Just for your information:

Sewing underarm gussets on machine is a real pain. That you never (OK, almost never) get them straight isn't such a problem when you sew them by hand because then you have so much more control, but on machine, whew!
I only had to redo one of the gusset twice, but still, it was very frustrating.
The gusset is on my victorian blouse that I started on 1 1/2 hours ago. I haven't finished it because a) I don't have any interfacing for the cuffs and collar and the fabric is very thin and b) I really should try to learn my "speeches" for tonight's Imbolc-ritual by heart and prepare my living room for said ritual.
Yesterday I had more time to sew than I thought since my mother stayed and played a lot with Maja. So now I have made 3/4 of the hand sewn boning channels on my Dorothea Sabina von Neuburg-corset.

1850s

Thanks to pinkdiamond I found this illustration, which looks like it's from the end of the 1850s. And now I'm wondering if one can use silk, or more correctly silk imitation, for a jacket like those on the picture. I have this lovely blue rayon fabric that is so flattering on me, exactly the right colour, it's just that it isn't enough for a whole dress. Making a jacket and a skirt in a different colour would solve that. Generally we think of jackets as something more substantial, made from wool, but i don't think it looks like that in the picture. It could well be summer jackets, or bodices made to look like jackets. What do you think?