Corset Making Class

Corset Making Class in December 2013

Taught by Linda Sparks

Author of “The Basics of Corset Building” 

Two day workshop will see you make a mock-up from a commercial pattern, fit it to your body, make alterations to the pattern for future use and make the mock-up into a real corset with bones and busk etc. All supplies are included in the class fee and machines are supplied. You must at least have basic sewing skills – be familiar with operating a sewing machine and bring your own tools (see through ruler, scissors for paper and fabric, pins, measuring tape, note taking materials, tracing wheel and paper, tape etc.)

 

The corset to the right is NOT the corset we will make in class...but it's something to aspire to!

 

Depending on your abilities you may not finish the corset in class time but you will know how to finish it. Depending on your abilities you may not have a corset you want to wear by the end of class but you'll have the skills to make a better one. Come and learn how to make your own corset!

When: December 7th & 8^th   

Time: 9:30 – 4:30

Where: Montreal  at  École de couture Céline Ross

 4230 Décarie Blvd. Montreal, QC H4A 3K3

 

Fee: $270.00 plus tax for a total of $305.00

 

To register e-mail Linda@farthingalesla.com with your phone number and she will call you to register you and get credit card payment. You can also opt to pay via PayPal.

Wire Mask or Head Piece

I've been experimenting with some products we have; it's a great escape from paperwork sometimes! We sell "millinery wire" a.k.a. "hat wire" in 3 different gauges but I must admit I've always found it a challenge to work with. I seem to have heavy hands and can never get a nice look as my wire ends up all wobbly. So I decided to try one of our more stable products: German Plastic Boning in the 5mm width (product number 50-8125-05). It's a narrow flat boning that can be sew to it's self or to anything else that can be sewn and it can be shaped a bit with heat from a warm iron. German Plastic boning is white to start and since I wanted black I threaded the 5mm German Plastic boning into a length of our black nylon braided lacing (the white is dyeable so I could to this in any colour) Product # 03-7176N-90. I took 2 meters of the boing and 2.5 meters of the lacing because I wanted to be able to cut lengths and close the lacing over the ends of each bone. The lacing melts with the heat of a "lighter" so I was able to seal each section of lacing over the bone which meant that the bone could not slide out and melting the ends was a lot faster than sewing would have been.

I did use a Styrofoam head to help me and I just played with the boning to create a simple shape but there seems to be limitless possibilities. The German Plastic boning does not kink like my wire did, so I found it easy to work with and the ability to pin through it into the Styrofoam head made working with it easy. I pinned all the joined sections first and then hand stitched the join. I hand stitched through the nylon braided lacing that covered the plastic boning as it was easier than sewing through the bone and it still created a secure join.

 

 

 After the shape was completed I wrapped some fine net; a soufle type net, over the section that would be in front of the eyes. Hand stitching it to the nylon braid lacing. The net is very sheer but very strong and is product number 24-5510-90 (the white version of this net is dyeable).

This head piece does not fit the Styrofoam head well but it did fit the human head that it was created for.

This was my first attempt at this type of thing and while I would do a few things differently (like not have one of the connections under the chin as it's too obvious), I'm generally happy with how easy the product were to work with and how little time it took...once I figured out what I wanted where it was only about an hour to put it together.


I've included a close-up so you can see the mesh detail

Product can be found at www.farthingalescorsetmakingsupplies.com where they sell more than just corset making supplies.

German Plastic Boning specifically can be found at: http://farthingalescorsetmakingsupplies.com/products.php?cat=plastic+bones

 

Nylon Braided Lacing specifically can be found at: http://farthingalescorsetmakingsupplies.com/products.php?cat=lacing

 

and the Fine Soufle Type Net can be found at: http://farthingalescorsetmakingsupplies.com/products.php?cat=net

Waist Cincher Corset is finished

The fabric used for this waist cincher corset is "spot broche" coutil also known as "dot coutil". It's the most durable of all coutil and I've opted to use it without any fashion fabric as it's very pretty as it is.  The bone casings are on the inside of the corset and I've bound the seam allowances to create some of them. Doing so meant there was no need for a lining. So this corset is made from just one layer of seriously strong fabric - dot coutil. Note the little pocket I added - it may seem too tiny to be of much use but it's all I need to carry a folded up bill or change.

 

I used decorative stitching to indicate some corset bone placements.  I edge stitched the seams in a contrast colour; more for a design detail than any necessity and I used a decorative stitch to secure the top binding of Petersham ribbon. The bottom edge was bound in the same Spot coutil the corset was made from. 

 

Instead of grommets I used black D-rings set w black rivets down the center back and lace the corset with nylon flat braid black lacing. The back includes a modesty panel made from the spot coutil.

All materials used can be found on the

Farthingales Corset Making Supplies web site

www.farthingalescorsetmakingsupplies.com

Corset Project - Black corset w grey dots.

Two new coutil fabrics came in a few weeks ago and I've got an event coming up in October (the Creativ Festival) that I'd like a new corset for.  I had settled on a black and grey herringbone suiting that I could make into a waist cincher using the new black coutil with grey dots (spot broche coutil) as the the foundation.  When it came time to cut the fabrics out I decided I didn't want to hide the coutil! So I'm making a long-line under-bust corset using the black coutil with grey dots and I'll wear it with a black skirt and black blouse.

Here is where I've got to so far.

The busk looks silver but it's actually black metallic and I created a placket behind it to protect my skin or at lease keep my blouse from getting caught between the two fronts.

 

 



 

I like to have a pocket on my corsets so I have some place to put my lunch money and don't have to carry a purse so I added one and incorporated it into decorative stitching.  You can see it in the curved row of stitches. 

 

 

I rarely line my corsets though I did think about doing it on this one but most corsets I make end up getting looked at by students so it makes more sense to keep the inside lining free and all the details visible. A well made corset is just as neat inside as out so a lining is really not needed. I opted to use contrasting thread to sew the bones casings on but I did not use the contrasting thread on the outside of the corset as it seemed like it would make it too busy since there was already decorative stitching.

 



 

 

 

 

I'm busy working on another project so this is what I'm doing when I need a break. I'll post more as I get it done.

 

 

All products are from www.farthingalescorsetmakingsupplies.com

This particular coutil known as "spot broche", "dot coutil" and "spot coutil" is available in several colour combinations and is the ultimate in durability. It's used by theatres all over the world because it's easy to work with and corsets made from it last!



 

 

 

 

Dyeing Coutil and Corset Laces

Just to experiment I tried dying some coutil and the two new Farthingales corset laces and here is the result.

I used Dylon Violet dye and worked in a pot on my stove stop as I was just dyeing sample lengths. The instructions that came with the dye were very easy to follow.

I put all the pieces into the pot at the same and they all stayed in the pot for a full 20 minutes.


Item number 88-71WC-01 is white cotton corset lacing with a waxed finish. I assumed this product would not dye evenly because the of the finish but in fact it took the dye fastest and deepest; the finish must have completely dissolved. Unfortunately once the finish was gone the lace increased in width; it started at 1/4" wide and ended up at 3/8" wide. But the colour is intense.

Item number 01-7671N-01 is white nylon braid corset lacing. It did not take the dye as quickly but it did take the colour equally intensely and the dyeing did not noticeably alter the size or feel of the corset lacing. The nylon corset lacing had a beautiful sheen before it was dyed and after.    

Coutil is only available in a limited number of colours and patterns but it's all either 100% cotton or a cotton viscose blend so I expected some success with dyeing. Some coutil has a finish applied to it that may effect how evenly the coutil takes dye but  none of the pieces I tested were a problem. The one I was most interested in experimenting with was the new rose brocade coutil that is black with "champaign" roses item #74-1148-92. I was hoping that the roses would turn deep purple and they might have if I left the sample in the dye-pot longer. While I didn't get the deep purple I had hoped for, I was not disappointed with the result...the pale lavender roses on a black background is quite stunning and I actually like it better than if they had gone deep purple. The photo does not do the fabric justice!

I also added satin coutil and a satin brocade coutil to the mix and got fantastic results for both. The plain satin; item 74-1150-01 and the satin/brocade known as bzy floral coutil #74-1158-01 took the dye well and ended up a perfect match with each other and the with the nylon lacing!

While I can't image when I'm going to get a chance to dye more fabric and make a new corset I am definitely inspired to find time soon.

The last piece I tested was a cotton viscose brocade coutil 74-1130-20 "diamond brocade". It started out beige but ended up the same shade of deep purple as the satin, however it got rolled up in the pot and only the edges were exposed to enough dye to colour it so I'm not sure about it's success. I suspect it would dye well provided it was all equally exposed.

You can find more information on the over 20 coutil patterns and colours that are available by going to:

 

https://www.farthingalescorsetmakingsupplies.com/Coutil-Corset-fabric-s/1818.htm





Bustles, Hoopskirts and Cages

What was under the dress?                                                              We see paintings and drawings of fashions in the past but we don't often see what was underneath the clothes helping to create the shapes which make for period defining silhouettes.                    Farthingales will be offering a free "trunk show" of structural under garments (bustles, hoop skirts, cage crinolines, panniers and farthingales) to demonstrate how dresses of the past got their shape. This "trunk show" will be held on Friday, October 25th  and Saturday, October 26th during the Creativ Festival in Toronto, Ontario.  Both events will be held at 1 p.m.                                          If  historic costumes are not really of interest then think outside the box...how could you apply these techniques to contemporary fashion? Learn about the materials and techniques used to make shapes.  Access to the demo is free with admission to the Creativ Festival where you'll find tons of stuff to see and an opportunity to purchase supplies.                                                                        

 

 

 

 

Go to www.creativfestival.ca and use Discount Code CFSAVE2 

and SAVE $2.00 on your adult or senior ticket

 

Corset Busks; regular, wide, spoon and colours

Corset busks that open have been around since the mid 1800's. Made of metal an opening corset busk consists of two parts; one side has knobs and the other loops. When the loops are hooked over the knobs the busk acts like a clasp to hold a corset shut. This means that you can get into a corset without someone to dress you. Always loosen the corset laces before attempting to get into and out of the corset. Since a corset is essentially smaller that your body, trying to put the corset on without loosening the corset laces will be impossible and trying to take the corset off without loosening the ties will potentially damage the busk.

 

You have choices when buying a busk.  The most common busk is a "regular busk" or "straight busk" which is white with silver coloured knobs and loops. More colour options have become available in the last few years so you can now get "gold busks" that have gold knobs and loops,  "antique brass busks", "black busks" and even ones that have "diamonds"/clear crystals set in the knobs that are called "diamond busks" (though no, they are not real diamonds). Having colour options means you can co-ordinate the busk to the fashion fabric.

 

There are also "wide busks" and "spoon busks" both of which are silver in colour and made from stainless steel. The "wide busks" are extremely supportive and a good choice for women or men needing/wanting more support - they don't flex nearly as well as a regular busk so they don't curve over the chest well.  The "Spoon busk" is historically accurate for corsets of the late 1800's and the bowl of the spoon is meant to cup the stomach...not the chest!

 

The busk (regardless of style or colour) should be put into the corset with the loop piece on the right-hand side so that the wearer can pull the loop section with their right hand while holding the left side in place. Hooking the loops over the knobs.

 

Busks can be found in many lengths from 4" to 18" so you can likely find one for any project you have.

 

The link below will take you an article about getting into and out of a corset with an opening busk.

 

http://farthingalescorsetmakingsupplies.com/tips.php?article=17

 

The next link will take you to a wide selection of articles related to costume making

 

http://farthingalescorsetmakingsupplies.com/tips-index.php

 

and the last link will take you to a web page to see all the busks that Farthingales offers for sale

http://farthingalescorsetmakingsupplies.com/products.php?cat=busk