a teens corset from a single pattern piece

I prepared this lovely corset for the upcoming Kent State University Museum exhibit, The Great War: Women and Fashion in a World at War. 

© Kent State University Museum, KSUM 1983.3.52

Salmon colored ribbon was basted behind cream colored, cotton eyelet to create a striking textile. A double wide strip of the same colored ribbon was basted behind the lace at the top edge. 

© Kent State University Museum, KSUM 1983.3.52

Here is a close up of the fabric and the petticoat hook.

 

© Kent State University Museum, KSUM 1983.3.52

This corset is from 1914 and it epitomizes the long lines of the fashionable silhouette at that time. The center front is 20 inches long. That's long! The skirt reaches to mid thigh. The fabric was shaped with darts rather than cut into separate pieces. The darts have simply been pressed to the side all the way around the body of the corset.

 

© Kent State University Museum, KSUM 1983.3.52

The center back is 22 inches long. So long that darts were needed below the hip line for shaping.

© Kent State University Museum, KSUM 1983.3.52

The waist measurement of this corset is 25 inches. It's mounted with  2 inch lacing gap, so the waist of it displayed on the form is 27 inches. 

There is a wonderful write up about the exhibit at Worn Through. It opens July 24, 2014. If you are in Northeast Ohio be sure to stop by!

It was so fun dressing and photographing this corset. The pattern created by the contrasting salmon ribbon and cream eyelet looks so Weiner Werstätte to me, and I've already mentioned my appreciation of that aesthetic. Also, I'd never seen a corset made from a single pattern piece. Gorgeous, right?

spring

After a few weeks away I've returned home and I'll be photographing the 1911 corset tomorrow. Yea! When I left it was cool and rainy, I came back to this.

Gorgeousness. I can't decide which flowers I like more, these or the ones printed on my 1911 corset fabric.

pay no attention to the cute smiling child

I know she looks like the life of the party in her stylish wig, but it's the studious one you should be looking at. The five year old with an embroidery hoop. That's me! I don't know if you can see the similarity between this picture of my sister and the clothespin doll I made of her, but I'm sure you'll agree I haven't changed a bit.

possibly the best picture of a crinoline ever

Maybe that's an overstatement, but it is a really nice image. Of course since I took the picture I would think that.

This crinoline is part of the exhibit "On the Home Front: Civil War Fashions and Domestic Life," on view at the Kent State University Museum through August 26, 2012. If you'd like to see more of the Foundations section of the exhibit you can watch this video tour of the exhibit. In fact, there are tours of the entire exhibit available for viewing. If you want to see some crazy Victorian hair jewelry check this one out. Wow.

I'll be back tomorrow with more sew along info. Until then I hope you enjoy the videos!

corset nerves

Sewing the real corset is always different than sewing the mock-up.

Even though I've pretty much gone through all the steps needed to make the corset, when I sit down at the machine to begin constructing the finished piece I tense up. Knowing it counts makes it more difficult. If you are sewing along with me don't fall victim to corset nerves! They will make you not only nervous, but hyper critical and prevent you from moving forward. Just keep stitching.

i haven't abandoned you

I'm waiting for my new camera to arrive! My old one died and descriptions of folding and stitching are just no fun without pictures. It should be here by the end of the week and I'll be back with pictures of grommets in a row and gores being fitted. Yea.

day job

When I'm not in front of a sewing machine I can often be found behind a camera.

The Kent State Museum has a wonderful collection and this gown is just one of the beauties that will be shown during the upcoming Civil War exhibit. I can't wait to see everything installed!

how nice

I have the coolest readers. It shouldn't have taken an award from a fellow blogger to make me take the time to say that, but it did. Lizzi, who blogs at squelchbaker blogs was so kind to award me the Stylish Blogger Award. Thanks Lizzi! And Cao over at A Tailor to Become named me as a Leibster Blog, which translates from German as Favorite Blog, so thanks Cao! And thanks to all of you who follow this obscure pursuit of mine and help me along with your encouraging words and advice.

The Stylish Blogger award requires that I mention a few things about myself and both require that I mention a few other blogs worthy of these distinctive honors. I tend to stick to sewing with this blog so this is a great opportunity for me to share a bit more about myself.

1- I love SPAM.

2- I hate the shoes Princess Diana wore on her wedding day.

3- My father says I should stop using the words love and hate so casually, they should be used only for things that are really worthy of true meaning of the words. I think Spam and Princess Diana's shoes both qualify.

4- I collect found grocery lists. That weird person you've seen scanning the entire row of shopping carts instead of going straight to the end of the row to find one is me.

5- A few years ago I won a 4th place ribbon in the Ohio State Fair cookie competition for my biscotti recipe. 4th place merely whet my appetite for a blue ribbon and I won't stop baking until I walk away with one. To all Ohio oatmeal cookie makers and gingerbread house builders, the game is on.

6- I love the documentary Grey Gardens but worry I'll become Little Edie Beale. Why? Maybe it's because it's cold in my house so lately I can be found wearing an old mink coat indoors.

a fabulous Albert Maysles photograph

Maybe because I also use cans instead of vases for flowers. And maybe it's because one day I opened the laundry basket and found this.

Seven baby 'possums. An opossum snuck in through the cat door in the middle of the night and and tried to make a home in my bedroom. I heard her and chased her out but the babies were still nice and snug inside. Opossoms/raccoons, what's the difference? I didn't feed those little guys though. Edie would have.

7- When in doubt add more glitter. Just a rule I live by when applying glitter to things.

I'm choosing three blogs worth visiting, all are Stylish and Liebster.

Male Pattern Boldness - I love checking in to see what Peter is sewing. His posts are always fun to read and he has gorgeous sewing machines. He's stylish, his cousin is stylish, even his dogs are stylish. Plus, he inspires me because he says he says he needs try to sew slower. Sew slower! The exact opposite of what I need to do. I want some of what Peter has.

Petit Main Savage - Laurinan patterns and sews all sort of intimidating things like coats and blazers. And she looks chic just standing next to a wall.

Marieunet - Marie-Claire posts the hippest stuff. Whether it's a photograph, a film clip, or one of her own drawings, it always feels like I'm hanging out with the cool kids when I drop by her blog.

Thanks again to all of you who read Bridges on the Body!

experiencing technical difficulties

Oh no!
Oh no! After over five years of wonderful service my laptop has died. I knew it was coming. It doesn't make it any easier. Hopefully this won't cause a huge disruption in my already sproradic posting, but I thought I warn you in case there is a gap. I'll be back soon!

a carved busk?

The illustration and pattern of the 1844 corset show a busk that would have been made of wood, or ivory, or baleen. Often busks were carved and given to a lady as a token of affection. This one from the Nicholson Whaling Collection at the Providence Public Library is one of my favorites.

© Providence Public Library (identification number 008)

I love the naïve quality of the artwork. It's carved on whalebone and you can see future Sailor Jerry's tattoos on this busk. Here is an older one made of wood that was carved in 1783 and is part of the Pinto Collection at the Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery.

© Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (accession number 1965T600)

Below is an even older metal busk from the 17th century belonging to The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute.

© Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession number 30.135.32)

Look at the detail of the tiny portrait carved in the metal. Nice.

Notice how they are all decorated? I feel like I should jazz mine up with something. To fit the mock up I can use a couple 1/2 inch wide steels, but for the finished corset wouldn't a decorated busk be nice?

must move forward

I have double checked the box marked "corsets" for the 1650's bodice.

There were several other corsets and stays, but no partially finished bodice.

This means I packed it with something else, which probably seemed very wise at the time. I'm ready to get back to sewing, so I can either frantically search through everything again and not take another stitch until I find the bodice, or I can begin work on the next corset. This does mean I'll have an unfinished project hanging over my head, but I know I'll eventually find that bodice. I'll decide it's time to reassemble the Venetian chandelier and there the bodice will be, wrapped in tissue paper hiding beneath the top layer of bubble pack. Until then, onward.

unpacking

Don't move. Wait, I don't really mean that. What I meant to say is, go to new places but sell everything you have because packing and unpacking is a hassle. No, that's not right either. Maybe the better statement is, take the leap. Move to a new place. Edit everything you have so you pack only what is important to you, but definitely and keep all your books, fabric, and corsets. And your grandfather's martini glasses even though you only use them once a year.

I've managed to take the boxes of books from this,

to this.

It's a start. I have not hit the box with the 1650's bodice in it yet. I better find it soon. Those eyelets won't stitch themselves.

edwardian posture - ideal vs. reality

The Gibson girl silhouette is so pleasing to eye. By 1908 the S bend line has softened a bit compared to a few years earlier, but the leaning forward, scooped in small of the back, and mono-bosum look was still the ideal. Here is an ad for American Lady corsets found in April 1908 edition of The Designer.

The new snug hip! Let's compare the illustrated model's posture to a few photographs of actresses wearing the latest fashions.

They are all standing like upright citizens with good posture. The third lady from the right comes closest to the ideal, and the draping on her bodice definitely helps her achieve the desired look. For fun I laid a piece of vellum over the photo and drew the American Lady corset on one of the ladies to see how it would fit.

Very shapely. But still not leaning forward. And not nearly as long and slim a line as shown in the ad. By the way, the actress with the exposed corset is Maxine Elliott and quick search will result in tons of beautiful pictures of her.

fun news

There was a big reason I wanted to finish the 1650 bodice by July 4th. Soon I will be a student at Kent State University's School of Art studying textile arts. Graduate school. Yea. For now that means packing up my belongings then unpacking them at a new place. The sewing machine is in the shop getting cleaned and oiled before the move, the work table has been broken down, and books have been boxed. The bodice will have to wait until everything is unpacked, which won't be forever, but does mean a delay in finishing it. I wish I were organized enough to make a seamless transition from one space to the next, but I'm not. As soon I have a new sewing spot set up I'll have more bodice updates. In the meantime, here's a picture of patterns ready to go to a new home.

ow

Three eyelets in I suffered a hand injury.

I wish there was an exciting story about how it happened, there isn't. Hand sewn eyelets were not at fault, just a casualty. The last stitch I took was Tuesday. I'm debating completing the stays with grommets instead of eyelets so I can keep my deadline. Self imposed or not a deadline is a deadline. Right?

going back to 1650

I'm moving forward with the next corset even though I don't have final pictures of the last. I'll get them, but if I keep waiting to start the next corset until I manage to get stockings so I can photograph the last one I could be a while. So back to 1650.

Page 36 of Corsets and Crinolines has a boned lining of a bodice in silk moiré. Here it is after I've enlarged the pattern, first 200% then 207%.

The notes say it has, "large elbow length sleeves with cuffs sewn into the arm hole and fine pleating on the shoulder. It also has a basque made of twenty-eight small tassets sewn together." I happen to have a copy of Norah Waugh's The Cut of Women's Clothes: 1600-1930 and the complete pattern, with sleeves, is printed there. There is a lovely painting by Gerard ter Borch at The National Gallery, London, A Young Woman Playing a Harpsichord to a Young Man, which shows what the bodice would look like. Pretty. Maybe I should go ahead and add the sleeves.

Either way I'm finishing this corset/bodice by the Fourth of July. That's six weeks. I can not stand how long the corselet took. That means no searching for special ribbons or fasteners, no getting sidetracked by travel, no dilly dallying. So while I'm patterning I ask you, To sleeve or not to sleeve? That is the question.

what's the hold up?

I know. It's taking me forever to show the finished corselet. The loose ends have been tied, but I refuse to put it on until I buy a pair of stockings to wear with it. Otherwise I know it will ride up over my hips and look sloppy. So stockings are the hold up.

In the meantime, here is a picture of my most recent embroidery project.

This was what I worked on during my recent travels. I've had problems in the past with the satin stitch and the chain stitch. The way to solve that was to do satin and chain stitching. No need to avoid them any more.

me too che

A week away from the machine. Yikes. 

How did that happen?  

closer to reality

A week and a half ago I wrote about what I aspire to. This is my reality, after tidying and make up.

Hunkered down over the machine, glasses on, hair pulled back, and yes, that is a bicycle in the background. My workspace doubles as a garage. A washer and dryer are close to my left, and the camera is propped on the ironing board which sits directly in front of the Singer. All in all, not a bad set up, it could be much worse. The first corset I ever sewed was done with a portable machine sitting on the floor. This workspace is a dream compared to that. There is a window above the washer and dryer so I do get daylight, and wait, I hear birds chirping in the distance. Not a bad set up at all.

The tailor's shuriken drawing entry cut off is midnight tonight. There is still time to participate. Just leave a comment on the original post and your name will be in the mix.

corset? corselet.

Page 90 of Corsets and Crinolines. "Corselet in thin pink cotton broché, with elastic inserts. It fastens down the left side with hooks and eyes. (c. 1925)"

This one concerns me. The slim twenties silhouette is far from my natural shape. I'm worried I'll look like I'm wearing a sausage casing. There. Now that I've put all my fears out there let's get on to the fun things about this corset. Excuse me, corselet. 

Garters! Garters are not just to hold stockings up. They are needed to anchor the corselet down so it doesn't ride up and break the smooth, slim line. Since garters are pointless without stockings I'll have to find a pretty pair. Also, no grommets. After my recent grommet setting issues I'm looking forward to a grommet break.

I'm thinking of not reducing the waist on this pattern. The waist line dropped during the 1920's, and the line from bust to hips was less curvy. Look at these two 1925 dresses from The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Dress, 1925 Paul Poiret (French, 1879-1944) Designer 

French

wool, silk: Length at CB: 45 in. (114.3 cm)

Gift of Mrs. Alfred Rheinstein, 1950 (C.I. 50.117)

Evening Dress, 1925 House of Worth (French, 1858-1956) 

 silk, glass, metallic threads 

Gift of Mrs. Harrison Williams, Lady Mendl and Mrs. Ector Munn, 1946 (C.I.46.20a-c)

I'd wear either of these dresses today. But not without the proper foundation. The difference between my waist and hips is 13 inches without a corset. If I reduce the bust and the hip measurements, but keep my natural waist measurement I may have a shot at the garçonne silhouette. If anyone has made this pattern I'd love to hear your experiences. Did you reduce the waist, or not? One row of hooks for the eyes, or two? What fabric did you use? I can use your help!