When I was ready to sew my first serious Steampunk outfit one name kept coming up, Truly Victorian. Since 1997, Heather McNaughton and her company Truly Victorian have been the go to source for historically accurate, modern sewer friendly ladies' Victorian sewing patterns. Heather's line covers the entire Victorian period from the 1830s until the 1890s, with a special emphasis on the "bustle years". Truly Victorian's patterns can outfit you from the skin out. Corsets, underwear, bustles, skirts, bodices, even outwear and hats are all represented in the pattern line. Recently Truly Victorian unveiled the initial patterns in their new Edwardian line, taking Truly Victorian into the 20th century and up to 1909. Heather was kind enough to take time to share her views and answer a few questions via e-mail. 

 

HN:  I guess I could start with the fact that I have no actual training in sewing or pattern drafting. My grandmother was a professional seamstress, and my mother sewed quite a lot when we were young. I was taught basic sewing very young, and even made some clothing I wore to school in 4th grade. I was pretty much left to figure out most things for myself. I always loved costumes so I focused my attention on things that you can't buy (or won't wear to school and get laughed at in). I went to college to study Horses and came away with a bachelor’s degree in Equine Industry, with the intention of being a horse trainer. I kept history and costuming as a hobby; yep, I made costumes for the horses too. Well, the horse industry died, and while waiting for the "next", I wasted my time sewing and studying historical sewing books in-between odd jobs to pay the rent. Many years and costumes later, in 1996 or so, my sister and I went to the second ever Costume College. It was my first time, and we went to the Gala dinner/dance on Saturday night, where everyone brings out their best costumes and has a great time. I wore an 1870's polonaise type dress, worn over a bustle that was the precursor of the TV101 bustle. Bustle dresses were pretty rare back then, as there were almost no patterns available yet for that time period. Everyone wanted to know how I had made my dress.   There was one other bustle dress at the dinner, with a long lobster-tail style bustle, the only kind you could buy or make at the time. This poor lady had to push her bustle to the side in order to sit down. And then, I was horrified when I saw her stand up and walk across the room in the middle of dinner, with her bustle sticking out to the side. I knew then and there that people needed something better. If they wanted to know how my bustle was made, I would show them. I went home and started drawing up a pattern. I had friends with a local costume shop, and they agreed to sell the pattern in the store. But then they asked, what kind of skirt goes over the bustle? So I had to make a skirt pattern. A year later, and people were asking about bodices. Never having learned the "official" way to make patterns, I was going to have to make up something on my own. So I talked to people about the problems with contemporary patterns, and added in all the things I had learned about drafting historical patterns. The end result is the unique Truly Victorian pattern system. I never expected much, and everyone told me you can't make money with patterns. But one thing lead to another, and after 14 years, I have close to 100 patterns. We came up with the name Truly Victorian because while looking for information on Victorian type garments, so much that was labeled as "Victorian" was in fact Edwardian.   We wanted to separate ourselves from the pseudo Victorian.

 

I love history. I started out with other time periods; SCA, ren fair, and the Civil War. And then somewhere along the line I saw a bustle dress. It was love at first sight. The bustle is so alien to the modern viewpoint, how can you not love it? It is curvy, romantic, bold, elegant, and sexy. Oh, Victorian also has horses and side saddles, the old west.   Another aspect is that other time periods are restricted in their interpretations byreenactor groups, who are intensely dedicated to their history. History is great, and I can appreciate the reenactor, but I am more into the beauty and ideals of the periods without the grittyness of reality and adherence to "rules".  

 

As well as an interest in history, I am also an avid sci-fi/fantasy buff. I think I have always been aware of the blending of the two genres, through movies like Flash Gordon, that used the styles of the past to envision the future. Or movies like the old 20,000 Leagues Under theSea that are essentially "Historical Science Fiction". Or movies like Stardust about a mystical world based loosely on history. But I only just realized that Steampunk was a specific style trend a few years ago. Once again, I was at Costume College, and a gentleman showed up with an amazing idea, the Victorian Era Ghost Buster. It was an absolutely brilliant idea, and superbly executed. He told me about "steampunk" and that there were whole groups of people who participated in steampunk events. I was floored. How fantastic!

 

 

My first thought: if we had had Steampunk when I was a kid, I would have been so there! It rolls everything I like into one neat, yet limitless, outlet of creativity.  

My second thought: crud, this is all about the accessories, which is my Achilles heel. I can't even figure out how to do my hair and jewelry, how am I supposed to come up with made-up gear for an imagined profession?

 

 

The backbone of Steampunk is the history that it is based on. You want to look like you belong to the time period you are interpreting, what ever that period is. Truly Victorian has historically accurate patterns, which are perfect as a starting point for Steampunk outfits. Our patterns focus on the basic ideas and shapes of the various time periods, while leaving the details of trims to the individual to create. For Steampunk, once you have the basic shapes and styles for the time period you want to portray, then it is just a matter of adding the little changes/peculiarities/accessories to your design that pull it out of strict history and into the realm of sci-fi. Our patterns offer the perfect starter blocks, with plenty of room to add creativity to virtually any design ideas.

 

Most Victorian style outfits look a lot more difficult to make than they really are. It is all basic sewing, nothing fancy, really.   If you break down the designs into the individual parts, you will find that each part is very simple. It only looks complicated because you are adding many simple parts together to create the whole. So start out simple. Don't overwhelm yourself in the beginning. Everyone has to learn as they go along, and no one starts as an expert. Hopefully, you will enjoy the process enough to want to make more outfits. Let every outfit go a little further and teach you new things. Before you know it, you will be up there with the masters, creating wonderful works of art.

 

 

The biggest difference is the shape of the corset worn under the dress. The structure of the straight front corset gives the effect of the S-Bend or "pigeon breast" figure. Corsets were designed to compress the waist and lower abdomen, but no longer compress the ribs or support the bosom. The bosom now became the lowered mono-bosom, which was exaggerated with ruffles, padding, pneumatics, or bust forms. The addition of a rump pad under the back hip of the corset finishes the illusion of the arched back and rounded hips. The second major difference is the focus on detailed hand work used to create the dresses. Tucks, insertions, and lace are all very important aspects of the period.

 

I had been toying around with the idea over the last couple of years or so. There are very few patterns out there and I had been getting quite a few requests for patterns from that period.   This year, a good friend of mine came to me and asked what it would take to get me to move forwards with the Edwardian line. She basically offered free labor/whatever I needed to free up my time for drafting. If she was that serious about it, then OK, I'll get serious about it. (No, I did not make her work for free!) I knew that I would need to create the corset first, in order to do the period correctly. Once I felt confident that I could do the corset, then the rest all fell into place.

 

I never really know. I have so many ideas that run in and out of my head. I want to make more Civil War era stuff, more bustle stuff, more Edwardian for sure. Now people are asking for Regency stuff. Not going there yet, though. Maybe a few years from now. I don't like to say ahead of time what I am working on next because projects get pushed aside in favor of new ideas. I have many more ideas than I have time to put them to paper. 

 

 

It's more about what I don't want to see. A lot of people use Steampunk as an excuse to make horribly inaccurate historical clothing.   They use garish modern fabrics and/or garment styles that would get them arrested for indecent exposure in any historical setting. To my mind, these outfits miss the whole point. The best outfits are ones that can fit into the time period, not remove themselves from it.

 

 

Yes, but I may never get time to make it!

 

 

All of Heather's patterns are available for purchase directly from her website, www.trulyvictorian.com or from other fine retailers. Heather maintains and moderates a bulletin board on her site where you can post for advice on your projects, get opinions from Heather and other sewers or just show your garments! She also has a helpful FAQ for TV first timers. 

 

We'd love to see your creations! If you have something to share e-mail a jpeg to wilhelminaframe@steampunkchronicle.com.

 

 

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