bust » By Sidney Eileen

How to Add a Bust Ribbon to a Corset

The bust ribbon is a small ribbon along the top of the bust which can be tightened to cinch in the top of the bust slightly, or just tied into a nice little bow for decoration. This tutorial shows the bust ribbon added to a corded Regency style corset, and I used narrow silk taffeta.

Edge the entire top edge of the corset before adding the bust ribbon so pulling the ribbon will not create friction and potentially fray the raw edge of the corset inside the edging. By doing this the bust ribbon can also later be removed or replaced without causing any harm to the corset.

This is an easy detail to add to a corset which is otherwise already finished.

Regency Corset - Assembly 50

My edging ribbon is not quite wide enough to cover the existing edging, so I stitched two lengths of ribbon edge to edge. Ideally, you will want an edging ribbon or bias tape which is naturally wide enough.

You need to leave a small hole at the center of the bust where the ribbon will emerge, so, following the same procedure as for normal edging, start just to the side of center and stitch until you are under the armpit. Leave roughly one inch of edging ribbon loose under the armpit.

Repeat the procedure on the other side, leaving a hole about 1/4″ or 1cm wide. This photo shows two silk taffeta bust ribbons threaded through the hole.

Alternatively, you can make two small holes with a small stitched area between, threading the ribbons each through one hole. If you do this, the knot for the bow will stay outside the edging. If it emerges through a single hole, the knot will pull back into the edging when it is tied, leaving just the loops and tails of the bow visible.

Regency Corset - Assembly 53

To secure the outer end of the bust ribbon, stitch it to the loose end of the edging ribbon. I used a zig-zag stitch and went back and forth several times to make sure it will hold.

This photo shows the silk bust ribbon stitched to the cotton edging ribbon and threaded through the hole.

The new layer of binding around the edging ribbon is finished exactly the same as normal edging, but be careful not to catch the bust ribbon in the stitching. The outer ends are folded under, but not stitched. That way if the bust ribbon needs to be replaced, new ribbon may be threaded in from the armpit area and secured by hand.

This photo shows the bust ribbon pulled slightly, so there is some gathering along the top edge.

Thank you for reading! If you found this helpful, please Share it!

New Sewing Tutorial – How to Insert a Triangular Gore into a Slash

Corsets, Costuming, Sewing, Tutorials No Responses »

Jan 252012

This new tutorial walks you through two different methods of inserting a triangular gore into a slash. This kind of construction is sometimes seen in modern and vintage garments, and it is commonly used to define bust shape in women’s undergarments throughout the 1800′s. The images used to illustrate were taken while I was constructing a mock-up for a Regency era corset.

How to Insert a Triangular Gore into a Slash

Project: Regency Corset

How to Insert a Triangular Gore into a Slash

Add comments

This tutorial walks you through two different methods of inserting a triangular gore into a slash. This kind of construction is sometimes seen in modern and vintage garments, and it is commonly used to define bust shape in women’s undergarments throughout the 1800′s. The images used to illustrate were taken while I was constructing a mock-up for a Regency era corset.

The first step in any sewing endeavor is to transfer all your marks. When you are going to be inserting gores into a slash, mark the end point of the slash, the slash line, and the seam lines.

It is usually easiest to mark the end points and the seam points first.

And mark the lines using a ruler. Here I am using a pencil because this is a mock-up and I don’t care if the marks show. You can use chalk or whatever marking tool you prefer.

It is also important to mark the gore(s) so you can tell where they go and how they should be oriented. This regency corset has two gores on each bust, so I marked the inner one “A” and the outer one “B”. The dot indicates where it matches the apex of the slash, and the arrow points towards the center front. Here they are photographed below their corresponding slashes.

While not technically necessary, I strongly recommend stitching close to either side of where you will be cutting the slash. Back stitch along the stitch lines at the apex of the slash. This helps to prevent fraying and reenforce the fabric while inserting the gore. If you like, you can also use a bit of fray check, but if you do so be very careful of it discoloring any material which might be visible in the finished garment.

Wait to slash each gore until you are ready to sew it.

Corset Alteration – Reducing the Bust Size

Add comments

This is the first in a series of tutorials I will be writing on the subject of modifying an existing corset. In this tutorial I will discuss how to fit and take out a dart at the bust to reduce the bust size on a corset. In the example corset shown, I removed a little more than one cup size from the bust. The bust is a low-stress area of a corset, so darts can easily be removed without damaging the durability and strength of most corsets. Keep in mind that sometimes, depending upon the corset and the intended reduction, this modification may not be possible. Check carefully before cutting into your corset.

The first concern when taking in the bust of a corset is to determine where to place darts, and how many to use. It will depend upon the cut of the corset, the amount of space available between bones, and the amount of fabric that is to be taken out. While wearing the corset, pinch out un-boned fabric around the bust until you achieve a good fit. Make sure the darts match on both sides of the corset. I like using binder clips, but long traditional pins work as well. Be sure to mark the lowest point of the dart before removing the corset.

After removing the corset, mark the darts with chalk or pencil and then remove the binder clips or pins. Check both sides of the corset to make sure the darts are in identical positions relative to the boning. Move your marks so they match, but retain the size of the darts. Stitch your final marks with small stitches. Pay particular attention that the stitches at the bottom of the dart are strong. You don’t want any layers of the corset to pull free while working with the dart.

Mark a center line in each dart, and stitch a close “V” around that center line. These stitches will keep all the layers together while you are working on the corset. If your dart is particularly wide and you intend to trim down the inside, stitch at the intended trim depth. I recommend leaving between 1/4″ and 1/2″ un-trimmed.

Slash the dart down the center and trim if desired. Leave at least 1/4″ of fabric where possible.

Line up the edges of the darts, overlapping the two sides. Carefully pin or baste them together, and then stitch through all layers. Where the dart has very little overlap, I recommend a wide zig-zag stitch, as it will involve more fabric in the seam and help to prevent later pulling.

Do the same thing to all darts, and you have reduced the bust. Try it on to make certain of the fit and adjust if necessary.

Now what is left is to hide the ugly overlap. Exactly how you want to do this will depend upon the look of your corset. In this case, the corset already had some ribbon embroidery, so I decided to cover the overlap with wide ribbon and adorn it with some more embroidery. The other advantage to covering it with ribbon is added strength to the area.

With the raw edge up, I stitched down the ribbon below the dart. This way it could be folded up and hide the raw edge.

I stitched down both sides of the ribbon along the length, and duplicated the process on the inside of the corset.

The next image shows the outside of the corset after the ribbon has been applied in and out. It’s not very pretty at this point, but I intended to cover it from the beginning, so I wasn’t concerned that the stitches line up exactly.

When the decorations are complete, the modification looks like an originally intended part of the corset’s design.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you find this tutorial useful.