1885 Victorian Day Bodice Part 1

Happy 1st Day of Summer! And to celebrate the Summer Solstice, today, I'm attempting to make my very first Victorian bodice. The jacket I am working on is from the Truly Victorian patterns (TV460).

A little bit about Truly Victorian patterns. While this is my very first time working with this brand, I will definitely say that the instructions were very easy to follow and had illustrations so I would know which piece was supposed to go where. And just like J.P.Ryan's patterns, I liked the fact that this set of patterns were on the thick butcher's paper rather than tissue paper; Simplicity and McCalls is best known for that, and given that I have a cat who likes to "help" whenever I'm sewing, tissue paper patterns is a no-go. 


Anyway, now that everything is sewn and pinned together on the mock-up, now comes the decision of whether to add real or false buttons to the front of the actual jacket, to make it long sleeved or 3/4 sleeved, and most importantly, what fabric print should I go with? 

 

Looking at several fashion plates from that time period, as well as dresses made from other costumers and reenactors, the fashion of the time went from very soft and pastel, to bold and boheme. All I know is that I have so much to choose from. 










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