I can’t really
explain it, but I’ve always fancied a corset! Really, to be honest, a well
fitting shapewear bodysuit is what I’ve hankered after. I’ve had difficulty
getting the right torso length even from Long Tall Sally (LTS). My height is
more in the torso (particularly from waist down) than in my legs. So trousers
from LTS tend to be far too long for me. Trousers in stores have legs that are
long enough but the rise is too low. Anyway, I also wondered if periodic
wearing of a corset would help my back pain.
So when Rory said
there was going to be a corset making workshop at Centre Front Studios, I
signed up for it. It was originally going to be in October, with a guest tutor.
In the end, the guest tutor was unable to do it and Rory took the workshop,
sadly far too close to Christmas for my liking. I wouldn't have signed up for
it had I known originally. The workshop took place on Saturdays 8th and 15th
December but the second Saturday was cut short because of bad weather and Nicky
and I finished our corsets in the regular sewing bee slot on Wednesday 19th
December, the last slot before the Christmas break.
We used a Victorian
type pattern in a standard size 12 (UK) with D cup; Victorian Corset Sewing
Pattern by Laughing Moon. LM100. A toile is essential and this standard size was to teach us the techniques, not to fit - indeed it was unlikely to fit anyone straight-off. I have since read some excellent tips in the website Truly Victorian - here.
The pattern comes in a huge range of body and
cup sizes. It also comes in two main style - Dore straight style (counter-intuitively but fitting with the style of the era better for larger busts) and
Silverado bust gore (better for smaller busts)plus there are also patterns for a chemise and open drawers
in the pack.
The one we did was the
Dore, the simpler of the two. In the same range there is a below bust corset
suitable for men and women (Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Under Bust Corset (1894 -
1909) LM113) and Nicky and I both ordered that.
We got the supplies from Rory
who had ordered from Vena Cava Design.
Our kit included:
8 x 7 mm Spiral wires 35 cm - I lost one of these. They needed trimmed to length
12 x 7 mm plastic coated steel bones 35 cm
1 Plastic Coated Steel busk with silver clasps 30 cm
3 m 16 mm Boning Tape
1 x 3 m lace with metal tips
1 x 5 mm eyelets and washers (40) - and a kit to insert them
1 x 6 Corset Hooks and Eyes
Rory had cut out the
pattern pieces (to save time) for us using coutil. Just plain white coutil though
there are black, flesh and patterned versions also. The sample corset (not
exactly the one we were doing but rather the sample from the guest tutor) was
lovely - it used patterned black coutil.
What is coutil?
Coutil
is woven cloth created specifically for making corsets. It is woven tightly to
inhibit penetration of the corset's bones and resist stretching. Coutil has a
high cotton content. Cotton has good dimensional stability, or a resistance to
stretching, which makes it a good choice for such a stressed garment. Wikipedia
Only Nicky and I
attended so there was plenty of individual time.
Our first task was to
cut out the fabric for the outside of the corset. I loved the striped fabric
and thought it was quite thick and stable (turned out not to be); I can’t
remember what Rory called the fabric. We then had to mount the fabric to the
coutil and we found that our fabric stretched. As the coutil was totally rigid,
we were able to trim the fabric to match the coutil. Fortunately, this was a
test garment as sadly, the patterns on the individual pieces would no longer
match.
We then had to put in
the front corset piece, the busk. The pattern instructions suggested holding it
up to the midpoint of our breasts and sitting down to see if the metal
obstructed our sitting; apparently 95% of women or some such figure need the
30 cm/12” length. A 13” is also available. Well, despite being tall, the 12” was
fine for me (though I don’t know why I did this test as there is no way a size
12 corset was ever going to fit me!)
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| I didn't take a photo of our busk; like the one far left |
Putting in the piece
involved carefully marking the fabric and leaving gaps when we were sewing to
allow the metal loops through. Obviously, we had to reinforce each side of the
gap. This is a two-piece item, with rings/hoops on one side and claws (?) on the
other. We had to be sure that the two sides would match so there was a lot of
careful marking. When the two sides were slotted in place and matched, a
line of stitches held them in.
We also used
reinforcing plastic boning. Apparently, a corset can have a lot more boning in
it than we used and Rory demonstrated some places it might be used. The demo
corset had a lot more. The web site I linked earlier says the more boning, the more comfortable.
After that, we marked
the position for the grommet holes on the back - this is where the ties
go through. This was the end of the first day. Rory showed us how to
insert the grommets and provided the kit. Both Nicky and I completed them at
home. I confess - David did mine! I made a hole of the correct size through the
fabric/coutil with a leather punch. Then it was a relatively simple insertion,
outside the house, in the cold, using the paving and a large block of wood for
solidity and a large hammer wielded by David. He did one practice which was
fine and then inserted the 18 grommets without a problem. My excuse for not
doing them is that my hands were very sore at the time - they’re somewhat
better now; I think the new mediation is helping.
My next task was to
sew the pieces together, making sure I got them in the correct order. I didn’t
have time to do this before going to the following session. Rory had instructed
us to sew the seams joining the pieces with the wrong side together, so the the
seam allowance showed on the right side. This was then pressed, trimmed, and
the channelling for the spiral steel boning added to the outside covering the
seam allowances. Rory suggested that this was easier than the alternative of
having the channels on the inside.
While I was stitching
the pieces together, I had to ensure that I was matching the coutil rather than
the end of the fabric. Even so, there was a touch of trimming required.
Rory showed us how to
insert the spiral boning and discovered that the bones were not the correct
length. She trimmed a couple to show us how they should look.
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| Rory used this; David used a Dremel |
She didn’t have
the end caps to put over the raw end of the bone - but as this is simply a test
garment to show techniques, that was okay. She also showed us that after that,
we would attach bias binding around the top and bottom perimeter.
This all took quite a
while and because of the weather warnings suggesting travelling would be
hazardous, Rory terminated the class at lunchtime.
At home, I asked
David to trim my spiral wires. I had decided the best way to go about the task
was to put bias binding over the top edge, insert the bones and then put bias
binding over the bottom edge.
Rory recommended
using 7 mm bones though other widths are available. They are also available on a
roll to cut to size, then add the caps - this would be my preferred route as
the set-length bones needed trimmed, anyway and each pair of bones is a
different length.
Rory had shown us how
to insert the tie on the previous occasion - but I hadn’t quite got that right.
There is a long loop in the centre to allow self-tightening of the corset. I
corrected this , but not until later as I found it easier to work on the
binding when the pieces were separate.
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| This is the demo corset, completed - bias in place and Rory demonstrating cords |
Again, I didn’t have
time to do much at home, so I went to the Wednesday sewing bee (already
fretting about everything I still had to do with the family descending for
Christmas on the Friday). I attached the bias binding to one end of each piece
- I only later discovered that I had done the top of one piece and the bottom
of the other! When I came to do the other side of bias binding, this was quite
tricky and I found that my bones were slightly too long. I decided to sew the
bias binding on, leaving gaps for the bone insertion. I decided that was as
much as I could do in class and there was so much to do at home, so I left
early. My last few steps were very rushed and my fronts didn’t match in length
- my bias binding was a bit different on each side. I decided this didn’t
matter - I knew what to do and this was a sample to allow us to practice the
techniques.
One problem was that
I lost a spiral bone. It wasn’t among my things, we couldn’t find it in class
or at home, and I hadn’t inserted two bones in any slot. Mystery. Rory offered
another but I said it was fine. (As I was getting this post finalised today - David found the missing bone in the garage, where he had been cutting the others. This one was marked, but not cut. Rory doesn't read my blog, as far as I know - but if you are, Rory - for once it wasn't me that lost something!))
Nicky had got to the
stage where her daughter was able to try it on and it looked okay - except the
cups were too big.
At home, David
further trimmed the spirals and I somehow found time to complete the bias
binding stitching. There were also a couple of hooks and eyes in the kit Rory
gave us but I didn’t have time to sew them on.
I had what looked
clearly like a corset!
I had been thinking
of Joanne originally while I made this but after Nicky’s experience thought
that perhaps Alison was more likely. It didn’t work for Joanne and she said
she’d prefer the under bust design. Helen tried it on over a tee shirt
(she’s taller than me) and loved the shape it gave her waist, but the cups were
huge for her. I think she takes a B cup in a bra. She was able to insert a
couple of cooking apples in the cups while she was wearing it. I asked her
permission to post that pic and she agreed!!
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| D-cup apples |
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| The gap is supposed to be even , but this was just a quick try on |
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| Side view |
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| Too much space |
Alison then tried it, also
over a tee shirt. It pretty much fitted. She has a bigger cup size, about G/H.
Alison found it difficult to fasten the waist hook but also loved the shape it
gave her waist; the laces at the back were not drawn very tight. She took it
home with her, even though it was a test garment with a bone missing. I’m
afraid all three of my girls have inherited back pain.
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| Sorry, another out of focus; snapped quickly on my phone |
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| Good fit at bust |
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| Spacing too wide at back, but fairly even |
I tried it too of
course - I say tried it but it didn’t
get around my body - there were huge gaps front and back!
I didn’t find this
difficult (especially with David helping!) or particularly time consuming and
would be prepared to have another go, actually making to fit or re-making a
decent looking one for Alison if she wishes. I think, like Joanne, I’d prefer
the under bust design for me. I’m not sure when we’ll get our patterns as Rory
hadn’t yet ordered them.
I mentioned that I
loved the test garment left by the test tutor. That had black self-patterned
coutil underneath and black upholstery fabric on top, and black channels. It
looked much more put together. The patterned coutil is at least twice the price
of the plain but you don’t need that much, and Nicky and I could share a length
and the postage.
Rory's view of photos
When the sewing bee
took up again after the holidays, I showed Rory the photos of the girls. Her
conclusions were
This is the correct
size for Helen but she needs the A cup size
Alison is good in the
D cup but needs a bigger size of corset as there is too much gap at the back.
Nicky also showed a
photo of her other daughter in the corset. She needed a smaller size as the
corset was tied up to the tightest at the back, the cup was a bit big and the B
size was suggested.
Other lingerie
thoughts - I have a much loved, beautifully fitting, bra which has already seen
its last wear and I’m going to ask advice about cloning it. Others have
suggested using a pattern. I’m open to both options, but I’ll see which is
likely to be easier. I discussed with Rory and I’ll take to a future sewing
bee to let her see it; her feeling is best to take it apart and clone if in
relatively decent order.
