"German" corset

March 16, 2007
(from myspace blog)

So. In my quest to make a new corset, I've discovered several patterns. I'm now making 2 of them. A German and another adaptation of the English.

I drafted out both patterns yesterday afternoon. I didn't really like the English version, as it has no straps. A problem I will rectify, as I must have straps.

So, I decided to begin with the German Corset. The pattern for it was much more involved and so I hope, as a result, I will get a better fit. I had to take 14 different measurements and most of them I had to do twice! Compared to the English version with only 5 measurements. Hmmm...

I drafted up the pattern, cut it out and placed it against me to draft out the neck and shoulder lines. Then I cut out the pieces from fabric and stitched them together. When I tried it on I found that the neckline wasn't wide enough and the armscye was too big. So I need to re-draft it. Hopefully today.

I think once I have a good pattern for the German, I'm going to go ahead and make up the English, both without and with straps. Just to see.

Oh. And they'll be completely hand stitched. Yeah. I'm crazy.

March 17, 2007

I must be a glutton for punishment, or just plain crazy. Today, while looking through my Patterns of Fashion book I found another corset pattern! This one is totally different from the one I've already made and the two I'm currently making. So I'll have to add it to the list, I guess. OR, I might take that pattern and the english pattern and meld them together.

Since corsets were made by many different people, there would be different patterns and styles of construction. So I think it's perfectly acceptable to meld two patterns to make another. Totally historical.

Today I redrafted the German Pattern, making a few adjustments. Then cut out the new pattern using a heavier material than last time, also making it back lacing instead of front lacing. But, I then realized that I would need to make a pair of lacing strips to attach while doing the fittings. So I could go no further on the corset itself. But, I did get the lacing strips almost done. As of right now I have 7 handbound eyelets to finish and both strips will be done. All total = 49 eyelets! set off center for spiral lacing, of course.

And once the corset is fitted correctly, I'll get to make another round of eyelets on the corset itself!

Should be interesting.

March 19, 2007

I just love poking myself with pins.

I finished up my lacing strips and attached them to the corset today. And then I bought some cheap twine to use as a lace, since I made the eyelets a leetle too small.

And then I put it on. A back lacing corset is NOT going to work for me. Nope, nope, nope. After some twisting and turning I managed to fit the straps and take in a bit on the sides, don't worry, I didn't bleed....much.

My next step is to take the patterns and draft out the changes from the fitting. Which also means I'll change it back to a front lacing. And then the process begins again. I'll cut out another pattern, stitch it up, attach the lacing strips and try it on. Once it fits the way I want it to fit, I'll cut out the good fabric and start putting it together.

I've decided to use some of the medium weight orange twill from the farthingale project as the interlining and turquoise linen on the inside and a lovely lavender linen on the outside. And when I stitch in the boning channels I will overstitch them with a medium violet floss, so the result will look like it has stripes on it. I think it's going to be quite nice.

March 24, 2007

I have now made 4 - yes 4 - patterns for this German corset! And I've cut out and pieced together and tried on all 4 of the blasted things. Everytime there is something just a little off. But it makes enough of a problem that I have to go back and fix it. This last one was it. I finally was able to move on.

Today I cut out the new pattern and it works. So I cut 2 corsets from my orange twill for the inside where the "bones" will go. Then I cut 1 corset from my turquoise linen as the layer against my chemise. And I cut 1 corset of lavendar linen for the outside, visable layer. I'm a little unhappy about that lavendar layer, as I had to piece together the front straps and bodice. Though odd piecing is period in construction, I still don't like it. But I was utilizing leftover scraps from a long ago project, so I had to make do. Much like a thifty Elizabethan Woman, I'm sure. :D

And then I had to layer them together and start handstitching all those boning channels. I'll keep the clock for this project as well. So far, with all the patterning and stitching I'm up to 6 hours, plus an hour for making my lacing strips, so that makes 7 hrs. all total. Should I count the time I spent ironing all that fabric?

I guess it's a good thing I bought a new set of leather thimbles! I'm going to need every last one of them, I'm sure!

March 25, 2007

I stabbed my thumb pretty well today. The needle went under my thumbnail. It started to bleed. It's more the shock than pain that gets me. But it's still annoying.

I'm up to 8 hrs now on the German corset. After my last post I sat down and layered the pieces. Actually, I took a bunch of pictures for my web page and then I did the layering, but anyway...

I now have 2 corsets, orange on one side and either turq. or lavendar on the other. And then I took another picture.

Next step: layer them, pin them, mark the boning channels.


I decided on this first German corset (yes, I may yet make another!) that I would make it without any tabs at the waist. Since trying on several versions, I've decided that I will be making tabs, but they will be added after the corset is assembled and finished. The tabs will be finished also, and then attached to the waist line with a heavy thread and overhand stitch.

This is totally period, so I'm cool with adding them on. My effigy corset that I've already made had the tabs in the pattern itself as all one piece, and the boning actually went into the tabs. I like that. This German corset will not have boned tabs as I'm making them afterwards. It'll be interesting to see the difference in how well the skirts will be held up.

I haven't tested the effigy corset yet as I have no skirts with which to test it! Once the farthingale is finished it will be laced onto the corset and then we'll see.

But for now, I'm more interested in getting the boning channels going so I can use my lovely violet floss. I think it's going to be a real beauty.

March 27, 2007

So now I'm thinking....after all this work on this corset, do I want to use spring steel or the plastic cable ties? I'm leaning toward the spring steel, especially since I want this thing to have some major flattening power to wear under the super-sculpted Tudor bodices. But I'm finding it to be an expensive decision...

I looked into the pricing for the steel yesterday. I was quite dissapointed with the pricing. Based on a rough measurement of 1/2" spaces for the bones and the overall width of the corset, I would need 79 bones mostly at 14" long, some at 8" long. Based on the average $.75 per bone, we're looking at over $50!

I could use cable ties and only spend about half that.

Now you see my delimna? I want a nice, heavy, sculpted corset. I don't want the price. What to do, what to do?

I have thought about buying the steel in a roll and cutting, filing, sanding, latexing, and dipping each piece myself. (by the list, can you tell I'm not too excited?) Or, I could get my mom to send me a bunch of steel banding that they use at the pallet mill. Same amount of tailoring work to make the bones, however.

So I'm mostly thinking I might want to just double up the cable ties in the most important places and make a wooden busk for down the front center to keep the corset nice and straight.

Since I'm not at the point of needing the boning, I'm not stressing over the cost. My issue is this: how big should I make those boning channels? Once I start stitching them in, I'm stuck with whatever size I go with, because I'm sure not ripping them out and doing it again! So 1/4" or 1/2"? This is what I can't decide. This is where I'm stuck. I don't like decisions like this. If I choose poorly, I'm in trouble. If I choose wisely, however, it'll be a cinch. Oh, what to do??

March 28, 2007

I've come to a decision. I think.

If I'm going to spend the next 50 hours doing hand sewing and embroidery on this corset, then I would be silly to use an inferior boning material just to save a few bucks!

I figure that using the cable ties will still cost me around $30. So I'm betting, if I measure out every pocket and order the size I need for each pocket, I'll be spending around $40-$45. And since it's going to take several weeks to sew all those channels, I can save a few bucks every week and when I'm ready for the steel, it won't hurt so bad when I pay for them!

So. Decision made. Yay for me!

March 29, 2007

The corset is beginning to take shape. Really. The back panel is now completely embroidered and I've begun the right front panel. I've now put in 10+ hours into the embroidery plus the 6hrs for pattern drafting and mocking, and cutting, and pinning. For a total of 16 hours! Whew!

It's going pretty easily at this point. The first couple lines of stitching took 2 hours because I was getting used to the spacing of stitches and figuring out how to anchor my thread without making a bunch of knots. Plus, this is my first use of the "stab stitch" and I'm using the Holbein stitch to fill in the lines. Which plainly is a running stitch going in one direction, then turning around and doing a running stitch to fill in the missing stitches using the same holes as the previous stitches, so there is one complete line of stitches with no spaces in between.

The Holbein Stitch was so named for the painter of the Tudor nobles - because when he painted the embroidery of their sleeves, the stitches were identical on the front and the back of the material. Just in case you wanted to know.

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It looks really nice, and the violet thread on the turquoise is awesome! Too bad that's the inside of the corset. Although I have toyed with the idea of making it reversible. For the added challenge, you know. LOL

Yeah. I'm certifiable.


March 31, 2007

I have now completed the left front. Whew!

The corset now comes in at a total of 17 hrs 45 min for embroidery. 6 hrs for development. Net total = 23 hrs 45 min

Another 10 hrs on the right panel and the embroidery for the corset will be done. I'm thinking I might be boning and embroidering the tabs at the waist as well. I won't know for sure about the tabs until the corset is ready for me to fit. Then I'll know if I'm going to need those tabs.

April 1, 2007

I put in another 3 hrs of stitching today. My fingers were getting numb so I called it quits. If I'd kept going I probably could have had it all done. I just couldn't go on.

April 4, 2007

The emboidery is done! I put in 3hrs 45 min yesterday and another 25 min today and finished up all the embroidery, bringing the total stitching hours to 25 hrs 25 min. The corset comes to a total of 31hrs 25 min. And I'm not done yet!



Here is the front and back on my lovely mannequin. It doesn't come together in the front on the mannequin because the mannequin is not "squishable" like a human body. I just had to put the corset on her so I could see how it was coming along...and to help out with the strap placements!

My next step will be to add on the lacing strips and do a quick fitting on myself. Just to make sure it fits. I've already decided that if it's a little too tight, I'll be slicing it up the back (where there is no embroidery in the middle - I left it that way for just such an occurance) and making it lace in both front and back. Which, of course, almost doubles the number of hand-bound eyelets I must make. But the better fit will be worth it.

Now I need to measure out my boning channels, and get the boning ordered. And I need to decide what color to bind this thing in: I have some lavendar and some turquoise left that I could use, but I was thinking it'd look better with a creamy off white color, or maybe even yellow to match the yellow guards I'll be adding to the farthingale....I'm just not sure yet...

April 6, 2007

So, I've now added another 40 min to the embroidery. I decided to change around the order of boning so the 2 lines at the very front edge had to be embroidered.

I worked on it all day yesterday! Put in 7 hrs on the binding. Here is a pic of the binding pinned around an arm hole. And a pic at the end of the 7 hrs. The outside is stitched in place, the inside now needs stitched down.



The bottom of the corset is being left open so I can slip the boning inside. Then I'll stitch it closed. I'm not going to work on the eyelets until the boning is in, that way I'll know for sure if I'm going to have to cut it up the back.

April 10, 2007

I put in another hour last night on the corset binding. And now it is done. I've only the bottom edge to bind once the boning is in. So now I wait.

Embroidery total = 26h 5m Corset total = 40h 5m


June 3, 2007

We're now at 48hr 5min. 1.5hrs was added to embroidery.

The boning material came and as soon as I opened the box I started measuring and cutting and stuffing! Yay! I think, in my hurry, I goofed. I didn't bother trying to straighten the curl of the reeds (they came in a big coil) and so there's a very distinct curvature to the corset now. I'm hoping it will flatten out. I set a bunch of books on it last night, but this morning it was still pretty curved. Bummer. I think I might have to get it wet a bit and see if that helps. I don't know. First time using reeds as boning material. I like the stiffness, and yet I don't like the stiffness. I have to say, after wearing it for a while today, I like my corded corset much better. This one is a little shorter on me, being German rather than English I expected it to fit differently, but I don't think I'll work as is. I've already decided to make some tabs to whip-stitch to the waistline, (boned, of course), in the hopes that it will help a bit with my bumpy silhouette! LOL

So here are some pics of the corsets with the farthingale. The lavendar corset is so stiff (and much smaller, I might add) than the green one, that it won't fit nicely on the mannequin. So once the eyelets are finished and I can wear it for better pics, these will have to do. I'm including a shot of the green one as well. You can see the difference!



Here is a close up of the hand-bound eyelets. I found these nifty little rings at the Home Depot, and I found an awl for poking the holes at Big Lots (for a buck!). I like the look of these eyelets much better than the ones on the green corset.


While the metal rings for reinforcing the eyelets IS documentable - the type I'm using is not. But I don't care. These were the only ones I could find without a split. And split rings just won't work - the split always finds it's way out of the embroidery! And I really don't want to take the time to find the soldering iron and solder to fix those pesky little things! I have too many other things that need doing!



June 5, 2007

I've now logged 64hrs 5min on this corset. I finished up the eyelets on the front of the corset (16hrs!) and now my next step will be to put everything on and mark where I need the lacing holes on the waist of the corset and the farthingale. Here is a quick pic I took just after finishing the front.