June is Bustlin' Out All Over...

'Tis the quintessential wedding month. I am not sure why. Here in the South, it is the beginning of hot, humid weather. It must be pleasant enough in other places, though.

At any rate, weddings are fun, no matter what time of year they take place. I had the privilege of sewing for one almost a year ago (a June wedding, to be sure). Among other things, I got to put a bustle in the bride's gown.

For those of you who have not a clue what a wedding gown bustle is, I will explain. Gowns with trains look lovely going down the aisle. The yards of trailing fabric are just so romantic. They can also be a safety hazard during during a reception, not to mention a damper on one movements. Thus, a bustle is contrived as a way to get all that extra material out of the way--while still looking lovely. (And, yes, certain types of wedding gown bustles do bring to mind the bustles once worn by Victorian ladies to--uh--"shape" the backs of their skirts.)

This is the back of the dress, unbustled. As you can see, the train on this gown is not very long. Still, the bride wanted to be unhampered for the reception. Because of the very simple, elegant style, a typical underbustle or overbustle, while getting the extra fabric out of the way, would have disturbed the clean cut of the design. Instead, we decided to go with something a bit unusual but extremely pretty.

The small photo at the top of the post is a close-up of the bustled gown. The shirred effect is achieved by means of "drawstrings" (ribbons) in casings, much like a balloon shade. I handstitched the casings to the inside of each of the three back seams in the train. If you look closely at the larger picture above, you can see that the dress has a sheer overlay. Since it, too, had to be gathered when the ribbons were pulled through the casings, I stitched it to the dress along the seamlines. (The overlay has seams just like the dress.)

After the ceremony, the ribbons were pulled up through the casings and tied to loops sewn above them (also attached at the seams). The resulting cascade preserved the simple beauty of the gown and left the bride free to enjoy the reception.

Here she is, dancing with her new husband. The bustle received a lot of compliments. Everyone was delighted with how well it turned out, not least of whom was the lady herself. That makes it all worthwhile.