How to Bustle a Train on a Prom Gown

Prom is one of the most memorable times in high school. Getting the perfect shoes, purse and dress is essential for any high school girl. A lot of dresses come with long trains attached to the bottom of the dress. Trains may be attractive in pictures, but they can be a problem at the prom dance. The train can cause the girl, as well as surrounding prom-goers, to trip and fall, and the heels from the prom shoes can tear a hole right through the dress. Making a bustle for the dress is a quick and easy way of allowing the train to be down for pictures, but picking it up and attaching it so it doesn't get dirty or ruined during the dance.

Measure the length of the train. This will help to figure out where the hook and eye will go. For shorter trains, the hook will be sewn on at the calf and the eye sewn on about three inches into the train. For larger trains, the hook will be at the back of the knee and the eye half way up the train.

Pull the train up to the dress to determine where the train looks the best to make a bustle. Pin both the back of the dress and the train to mark where the hook and eye will be sewn. Also, you want the train to "drape" the back of the dress, so the eye will need to be attached at least three inches in from the end of the train.

Thread the needle with the appropriate color of thread, and tie a knot at the end of it. Both the hook and the eye will be sewn to the outside of the dress, so make sure that the color of the thread is the exact color (or very similar to the color) of the dress.

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Place the eye onto the back of the dress where the pin is and hold in place. When you look at the dress, the eye should be facing down. Poke the needle through the dress (starting in the inside of the dress), and pull the needle out the front of the dress and through the eye.

Continue to repeat step 4 several times until the eye is securely sewn onto the dress. Finish the sewing by entering the eye a last time and pulling the needle through the inside of the dress. Tie the thread into a knot.

Place the hook on the train where the pin is. With the train laid across the floor (and you facing the dress), the flat part of the hook should be down across the train and the actual hook will be raised facing the dress.

Thread the needle again, and tie it off.

Poke the needle through the inside of the train and pull it out the outside through the hook. Circle around the hook, poke it through the outside of the train and pull it through the inside.

Continue repeating step 8 until the hook is secure in place on the train.

Pull the train up to the dress, and attach the hook through the eye.

Fit the dress to the girl to make sure the length of the bustle is perfect.

• Remember to remove all pins from the dress and the train.

• For longer trains, two hooks and eyes may be necessary. For very heavy material, use buttons.

• Remember: the hem has to remain straight on the floor. If the bustle is too high, the dress will rise in the back looking sloppy. If the bustle is too low, the dress will hang on the floor and get dirty.