Achieving That Classic Edwardian Shape: Reconstructing a 1902 Bust Bodice

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by Bernadette Banner

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01.20.2026



The first 1000 people to click the link will get 2 months of Skillshare Premium for FREE https://skl.sh/bernadettebanner3

Constance Mackenzie’s starching guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkbRmymbeO4

FOOTNOTES
[1] On the Warren Featherbone patent: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WarrenFeatherboneCompany05.png, http://archives.msu.edu/collections/featherbone.php, http://archives.msu.edu/collections/featherbone_photos.php
[2] https://patents.google.com/patent/US286749

Materials Used:
Bobbinet: B&J Fabrics, NYC. 1/4 yd
Cotton: New York Elegant Fabrics, NYC. 1/2 yd
Flat steels: (x12 1/4”, 1mm thick bones at 10” long, x12 1/4”, 1mm thick bones at 7” long) https://www.etsy.com/shop/MakingItYourself?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=503728970&section_id=20126304&page=4#items
Busk: https://www.amazon.com/VINCA-SSRA-06-Stainless-Conversion-Measuring/dp/B01M3P7Y34/ref=sr_1_30?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-LeVqLfq5wIVjJ-fCh2A6QlFEAMYASAAEgLHFvD_BwE&hvadid=241917642438&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9067609&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8786534399565247145&hvtargid=kwd-20972226772&hydadcr=24663_10400927&keywords=7+inch+ruler&qid=1582555816&sr=8-30
Cotton waist ties and drawstring tape: Mokuba, NYC. 2.5 yds
Feather quills: Dersh Feather, NYC. Approximately 18 goose quills
Linen thread for binding feather bone: Burnley & Trowbridge: Fine, unbleached. ttps://www.burnleyandtrowbridge.com/LT1718.aspx
Edge lace: East Coast Trimming, NYC. 1 yd
White cotton thread for stitching: Steinlauf & Stoller, NYC.

Useful tools:
(Please note that these are affiliate links)
-Clear 18-inch ruler: https://amzn.to/2DIdRrh
-Steel-headed straight pins: https://amzn.to/2ByJUaQ
-Every size & weight needle you will probably ever need: https://amzn.to/2Sd76R7
-My most favorite (& stupidly fiddly) #10 sharps, the tiniest needles: https://amzn.to/2SaZEGf
-Ye Trusty Olde 8” shears (tartan ribbon not included): https://amzn.to/2DXkUft
-Those wee bird snips that literally everyone seems to have: https://amzn.to/2zu9vzY
-(But I’ve also just found these that are a unicorn and I am severely tempted; I should not be trusted with Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KvXGgX)

Image Credits:
-‘1902-1909, Plate 045 Costume Institute Fashion Plates, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession no. b17520939. https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll12/id/10861/rec/48
-‘1902-1909, Plate 026’ Costume Institute Fashion Plates, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession no. b17520939. https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll12/id/10842
-‘1902-1909 Plate 019’ Costume Institute Fashion Plates, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession no. b17520939. https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll12/id/10835/rec/22
-“Multiple Classified Advertisements.” The Designer and the Woman’s Magazine, vol. XXX, no. 5, 1909, p. 288. Nineteenth Century Collections Online, http://tiny.cc/z39umz. Accessed 11 April 2020.
Gale Document Number: GALE|ZYMSHJ658840540
-“Multiple Classified Advertisements.” The Designer and the Woman’s Magazine, vol. XXXI, no. 2, 1910, p. 174. Nineteenth Century Collections Online, http://tiny.cc/v29umz. Accessed 11 April 2020.
Gale Document Number: GALE|HDDAVW815138559

Footage taken of the original Symington bust bodice and during the study appointment used with permission from Leicestershire Collections.

Want to get started with hand sewing?
🧵
🕯Check out my Skillshare original course, “Hand Sewing Basics: Working Wonders with Fabric, Needle & Thread”. To sign up for a free trial and take the class, visit https://skl.sh/bernadettebanner3

This channel is made possible through the generous support of Patreon members. To become a patron, visit https://www.patreon.com/bernadettebanner (although videos will remain free for you here regardless).

Beyond YouTube:
IG @bernadettebanner http://www.instagram.com/bernadettebanner
Management contact for business enquiries:
bernadette@helmtalentgroup.com

https://bernadettebanner.co.uk/

Music:
‘Simple Pleasantries’ by Arthur Benson, epidemicsound.com
’Sowing the Summer Barley’ by Francis Wells, epidemicsound.com
‘Lens Flare 3’ by Peter Sandberg, epidemicsound.com
‘Progressive Progress’ by Howard Harper Barnes, epidemicsound.com
‘Alabaster’ by Arden Forest, epidemcisound.com

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