fabric » By Sidney Eileen

Tackling Those Tiny Wrinkles

Feb 112013

A friend recently made her first self-patterned corset, and was asking me about how to avoid those pesky little wrinkles the happen at the hip and bust. In my experience, they are usually caused by one of two things (or sometimes both).

It can be caused by improperly placed grain of the fabric. Due to the outward spring of the hip (or the bust), it alters the line of greatest pressure such that it’s not perfectly horizontal. Instead, the pressure on the panel angles towards the apex of the curve. If the bias of the fabric falls exactly along this stress line, it creates wrinkles, like pulling on the bias of a square of fabric. There will always be some bias stretch along this area, but if you have a lot of hip spring, it can be worthwhile to tilt the grain of the fabric slightly so it’s not full bias at the front of the hip or the side of the bust (thankfully, with most vertical panel patterns, tilting one also tilts the other very nicely). Another way to solve the problem is to use a hip gore, which I’m pretty sure is why on extant Victorian pieces it is so common to see gores used for corsets with a dramatic hip spring. This problem is also minimized if the next cause is taken into consideration.

Wrinkles along curves can also be caused by too little pressure underneath. That is, the stuff that is the wearer is not sufficient to hold out the form of the corset, so it collapses slightly and tugs in ways it’s not meant to do. If there is a lot of pressure underneath, you won’t see any wrinkles even if the line of greatest pressure is along the bias. So, soften the curve slightly, reducing space where you see wrinkles. Alternately, you can pad it out with some soft foam.

Keeping those two things in mind can help, whether you are drafting your own pattern, or modifying an existing pattern in search of that perfect fit.

Wrinkles on the hip of a corset, caused by improperly placed bias. No amount of padding will solve this. They would likely have been eliminated if I had tilted the bias slightly counter-clockwise.

Revised Art – Almost Ready

Drawing, Fine Art No Responses »

Mar 242012

8.5″x11″ dip pen and ink wash on watercolor paper
Steampunk artwork, created by first drawing with dip pen and ink, and then shading it using a wash of the same ink. A steampunk woman is getting ready, but she seems to have forgotten her shoes…

This is a revision of an earlier drawing. I kept looking at the artwork, and the longer it sat the less finished it felt to me. I added some shading in the background, and unfortunately had to repair some lift on the skirt which is a result of using masking fluid. Despite the slight repair, I am much happier with the artwork as it is now, than as it was before.

Reference: by ~xXtimeless-stockXx

Project: Almost Ready

Line Art – Almost Ready

Drawing, Fine Art, Work in Progress No Responses »

Feb 212012

After three days of almost continual sewing or writing, tonight I took a bit of a break. I looked up a beautiful stock image I already have permission to use, got out my ink and watercolor paper, and drew this. I’ll add an ink wash later for shading.

Almost Ready - Line

For comparison, this is the attempt I posted back on Dec 6, but ruined at the inking stage. I like the above drawing better anyway. What do you think?

Almost Ready - WIP

Project: Almost Ready

Colorful Violin Vest

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As an historical reenactor and steampunk enthusiast, I use my knowledge of historic garments and research to create whatever I envision. Every item is custom designed and drafted, so anything is possible, from full historic accuracy in any period, to stage or costume quality garments, or entirely new fashions based closely or loosely on historic designs. Examples of my past work are displayed in this gallery.

This is a uniquely designed reversible steampunk vest, created for Nathaniel Johnstone.

Colorful Violin Vest

This is a fully reversible men's steampunk vest. The brown side is cotton duck, and the reverse is peacock-colored dupioni silk. Two versions are pictured here. One is the prototype and the other is the final version.

I drew the violin design freehand in chalk, and then painted it with Jaquard fabric paints. It is a unique design. I heat-set the paint so it is washing machine friendly. The fabric was also pre-washed in hot water, so the vest may be steamed or ironed as well.

The pattern is an adaptation of several plates from the Handbook of Practical Cutting on the Centre Point System 1866, a book which is apparently now out of print and very expensive. If you are interested in making Mens' Victorian clothing and can afford this book, I highly recommend it. It is a modern edit of a Victorian text describing how to draft and make tailored clothing, first published in 1866 and 1868. Most of the plates are of Men's clothing, but there are also some women's fashions and children's fashions.

The primary plate I referenced is on p. 43, figure 4 and figure 5. I widened the overlap of the double-breast from ~2" to ~4". I also split the back panel into two pieces, referencing some of the basic coat patterns for a proper curve to give a fine tailored shape to the back of the vest. The basic size is the same chest measurement as Nathaniel Johnstone, so I did not to make any alterations to the dimensions on the prototype. However, the patterns in the Handbook are designed for a fashionable dandy silhouette, so on the final version I let out the waist quite a bit for a comfortable modern fit. On the final version I also moved the breast curve seam from the center front to a princess seam location. This allows the double breast to fold more smoothly, and will make it easier to adjust the pattern to fit other people, including women.

For information on commissioning your own vest, please contact me directly.

Pink and Cream Fabric Ribbon Corset

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Traditionally these were made both with ribbon, and with fabric sewn into ribbon strips. The horizontal strips are independent from each other, sewn only at the sides, busk, and back lacing. They are suitable for light-lacing and tight-lacing.

This corset is made from strips of silk backed with coutil.

Pink and Cream Fabric Ribbon Corset

Fabric: Silk backed with corset coutil
Boning: 1/4" flat spring steel bones
Bow: Silk cover fabric
Busk: 9" metal straight busk

Drawing Fail

Drawing, Fine Art, Work in Progress No Responses »

Dec 062011

My Robot

After two failed attempts, I finally finished an ink drawing which turned out well. The inspiration is a photo I took of a friend at Maker Faire a couple years ago, posing with a robot-like pose-able sculpture.

This is a relatively small drawing, only 7″x8″, created with Senellier Walnut Satin ink on smooth paper. I used a dip pen to create the outlines, and a round brush with water to apply the wash.

Third time was the charm. In the past couple weeks I have tried, unsuccessfully, to create two other ink steampunk drawings. The first failed because of cheap watercolor paper. The second failed because I used expensive watercolor paper of a kind I’d never used before and it took the ink far darker than I was expecting on the first stroke.

The frustration with this one is lack of appropriate paper. I ran out of the paper I used for all the other ink drawings, and at the moment I can’t afford more. Thus, I’ve been trying to use other papers, but they are not behaving in a way I like. In this case, I went with a paper which I figured was not going to give me the result I wanted, but was worth trying. It’s an ultra-smooth paper I usually reserve for marker work, which is why the wash has no gradient to it. That paper also will not take the nib I prefer for drawings because it has such a fine tip it needs tooth in order to draw. That meant I used a thicker nib, and the result was a less delicate drawing.

Methinks I need to budget new watercolor paper ASAP.

This is the drawing I made just prior, which had too much tooth for my liking, and took the ink far darker than I expected.

Reference: Victorian Day Dream by xXtimeless-stockXx

Almost Ready - WIP

Almost Ready

Colorful Steampunk Vest

Costuming, Sewing No Responses »

May 092011

Colorful Violin Vest

Ribbon Corset Portfolio

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Tightlacing Black Satin Ribbon Corset

This tight lacing corset is made from black double-face satin ribbon.

Pink and Cream Fabric Ribbon Corset

This corset is made from strips of silk backed with coutil.

New Materials

Corsets, Costuming, Sewing No Responses »

Aug 252010

I found a new source for ribbons, where I can buy silk double-satin ribbon, rayon grosgrain, cotton taffeta ribbon, and cotton herringbone ribbon in a rainbow of colors. I’m particularly excited about these materials because they are sturdier and breath better than the synthetic materials I’ve been using. They’ll be better for re-enactment corsets, and a more comfortable option for ribbon corsets and support on mesh corsets.

I now have a source for linen mesh material in white, cream, beige, tan, and pale blue, green and pink. Combined with the new ribbons to match, I can make fully breathable mesh corsets in several different colors.

I am also now using a hemp/linen canvas as the core material for my conical corsets. It is as sturdy as cotton coutil, even on the bias, and wears like iron. It is infinitely superior for a structural material compared to the cotton duck canvas I had been using.

Fabric-Based Ribbon Corset – Part 3

Corsets, Sewing, Tutorials, Work in Progress No Responses »

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.

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