corset » By Sidney Eileen

Satin Ribbon Corset – Part 2

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Apr 172010

I’m actually further along in the construction than what is posted in this blog, as I’ve been working on this between a number of plain Elizabethan corsets and fell behind on updating here.

To continue, the next step was to attach the busk panels. The panel shown directly below is for the peg side of the busk, and is a single piece of fabric. All pieces are oriented up, outside facing the camera. As with the grommet and side panels, the seamline is marked with a pencil, along with overlap points for the ribbons. I lined them up like before and stitching along the existing stitches holding the ribbons together.

Also as with the side and grommet panels, I folded over the seam allowance and quilted down the ribbons along the entirety of the busk panel. It was then trimmed along the tip and bottom. On the far right, I trimmed the ends of the ribbons to just inside the 1/2″ seam allowance. This will reduce bulk when the seam allowance is turned over later.

For the hook side of the busk, the panel is in two pieces. I am only working with the half that will be on the inside of the corset, and attaching it using the above proceedure.

For the half-panel, I quilted all the way to the edge of the panel and trimmed it even with the coutil. Since the ribbon will only be on one half of this panel (vs. the entire folded over width of the peg side), I want it to go as far as possible for the greatest possible stability.

I marked the hook locations in chalk before sandwiching and sewing panel, ribbon, ribbon, panel.

This photo shows the four layers, after stitching the seam allowance between the hooks. On the right is the bulk of the corset, then two strips of ribbon (running top to bottom), and the other half of the coutil panel. The vertical ribbons will be the cover and lining for the busk panel.

I inserted the busk and stitched it in place using a zipper foot. All layers (ribbon and coutil) are stitched through.

To finish attaching the cover and lining, I hand-folded the seam allowance for the second half of the coutil, along with its ribbon cover. I then edge stitched from above, securing all layers along the edge of the panel.

This is what the panel looked like after edge stitching.

I then hand-folded the peg panel seam allowance, and folded it in half. Placing the hook side of the busk next to it, I marked the locations of the pegs.

The peg half of the busk, inserted into the coutil panel.

The cover for the peg half of the busk needs to be wider than a single strip of ribbon, so I used a small zig-zag stitch to sew two lengths together edge-to-edge. On my machine, it was a “2″ width and a “1″ length.

The two strips, sewn together.

I then marked the locations of the pegs on the cover ribbon.

And inserted the pegs into the ribbon.

Next I folded the panel in half and stitched alongside the busk with a zipper foot. This line of stitching goes through all layers of the busk panel.

There was a lot more excess ribbon on this panel, so I flipped over the corset to sew from the back and tidy up the lining. While being careful to keep the front half of the panel clear of the stitching (you can see it pulled out to the right in this photo), I hand-folded the lining ribbon and edge stitched it to the coutil.

After securing the lining, I flipped the corset back over, hand-folded the seam allowance and cover ribbon, and edge stitched from the front just like with the hook half of the busk.

Once all cover and lining were secure, I stitched in a single boning channel on both halves of the busk.

After inserting the boning, I stitched tight to the top and bottom to hold the boning in place. I then trimmed up the ribbon cover and lining.

To edge the panel is a little trickier than edging an entire corset.

First I cut a strip of ribbon a bit longer than the area to be edged.

Then I stitched it to the front, 1/4″ from the edge.

I folded over the loose end to the inside before folding it over the edge. Be careful to hold it tight, so you don’t get slop at the transition from edging to ribbon panel.

Holding it tight, I tacked that end in place. That kept it secure while I fiddled with the other loose end.

The outside loose end must be folded entirely around and tucked up underneath. It will take quite a bit of fiddling, especially the first few times you do this. Try to keep it under tension, so you don’t end up with a sloppy bunching off the front edge of the corset.

Flip it back over (keeping the ribbon in place with your fingers) and top-stitch to the side of the edging ribbon.

This is what the front of the corset looked like after attaching all the edging.

Part 3 will show how to bone and finish the side panels.

Satin Ribbon Corset – Part 1

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Apr 032010

I am currently working on a tight-lacing, double-satin Edwardian ribbon corset. Unlike the previous corset, this one is actually made from a spool of 2.25″ wide ribbon. Coutil will still be used for the busk, grommet pannel, and side panels. When finished, the corset will also feature a removable bow at the top of the busk.

This corset started out with the same scale patterning as the previous fabric-based ribbon corset.

Unlike the fabric-based corset, the width of the ribbon strips is determined by the ribbon, as is the overlap to a large extent.

Each coutil panel is marked with a dot where it should match up with the edge of a ribbon. The ribbon “panels” are marked with the upper and lower edges of each piece of ribbon. On the back, that’s B1, B2, B3, B4, and B5. On the front, that’s F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5. The centerline is also marked.

The first thing I did was cut the coutil pieces. That was one busk panel on the fold, one busk panel with seam allowance, four side panels, and two back panels on the fold.

I marked each piece with the center (noted with a dash) and the ribbon bounding marks. For the center panel, I marked both sides of two of the pieces so I can more easily reference the marks when lining up the ribbons. I also marked the top end of each panel to help keep from confusing them.

When creating a corset in this style, make as many written notes on these panels as you need to in order to keep them clear for yourself. The pieces are all so similar that it is VERY easy to confuse which is which, and what is up and down.

After cutting out the coutil, I cut the ribbon strips.

I strongly recommend cutting and marking all ribbons at the same time. They are very easily confused, and even moreso when one part is fully assembled and then you try to make the mirror side. Trust me on this. I made one quarter first (as a test) and then made the rest of the ribbon pieces. I ended up making a duplicate of the back panel (instead of a mirror) and waisting about two hours of work.

As you cut the pieces for each ribbon “panel”, stack them separately so you don’t confuse them before sewing them together.

Cut each strip of ribbon with extra length equal to the width of the adjoining coutil panels. Mark them with the edges and edges of any overlapping ribbon strips. I also marked each strip with its identifying letter-number on the end that will sew to the side panel. Whether you mark them this way or not, be sure that you will know which way is up and which end is the front or back.

All the pieces for one back ribbon panel.

For those of you who read the blog about the fabric-based ribbon corset, I highly recommend using the following technique when assembling any ribbon corset. When I was prparing to sew this corset, I had a bit on epiphany/DOH! moment. It’s such a simple change, and makes construction infinitely easier. The only thing I’m upset about is that I didn’t think of it sooner.

Arrange the strips together as a single panel…

…and pin them.

After pinning the ribbons together at the marks (and comparing the panel to your paper patter – it should match exactly), sew along the chalk so you can treat the ribbon strips like one single piece.

Arrange and sew one side, and then the other. Compare them before stitching the second half, and make sure the are reverses of each other. That is, with the chalk marks facing up (because both halves were marked from the same pattern), one shoud be stacked with the center ribbon on top. The second should be stacked with the center ribbon on bottom.

Draw your seam allowance distance on the coutil panel (back panel shown here). Match the center marks, and line up the stitches on the ribbon panel with the line on the coutil. Pin to the edges, lining up the stitching with the seam allowance line.

Stitch directly on top of the stitches holding together the ribbons. Remove the pins.

Fold over the coutil so the seam allowance and the loose ends of the ribbon go across the panel. Hold the coutil panel tight against the seam and top-stitch to secure. Try to keep the coutil panel as straight as possible. Adjust the ribbons as needed so they lay smoothly across the coutil.

Keeping the coutil as straight as possible, quilt down the ribbons across the width of the panel.

Trim the escess and stitch along the edges of the ribbons. These stitches will prevent the boning from trying to go between the ribbons later on. If you plan to use boning tape, these stitches are not necessary.

Be careful to keep everything oriented the same direction and pin the center panel to the ribbon panel. Use the same proceedure as for sewing to the back panel. Pay very close attention to your front and back sides, up and down orientation, and waistline marks. Use the extra marks to make sure you are lining everything up properly. It should all match.

If the curve at the center is too great to allow for the center ribbon strip to lay down flat across the side panel, cut it straight down the middle. Do not cut all the way to the seam. Stop about 1/8″-1/4″ from the seam.

Quilt down the ribbon just like with the other panel, taking care to keep the coutil panel straight and adjust the ribbons as needed so they will lay flat.

With the sewn parts of the corset facing up, set the front panel so its back edge is to the center panel. Make sure the ribbon panel is oriented vertically the same way as the sewn portion, and that it is also facing up. Double and triple check to make sure both ribbon panels match and are oriented identically.

Pin and check again.

Slash if needed, and quilt to the coutil as before.

NOTE: Do not automatically trim the loose ribbon at the top and bottom of each panel. Most of the time you will want to fold it over, otherwise the edge of the ribbon will be too short to hold into the coutil. By folding it over, it won’t pull free.

When I stopped tonight, both halves of the corset were to this stage. The ribbon is sewn into the back panels and the side panels.

The next WIP will show attaching to the busk panel, which is slightly different from the other panels. It will probably be next week before I update with more progress on this corset.

Adaptation of 1890′s Corset Pattern

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Mar 262010

Modified gored corset pattern from historic Victorian pattern

As part of a donation drive on LiveJournal, I was commissioned to make two different custom corset patterns. One person specifically wanted an adaptation of the Khaki Corded Corset on pages 62-65 of Jill Salen’s book, Corsets: Historical Patterns and Techniques, ISBN-13:978-0-89676-261-9.

Normally, adapting a pattern to measurements is all a matter of mathematics. You proportion out the various measurements within the pattern and adjust them equally to match the measurements of the individual being fitted. In this case, the historic corset was so vastly different in body shape that purely following the mathematics would have resulted in a corset that looked absolutely nothing like the original. As it is, it will have a very different look, but by altering the formation of the pattern to suit the customer’s body shape it can look as near as possible.

The main crux of the problem is the wiastline placement and other vertical measurements.

The original corset: 14″ busk, 5″ to bust top, 2″ from underbust to waist, 8″ from waist to busk bottom

Adapted pattern: 12″ busk, 3″ to bust top, 5″ from underbust to waist, 5″ from waist to busk bottom

To compound the problem, despite being a relatively small corset, the original wearer had a proportionally larger cup size. This last detail is only an issue because the what gives the corset its distinctive look are the gores. A proportionally smaller cup size means that if I stay true to the proportions of the pattern while creating the correct cup size, the gores will look much smaller than on the original corset.

A larger space between the bottoms of the bust gores and the top of the front hip gore is unavoidable. That is a virtue of the customer’s body shape, and at my skill level I cannot alter that without creating an ill-fitting pattern.

The image below is the scale pattern. I made several major adjustments to the front and back panels when making the full-size pattern. The shapes of the gores are intended to be estimates. I find it much easier to create the gores full-size, where I can accurately compare seam lengths and critical points.

If you have Jill Salen’s book (it is worth having if you are interested in drafting your own corset patterns), open it to page 64 and compare the shapes. I tried to retain the major lines of the pattern, while adjusting it to the vertical measurements of the customer. The more exaggerated angle at the side seam of the front panel is a result of the longer torso. I used the waist and underbust measurements to set the angle, and followed it up to the bust so it would retain the same lines as the original corset. It may need to be curved upward slightly, but that is best determined at the mock-up fitting.

On the scale version I also contemplated artificially dropping the underbust, but changed my mind on the final. The way the gores are shaped, they are intended to cup outwards immediately, so if I dropped them by an inch the customer might have needed to pad the bust in order to fit properly.

Modified Historic Gored Corset Pattern

For a larger view of the full-size pattern, click on the image and it will open in a new tab/window.

Some changes from the scale pattern include moving 1/2″ of the side seam from the front panel to the back panel. I also widened the slit for the back hip gore to 1″, so it will visually consume more space along the hip of the corset.

Changes from the original pattern include widening the slits for the bust gores. I widened the gores correspondingly, so they will take up more visual space in the final corset.

As for the pattern markings, there are match-up points at the hip and underbust for the side seam. each gore is matched at corners and at the top and bottom edges. General seam allowance is 1/2″, with an option for 1/2″ seams at front an back or cut on fold. Gores are marked with 1/4″ and 1/2″ seam allowances, for versatility in construction method. All panels and gores have an optional 1/2″ trim allowance along the top and bottom edges. I don’t normally include such a feature in patterns for my own use, but I have noticed that some people prefer it to be there. Since I neglected to ask earlier, I just included it.

1880′s Overbust Corset – WIP1

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Mar 202010

One of my current orders is for an 1880′s style overbust corset, to have a cream silk cover and blue flossing and embroidery. It’s for under a wedding dress. :)

I am doing a mock-up of this one since the piecing in the front is very different from styles I have done previously. What follows are photos of the scale pattern, the mock-up pattern, and the mock-up. I am intending to use between two and three times as much boning on the final corset. The spacing between the grommets is 2″, far too large for a real corset, but it should do just fine for fitting. The mock-up is made from one layer of cotton duck canvas, unwashed so it will stretch as little as possible.

I will be mailing this off to the customer sometime next week (whenever I get to the post office). I won’t be posting more on this corset until after she has had a chance to try it on, and I have made any adjustments to the pattern.

Fabric-Based Ribbon Corset – Part 3

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Feb 142010

I stole some time to upload these photos and update my blog. The ribbon corset is finished now. I won’t be taking nice photos of it laced onto something until after the move is finished.

Continuing from the previous post, I inserted and stitched the boning in place. I also grommetted the back. Normally I wait to grommet until after edging, but it worked out to be more convenient to grommet this one when I was grommeting the tea stained corsets I finished last week.

Then I trimmed the edges of the pink panels, taking care not to trim the ribbons.

Then I added edging, as with any other corset. In this case the edging material is bias-cut pink silk, same as the cover material.

After the edging was added, I attached the backing bone for the double-busk and added more quilting stitches to the busk panels on both sides.

Photos of the finished corset before adding the bow.

Final photos after adding the bow. I am a little concerned that it might be too bulky, but we’ll find out when the customer has a chance to examine it in person. Each of the loops is a separate piece, so I can easily pull the bow apart and re-make it with fewer loops.

That’s all for now. After I have some good photos with the corset on something, and a little spare time, I’ll write up the tutorial version of this blog.

Lacing and Resources Question

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Jan 312010

I received an email a few days ago asking me about how to lace a corset, and for reference materials suggestions. I am posting it here in case other people are interested in the answer as well.

A corset lacing tutorial is something I have not gotten around to making, and I’m not sure when I will. Fortunately, there are very good lacing tutorials available other places online. Plug “how to lace a corset” into a search engine, and you’ll immediately get some good results for lacing a Victorian or modern style corset, with a front opening. If your corset does not have a front opening, it’s a lot like lacing your shoes. If the corset is an offset grommet, conical style historic corset, you tie it off at one end, loop it down the grommets and tie it off at the other end. I’ve never used a fan-lacing corset, so I’m not sure how to lace one of those.

I usually run the lacing over the top of the corset at the top and bottom because I like how that looks, but I don’t think it really matters. To ease strain on the grommets, it is a good idea to have the lacing travel front-to-front and back-to-back as it crosses the gap. If the lacing crosses exactly like shoe-laces (always entering the back of the grommet and coming up to exit), it can place uneven stress on the grommets and creates unneccesary wear on the fabric at the back edges of the corset.

As for reference materials for the 1860′s and 1870′s, the book Corsets and Crinolines is the most comprehensive book I know on the subject. My personal library contains a wide assortment of books on the subject of corsetry and historical costuming, many of them reprints of period tailoring manuals. No one book I am aware of answers all the questions a person may have regarding the wearing and construction of corsets and underpinnings. Just the knowledge I have garnered over the years (nowhere near as comprehensive as many people I know) could fill a couple very sizeable books.

There are historic costuming and re-enactment groups scattered around the world. Many of them have online presences as well. I would suggest finding other people in your area with a similar interest, or contacting organizations like the Costumers Guild of America. Historical societies can also be a very good resource, and docents and workers at historic sites and museums are often more than happy to discuss what they know of the subject, but be careful to verify the information you receive because if they are not properly trained it is easy for them to be mis-informed, if enthusiastic. They can also probably point you to good resources for research in your own area.

Another excellent resource is your nearest college or university library. If you are not a student, chances are you can’t check out any of the books, but I don’t know of any academic library that cards people on the way in. Take a note book with you and some money for copies, and look through the books they have in the stacks. Go talk to people in the History department and ask if they know where you can find good materials. Don’t be afraid to ask people. They would not have made it that far in the subject of history if they did not have a love for the subject.

If you know of good resources, please comment. If I have a good listing of resources I’ll add it to the “Pages” section of this site.

-Sidney

Fabric-Based Ribbon Corset – Part 2

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Jan 182010

I did this work a couple days ago, but am uploading the photos today. There is still a little work to do, but the corset is mostly complete after the work detailed here.

I pinned the ribbons to the back panel, using the same proceedure as for the side panels.

View of the pinning from the other side.

I stitched along the seam, removed the pins, and stitched it again.

I stitched multiple rows along the ribbons as on the side panel, quilting them in place. Then I ironed over the seam allowance on the other side of the back panel.

I folded over the back panel, and top-stitched it in place. Then I sewed in the boning channels that will couch the grommets.

Before attaching the busk panels, I prepared the hook side of the busk.

Both were then ironed in half, and the peg side of the busk was marked for insertion.

Then it was inserted.

The busk panels were pinned and sewn just as with the side panels and the back panels.

The ribbons were thoroughly stitched down, and the seam allowance for the other side was ironed over. The peg side of the busk is held in, but the hook side must be inserted before top-stitching.

The busk panels, after top-stitching.

The busk panels are not done, but I want to make the backing bone for the busk before finishing the busk panels. I intend to match all stitches on the peg side on the hook side.

The boning has been inserted (not shown), but I have not yet stitched it in place. All that is left is the backing bone, the grommets, stitching the bones in place, and edging the corset. Last detail will be a decorative bow at the top of the busk.

‘Ta for now.

Fabric-Based Ribbon Corset – Part 1

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Jan 142010

I am currently in the process of making a fabric-based, Edwardian ribbon corset. It’s made with one or two layers of coutil (depending upon the part of the corset), and silk cover fabric in pink and very light peach.

This first image is the scale drawing for the pattern. each side will have five panels, with the two ribbon “panels” giving it all the shape. The front panel will hold the busk, the back panel will hold the grommets, and the side panel will be boned. The corset’s figure is drawn as though the two last sections will be whole panels, with the locations of the ribbons roughly drawn in. I also made a note to myself that there should be at least a 1/2″ of overlap, which is something I did not do with the full-scale pattern, but should have.

I drew out the full scale ribbon “panels” on butcher paper and fully defined the visible shapes of the ribbon pieces. What is shown here are the visible portions of the ribbons, not their full sizes with overlap.

I traced each of the above sillhouettes, and added overlap and seam allowance. I added 1/2″ seam allowances to the front and back ends of each “ribbon”, a 3/8″ overlap, and a 3/8″ seam allowance on the top and bottom sides of each “ribbon”. I also marked the overlap point of each piece, its top side and inside (the side that will be sewn to the side panel), and it’s panel number. “F” stands for “front”, and “B” stands for “back”.

I cut two layers of coutil for the busk panels, back panels, and side panels. I also cut pink silk cover material.

For the “ribbons”, it was a total of 2 coutil and 2 silk for each piece. That means each final “ribbon” will consist of one layer of coutil and one layer of silk.

The first step was to assemble the “ribbon” pieces. With marked sides together (I was careful to mark inside the seam allowances, not on the visible body), I stitched the long sides of each ribbon with a 3/8″ seam allowance.

After sewing all the “ribbons”, I turned them and ironed them flat. I slightly rolled the pieces so the visible edge of each ribbon would be entirely silk, while a slight peak of coutil on the other side would be hidden in the overlap. The purpose of this was entirely to ensure the coutil does not peek out when the corset is worn.

After ironing, I edge stitched each “ribbon” to ensure it would lay flat and even, and to help ensure none of the stitches will come loose.

Next I pinned the front ribbons to the side panel, matching the edges (1/2″ seam allowance on both the ribbons and the side panel) and being careful to keep the even overlap that was drafted.

The back side of the pieces pinned to the side panel.

I stitched the seam at 1/2″, removed the pins, and stitched it again to make sure it holds. Then I pinned the back side ribbons and stitched them into place.

After all the ribbons were secured to the side panel, I stitched several rows to fully secure the ribbons so they will not pull free when the corset is worn.

To finish the side panel, I ironed over the 1/2″ seam allowance of the other coutil layer and cover material.

Then I top-stitched the cover/coutil in place.

In the image above, you can very faintly see a line of white chalk down the center of the panel. That was my guide for the first boning channel seam. I double-stitched each seam, working my way to either side of the panel, creating 1/4″ boning channels.

That’s all for tonight. Next I will be attaching the back panels and busk panels. The boning will be inserted after all the pieces are assembled.

New/Old Tutorial – How to Add Waist Tape to a Corset

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Jan 142010

I published this article a couple months ago on Fashion Students Online, but today added it to the articles published directly on this web site.

How to Add Waist Tape to a Corset

Waist tape is twill tape, tailor’s tape, or other sturdy ribbon used to re-enforce the waistline of a corset. It’s not essential, but it does increase the durability of a corset by easing stress on the seams along the the highest stress point – the waist line. This tutorial describes several different methods of including waist tape in your corset.

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