March HSM Challenge - Stash Busting

The Challenge 

Stash Busting

Make something using only fabric, patterns, trims & notions that you already have in stash.

I sort-of-kinda have a plan for March.

However it is a little over ambitious.

You see there is a local Heritage Festival being held at the end of this month and I thought it would be lovely to go in costume.

I currently have exactly one item ready to wear. The bustle.

I do not have any undergarments.
I do not have a corset.
I do not have a gown.
I do have some accessories.


I have made a Victorian bustle gown once before for the lead role in a theatre production, but truly it was so far from the real thing it was ludicrous (they wanted a zip in the back! Not the side, the back, no compromising either).

Realistically it is very unlikely I will  have a serviceable outfit by the end of the month.

But there is no harm in planning otherwise right?

I'm going to focus on 2 things. A corset, and a bodice.

As I am totally unprepared the first thing I did was to start building a Pinterest board.

Follow Purfylle's board Australia 19thC on Pinterest.

The only corset pattern I've got for the period is based off an extant corset in the Chisholm trail museum archives. Marna Davis drafted the pattern from the original garment and the pattern has kindly been made available for personal use.

I will need to draft the bodice pattern from one of the books I mentioned in the Blue challenge wrap up.

As for fabrics, I haven't really decided yet. I've been delving into boxes and there is probably not enough of the fabric I thought I might use. It has a dark greenish tinge to it and I have 3 meters plus some offcuts.

I would  probably have made this gown.

Young woman wearing a checked dress, posing for a portrait, 1880-1890
image source: bonzle

Now I'm back to contemplating one of the plans I had for the blue challenge.

3) I have a blue satin (more polyester - blerch) skirt that has been a UFO for ages now. I'm thinking I would like to transform it from the original plan into a completely different time period. However, our hot summer weather does not really lend itself to working with satin. You really don't want to be sweating on your satin.

It won't be as pleasant to wear if it is a hot day but it would look more spectacular.

The reason I didn't get to it last month was because it's buried in one of the stripey boxes back there.

For now I will get to work on the corset and ponder the gown a little longer.