Feb 262012
 

How to Floss a Corset

The information contained in my popular How to Floss a Corset tutorial is also available print-on-demand as a booklet, providing the portability and convenience of always having the instructions and diagrams next to you while you work.
 
I’ll also be making it available in ebook form for the iPad and iPhone in the next few days.
 

Drab Green Silk Overbust Corset

 
drabgreensilkoverbust-modeled-quarterfront

Overbust corsets are non-conical, non-bra overbust corsets popular for modern wear. Historic periods of use range throughout the Victorian and Edwardian, and include all manner of piecing styles involving panels and gores.

This is a plus-sized Victorian overbust corset I made for a friend.  It has drab green dupioni silk cover material, flossing, lacing panel, and split metal busk.

Drab Green Silk Overbust Corset

Core: Two layers of corset coutil
Cover: Drab green dupioni silk
Flossing: Beige buttonhole thread
Edging: Matching dupioni silk bias tape
Boning: 1/4" flat spring steel and spiral bones
Piecing: 6 panels per side
Busk: 14" metal straight double busk

1880′s Blue and Cream Silk Sweetheart

 
final-quarterfront-med

Overbust corsets are non-conical, non-bra overbust corsets popular for modern wear. Historic periods of use range throughout the Victorian and Edwardian, and include all manner of piecing styles involving panels and gores.

This is a bespoke 1800′s style Victorian sweetheart overbust corset.  It has cream dupioni silk cover material, blue flossing, blue lace edging, lacing panel, and metal busk.

1880's Blue and Cream Silk Sweetheart

Core: Two layers of corset coutil
Cover: Cream dupioni silk
Flossing: Blue thread and blue floss
Edging: Cream dupioni silk bias tape
Lace: Blue box pleated sheer and lace
Boning: 1/4" flat spring steel and spiral bones
Piecing: 8 panels per side
Busk: 14" metal straight double busk

After completion, it was necessary to add two gores along each hip.

Red Silk Overbust with Black Flossing

 
final2-front-med

Overbust corsets are non-conical, non-bra overbust corsets popular for modern wear. Historic periods of use range throughout the Victorian and Edwardian, and include all manner of piecing styles involving panels and gores.

This is a bespoke sweetheart overbust corset.  It has red dupioni silk cover material, contrast black stitching, flossing, lacing panel, lace edging, and split metal busk.

Red Silk Overbust with Black Flossing

Core: Two layers of corset coutil
Cover: Dark red dupioni silk
Flossing: Black buttonhole thread
Edging: Black dupioni silk bias tape
Lace: Black slightly stretchy lace
Boning (1st Version): 38 1/4" flat spring steel bones
Boning (2nd Version): 6 1/4" flat spring steel bones, 22 1/4" spiral steel bones
Piecing: 8 panels per side
Busk: 16" metal straight double busk

There are two versions of this corset. The first one had some oddities with the draft that meant it would not fit on a human body, so it will be staying in my personal collection as an example of flossing.

As long as I was remaking the corset, the customer requested slightly more waist reduction, and I moved the waistline down to her natural waistline so it would be more comfortable and create more dramatic curves. To accommodate the altered shape, I changed the boning pattern from double-bone pattern to a single-bone pattern. I also used spiral boning for most of the body, instead of spring steel flats. The lace and the backing bone for the busk are salvaged from the first corset.

Quilted and Flossed Silk Overbust v.2

 
final-quarterfront-med

Overbust corsets are non-conical, non-bra overbust corsets popular for modern wear. Historic periods of use range throughout the Victorian and Edwardian, and include all manner of piecing styles involving panels and gores.

This is a quilted gore Victorian overbust corset I made for a friend.  It has peacock dupioni silk cover material, contrast quilting on the gores, flossing, lacing panel, and split metal busk.

Quilted and Flossed Silk Overbust v.2

Core: Two layers of corset coutil
Cover: Peacock dupioni silk
Flossing: Beige upholstery thread
Edging: Beige dupioni silk bias tape
Bust: Padded inside the bust area to enhance the apparent size
Boning: 1/4" and 1/2" flat spring steel bones
Piecing: 6 panels and four gores per side
Busk: 12" metal straight double busk

Quilted and Flossed Silk Overbust

 
final-quarterfront-med

Overbust corsets are non-conical, non-bra overbust corsets popular for modern wear. Historic periods of use range throughout the Victorian and Edwardian, and include all manner of piecing styles involving panels and gores.

This is a quilted gore Victorian overbust corset.  It has peacock dupioni silk cover material, contrast quilting on the gores, flossing, lacing panel, and split metal busk.

Quilted and Flossed Silk Overbust

Core: Two layers of corset coutil
Cover: Peacock dupioni silk
Flossing: Beige upholstery thread
Edging: Beige dupioni silk bias tape
Boning: 1/4" and 1/2" flat spring steel bones
Piecing: 6 panels and four gores per side
Busk: 10" metal straight double busk

White and Black Victorian Overbust

 
blackflossinggored-final-frontquarter

Overbust corsets are non-conical, non-bra overbust corsets popular for modern wear. Historic periods of use range throughout the Victorian and Edwardian, and include all manner of piecing styles involving panels and gores.

This corset is a bespoke custom commissioned Victorian overbust corset.  It is made with gore piecing, a white cotton cover, contrast black quilting and flossing, black lace edging, a lacing panel, and split metal busk.

White and Black Victorian Overbust

Core: Two layers of corset coutil
Cover: White 100% cotton broadcloth
Quilting: Machine-quilted panels of sandwiched horsehair, flannel, coutil, and broadcloth
Flossing: Hand-flossed with 100% cotton embroidery floss
Edging: Black lace on top and bottom edges
Boning: 1/4" flat spring steel bones
Piecing: Panels and gores
Busk: 18" metal straight busk

Black Linen Underbust with Pink Flossing

 
modeled-front

These corsets are styled after the fashion profiles of the late Victorian and Edwardian. Underbusts come up to right under the bust, or just a bit below. Waist cinchers usually just cover from the bottom of the rib cage to the top of the hips.

This corset is an underbust corset I originally made for myself, but have since gained too much weight to wear so it is modeled by a friend.  It has a black linen cover, pink boning channel stitching, pink flossing, and a split metal busk.

Black Linen Underbust with Pink Flossing

Fabric: Two core layers of corset coutil, cover 100% linen, lining 100% cotton broadcloth
Boning: 1/4" flat spring steel bones
Piecing: Six panels per side
Flossing: hand-stitched pink linen thread
Busk: metal straight split busk


Leather and Coutil Grommeted Underbust

 
final-front-med

These corsets are styled after the fashion profiles of the late Victorian and Edwardian. Underbusts come up to right under the bust, or just a bit below. Waist cinchers usually just cover from the bottom of the rib cage to the top of the hips.

This corset is a light lacing underbust I made for myself.  It uses two layers of unbleached corset coutil, covered along the waist and at the front and back with leather, grommeted in place.  It is also edged with leather, is flossed, has a lacing panel, and is front lacing.

Leather and Coutil Grommeted Underbust

Fabric: Natural color, unbleached coutil
Flossing: Buttonhole thread
Edging/Belt Overlay: Lightweight leather
Grommets: 108 total brass #00 grommets
Boning: 1/4" wide flat spring steel bones
Piecing: Six panels per side

This corset is inspired by some of the "health" corsets of the late Victorian, where mesh, grommets, and other open designs were used to make corsets lighter weight and decrease heat retention.

I made this corset for myself without a mock-up. It has a 3" gap in the back and a suspended lacing panel.

Mar 292011
 
Ya-Ta Wa-Loli

This is a wa-loli creation I am calling a ya-ta. The top is based on a traditional kimono, but with the top of the sleeve left open instead of the armpit. Also, instead of leaving the back side of the sleeve open, I left the front side of the sleeve open. All fabric edges are french seamed or fully rolled for a clean finish inside and out.

The bottom is a six-gore, bias cut skirt, with bias binding on the hem, an elastic waist band, and french seams between the gores.

Both pieces are made from linen blend material and pre-washed in hot water for easy laundering.

The outfit is finished off with a black linen corset flossed in pink, a five-tier crinoline. The only parts of the outfit I did not create are the black lace top, tabi, geta, mask, or necklace. The mask was created by Tom Banwell.

 

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Ya-Ta Wa-Loli Ya-Ta Wa-Loli Ya-Ta Wa-Loli Ya-Ta Wa-Loli

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