While this wasn’t easy, the instructions (with one exception) were clear and the result was excellent. The fitting instructions are very detailed. I ended up fitting one pattern size almost perfectly. I only needed to make one simple adjustment: omitting the waist darts.
The instructions call for flat lining the fashion fabrics with a medium-weight fabric. Consider the strength of your sewing machine before you do this. I made the bodice out of cotton and lined and flat-lined it with the same weight because my poor old sewing machine is on its’ last legs. It probably would have died outright if I had used a heavier fabric.
Due to time constraints I omitted the boning. Because the bodice fits so well, I don’t feel I’m missing anything. It held its’ shape nicely for the long hours I wore it. I didn’t take all the steps for pleating the back tail. I just caught the fabric up with decorative buttons. I can go back later and redo the tail section. I opted for hooks and eyes for the front closure instead of buttons and button-holes. The pattern instructions include both options.
The only place the instructions were confusing was the section on attaching the cuffs. There is a drawing but, it doesn’t clearly indicate whether it shows the right side or the wrong side of the sleeve. The instructions do not explain whether one edge of the cuff needs to be caught in the side seam or not. It took a little ‘unsewing’ before i got things to look lik ethe drawing. I still am not sure if I did it correctly but, it looks OK.
I’m going to all trim to the lower edge of the bodice before I wear this ensemble again.
Rated 4 out of 5
Annette –
This is a very flattering pattern. It goes together quite easily and looks a lot more complicated than it is to sew. For the plaid fabric I split the back down the center into two pieces (in the original pattern the center back piece is cut on the fold) to get the mirror effect. That was the only modification I made to this pattern.
Rated 5 out of 5
Izzy –
I recently made up 1872 Vest Basque in brown and blue wool brocade with a blue raw silk vest and brown velvet collar and cuffs. Everything went together perfectly. It looks like the picture. The instructions were easy to follow. I had absolutely no fitting problems. Truly Victorian’s method of sizing each part of the body separately makes fitting any of their patterns a walk in the park.
Rated 5 out of 5
Jennifer –
This pattern was a lot easier to make than I had feared (all TV patterns seem to be that way). I made the bodice from pin tucked red taffeta, and used a red taffeta with velvet design for the cuffs, collar, and vest. In all, I can say that I encountered few problems, except for the tail pieces in the back. In spite of what the pattern says, I recommend sewing completely around the darts between the tail pieces; otherwise they look scrappy and pull the seam apart. Also, I recommend putting some kind of decoration centered at the small of the back. It helps to cover up the seam ends and draws focus to the center (for a smaller waist).
NOTE ON THE CUFFS: The cuffs are like “façade” cuffs, in that they attach just to one point of the sleeve and are only part of the front. If you don’t attach them to sleeve all the way around, they flop over constantly.
Rated 5 out of 5
Aimee –
This is the first Victorian item I ever made. I started on the vest very early because I was worried about having problems, but it turned out that the pattern was really easy to follow and the fit was perfect on the first try! Now I’ve actually made two different vests with this pattern and both of them I really love. Several of my friends, even a first time costumer, have also used this pattern and had really great luck with it. Beautiful clean lines. The skirt in the pink outfit is Truly Victorian #TV216 – 1875 Parisian Trained Skirt.
Frannie –
While this wasn’t easy, the instructions (with one exception) were clear and the result was excellent. The fitting instructions are very detailed. I ended up fitting one pattern size almost perfectly. I only needed to make one simple adjustment: omitting the waist darts.
The instructions call for flat lining the fashion fabrics with a medium-weight fabric. Consider the strength of your sewing machine before you do this. I made the bodice out of cotton and lined and flat-lined it with the same weight because my poor old sewing machine is on its’ last legs. It probably would have died outright if I had used a heavier fabric.
Due to time constraints I omitted the boning. Because the bodice fits so well, I don’t feel I’m missing anything. It held its’ shape nicely for the long hours I wore it. I didn’t take all the steps for pleating the back tail. I just caught the fabric up with decorative buttons. I can go back later and redo the tail section. I opted for hooks and eyes for the front closure instead of buttons and button-holes. The pattern instructions include both options.
The only place the instructions were confusing was the section on attaching the cuffs. There is a drawing but, it doesn’t clearly indicate whether it shows the right side or the wrong side of the sleeve. The instructions do not explain whether one edge of the cuff needs to be caught in the side seam or not. It took a little ‘unsewing’ before i got things to look lik ethe drawing. I still am not sure if I did it correctly but, it looks OK.
I’m going to all trim to the lower edge of the bodice before I wear this ensemble again.
Annette –
This is a very flattering pattern. It goes together quite easily and looks a lot more complicated than it is to sew. For the plaid fabric I split the back down the center into two pieces (in the original pattern the center back piece is cut on the fold) to get the mirror effect. That was the only modification I made to this pattern.
Izzy –
I recently made up 1872 Vest Basque in brown and blue wool brocade with a blue raw silk vest and brown velvet collar and cuffs. Everything went together perfectly. It looks like the picture. The instructions were easy to follow. I had absolutely no fitting problems. Truly Victorian’s method of sizing each part of the body separately makes fitting any of their patterns a walk in the park.
Jennifer –
This pattern was a lot easier to make than I had feared (all TV patterns seem to be that way). I made the bodice from pin tucked red taffeta, and used a red taffeta with velvet design for the cuffs, collar, and vest. In all, I can say that I encountered few problems, except for the tail pieces in the back. In spite of what the pattern says, I recommend sewing completely around the darts between the tail pieces; otherwise they look scrappy and pull the seam apart. Also, I recommend putting some kind of decoration centered at the small of the back. It helps to cover up the seam ends and draws focus to the center (for a smaller waist).
NOTE ON THE CUFFS: The cuffs are like “façade” cuffs, in that they attach just to one point of the sleeve and are only part of the front. If you don’t attach them to sleeve all the way around, they flop over constantly.
Aimee –
This is the first Victorian item I ever made. I started on the vest very early because I was worried about having problems, but it turned out that the pattern was really easy to follow and the fit was perfect on the first try! Now I’ve actually made two different vests with this pattern and both of them I really love. Several of my friends, even a first time costumer, have also used this pattern and had really great luck with it. Beautiful clean lines. The skirt in the pink outfit is Truly Victorian #TV216 – 1875 Parisian Trained Skirt.