustle. Intrigued, I dug further and found several patents that described similar contrivances.

Attempting to mock up the Lotta bustle.

This spring I wrote an article for Your Wardrobe Unlocked that involved reproducing and comparing 6 different bustles. (Psst, use my affiliate link to sign up for access!) Of course, one of the six had to be the Lotta bustle, because I am insane.

This is the strangest bustle I have ever made.

Twelve yards of hoop boning, some seventy plus rivets, much frustration, and a pair of very sore hands later- success! I had my New Favorite Bustle. Now if only I had a bustle dress...

Marsh corset worn at Maker Faire, steampunk style.

A fabulous bustle needs some fabulous undies to go along with it, so I paired it with the Marsh Patent Challenge Corset that I made for Foundations Revealed (here's my affiliate link for that site too) and my reproduction of a pair of drawers in my collection. The leather used in the Marsh corset is the same leather I used for the sides of the Lotta bustle, so they match!

That scalloped foxing. That swooping top line. That contrast stitching. YES.

Even better, I got my AMAZEBALLS Balmoral boots from American Duchess just in time to pack them for Coco! (Not an affiliate link; I just really love AD shoes.) What's super comfy all night long, beautiful, and has curves that don't quit? These boots, y'all.
 

Why yes, it is all my hair. I paid for it.

To top it all off, I threw together a Bustle Era updo from a donut, two thick braids, two twists, a few clip in barrel curls, and one of the curly bang clip ins from my crazy Romantic Era hair. If there's interest, I might be able to do a how-to post or video of the process.

Taking it down at the end of the night was... interesting.

I had a blast rocking my undies and hair! I'll be sad to cover them up once I get around to making that dress. Bonus: we discovered that the Lotta bustle has a high carrying capacity, resulting in fits of giggles all night.

A whole "Lotta" junk in that trunk, and absolutely no apologies for that pun.
Photo courtesy of Lauren from American Duchess.

Hey, at least all those snacks were handy when we got hungry.

Every Day I'm Bustling

2016 is already shaping up to be FAR more productive than the previous year. If I haven't posted here much yet, it's because I've been busy making SO. MANY. BUSTLES. for a Your Wardrobe Unlocked article.

Now including combination bustle/tea service

If you want to break out of the lobster tail mold, or just see what your other options for increasing the square footage of your rear end are, go have a look! I've constructed 6 unique bustles in order to contrast and compare size, shape and wearability, among other things. Included is this fabulous monstrosity-

Have a gander, and I'll see you here next week for some petticoats to cover up all that glorious badonk-a-donk.

Materials for Bustle Class

Well I'm a terrible tease.  There's just a few small details left on the accessory I showed you a glimpse of in the last post, and I still haven't found the time to finish it!  In the meantime, I wanted to do a quick post on materials for the upcoming GBACG Lobster Tail Bustle class I'll be teaching this Saturday.  If you're not already signed up, what are you waiting for?

If you're taking the class and you're not sure you're getting the right materials, read on!  I'll show you what they look like below, why we're using them, and where you might find them.  I'll also mention some good alternatives, and some bad ones as well.  Ready?

First off, the 1/2" spring steel hoop boning is already included in the class, so you don't have to worry about finding it!  So moving on...

For hoop channels:
The materials list calls for six yards of either cotton twill tape or grosgrain ribbon in a 3/4" width.   In the photo below, both the top and bottom examples are cotton twill, and the grosgrain ribbon is one down from the top.  These are good choices for boning channels because they are strong and will prevent the ends of your hoop bones from poking through.  You can generally find these at most fabric stores, though sometimes they are hidden in the trim section, or they have different widths (we'll discuss widths in a minute).  Stone Mountain & Daughter mentioned that they carry these in the 3/4" width (make sure to get their coupon here), and I've also bought them from Lacis.

These aren't all the correct width; it's what was in my bin :)
Click the photo to see them close up.

Hoop Channel Alternatives:
If you're having difficulty finding cotton twill tape or grosgrain ribbon, you've got some other options. Petersham ribbon is nice and strong, plus it comes in a variety of colors and widths.  In the photo above, the blue ribbon in the middle is Petersham.  It is generally more expensive than grosgrain, but it's nice stuff.

Bone casing is the real deal!  It's a tube of very tightly woven fabric meant specifically to encase your bones and keep the ends from poking through.  It comes in black or white.  I believe the only local supplier is Lacis, but I could be wrong.  It is, of course, pricier than the other options.

Not Recommended Alternatives:
Polyester twill tape is NOT your friend.  This stuff is easily found in packages at almost any fabric store, but it shreds when you look at it!  It will not hold up to hoop steel, plus it's more difficult to sew.  I do not recommend using it.

Trust me, it won't hold up.

Bias tape is widely used for this purpose, but I don't recommend it.  It's thin, and won't hold up to hoop steel in the long run.  I do not recommend using it.

Not gonna go the distance.

Regular ribbon that is not grosgrain/petersham is too thin and will likely end in poke throughs.  I do not recommend using it.

I can't find this stuff in 3/4" width!
The above mentioned store do carry it, and I have seen these widths at many (but not all) Joanns and Hancocks.  But maybe your local store doesn't have the right width, and you can't get all the way to Berkeley, so...

We'll be using 1/2" plastic coated spring steel hoop boning.  However, even though it's sold as such, it's not really 1/2"!  It really measures something like 3/8".  I prefer using 3/4" tape to make channels for this boning because it's wide enough to give you some room for error if you sew kinda wobbly, but not so big that your bones twist around.  However, if you're confident that you can sew very closely to the edge of your tape without veering off track, you can get away with 5/8" tape.   The photos below show the hoop boning in relation to various widths of tape/ribbon.  Remember, this boning is also about 3/16" thick in addition to it's 3/8" width, so we need to leave a little extra room for that as well.

Hoop boning against 3/4" cotton twill tape.
This is the ideal width!

Hoop boning against 5/8" grosgrain ribbon.
You've got to be more accurate, but it works well.

Hoop boning against 1" cotton twill tape.
This is really too big, but you could make it work.
You'd have to make sure to not make your channels too loose.

For Waistband:
I've called for 1" wide cotton twill tape or grosgrain ribbon.  See above for sources.  Remember, you need your waist measurment + 12".

For Buckle:
I've been using D-rings with much success.  You can use any buckle you wish though!  Just make sure it fits your 1" wide waistband.

D-rings in action!

Fabric:
You can use a variety of fabrics, but a medium weight cotton is best.  Basically, you want something that's fairly tightly woven and won't rip under the pressure of the hoop bones.  Thick fabrics won't work well.  Your fabric doesn't have to be plain white either; go crazy with colors and patterns if that's your thing!  Remember that you're going to need some sort of marking implement (chalk, water soluble pen, whatever) that you can see on your fabric, so if you pick a dark one, you may have to find some light chalk.  If you think your fabric fabric is so crazy that it might show through your skirt, make sure you plan to wear a petticoat to conceal it.  Heck, you should be wearing a petticoat anyways!

Lacing:
Your bustle is going to be adjustable via lacing.  You'll want some kind of ribbon, shoelacing or whatnot to lace it up.  Just about anything goes here, but you'll want to stay within the 1/4" to 3/8" width generally. 

Thread:
Well obviously.

Tools:
You can find the list of tools that you need to bring on the signup page.  

I hope that helps!  Can't wait to see you all in class :)

Teaser

MOAR RUFFLES PLZ

I'm making a little accessory for one of my bustles. It's not done yet, but here's a quick peek. See you with more tomorrow!

Baby Got Back

Add a little junk in your trunk (or a lot!)!  Come make your own adjustable lobster tail bustle with me on May 11th!
 

Baby got back.  LOTS of back.

Those fabulously over the top bustle era dresses are simply gorgeous, but having the proper support structure underneath is absolutely essential.  If you've been wanting to tackle such a unique undergarment, you're in luck.  The GBACG puts on some fabulous classes and events, and they've asked me to teach their upcoming bustle workshop.  Now you won't have to wrangle that hoop wire into submission alone!

You'll make a fully adjustable lobster tail bustle that's just the right size for you from start to finish.  Along the way I'll show you lots of tips and tricks, plus fun variations to make your bustle unique.  This tail uses spring steel hoop boning and can easily stand up to heavy skirts.  When not being worn, it collapses flat so it doesn't take up space in your closet.  Space in this class is limited, so snap up your seat today!