This post is a written summary of the video case study for the Light Atop the Tardis corset I made back in May/June of this year.
This corset was made for a girl attending Dragon*Con this August/September so I had to keep it a secret for several months, until after its debut at the convention. The corset itself is supposed to resemble (as its name suggests) the light on top of the Tardis while her skirt was the main box (which opened to show the impossibly huge interior of the Tardis).
This entry is a summary of the video “Case Study: Homemade Mesh ‘Corset’”. If you would like more complete information and side notes about the corset, you can watch the video on YouTube here:
| Fit, length | Center front is 11″ high, and I drafted this corset to be very curvy: underbust about 32″, closed waist 23″ and hips 34″. The elastic mesh also contributes to the extreme shape and curviness. |
| Material | Heavyweight powernet (quite stretchy) for most of the panels, and black satin coutil for the first and last panels, the boning channels and the diamond waist tape. |
| Construction | Essentially a 6-panel pattern although the last panel is separated into two to make 7 panels. First, the powernet panels were sewn together wrong sides together and flat-felled with the bulk being on the outside of the body. Then I added the center front coutil panels, with the diamond waist basted in front. The diamond extends into a waist tape, which was basted at each seam, then I secured the external channels down on top of it. The back coutil panel went on last, then I added the busk and bones, and lastly serged the top and bottom edges. |
| Binding | There is no binding on this *yet*. I had serged the raw edges to keep them from fraying. This allows the mesh to stretch. Conventional binding would not allow the top and bottom edges of the corset to stretch. However I may later add an elastic or mesh binding. |
| Waist tape | The diamond detail made from satin coutil extends into a waist tape that is slightly more than 1 inch wide, and placed on the external side of the corset, secured down at the boning channels. |
| Modesty panel | I didn’t make a modesty panel for this corset because I designed it to close completely at the back. There is a small modesty placket in the front by the busk. |
| Busk | A standard flexible busk, 1/2” wide on each side, with 5 pins, 9.5″ long. Although it is quite flexible, having 3 layers of satin coutil surrounding the busk makes the front panel quite sturdy. |
| Boning | 20 bones total in this corset (not including the busk). On each side there are eight 1/4″ wide spirals in external channels, then a 1/2″ wide flat steel on the center back edge of the grommet panel, and a 1/4″ steel on the “inner” side of the grommets. |
| Grommets | There are 26 2-part size #00 grommets (13 on each side). I used self-piercing grommets to insert these, placing the grommets closer together than I normally would and making sure the grommets are snug between the two flat bones. So far they have all held up well. |
| Laces | Some old black cotton shoe-lace style. More lightweight than nylon laces but not as strong. I just used whatever I had lying around. |
| Price | This corset was quite time consuming due to the flat-felled seams and external channels and waistband. Also the powernet and satin coutil were both expensive materials. If I were to remake this corset (with a more pristine finish) it would likely start at no less than $280. |
Final thoughts:
This is an extremely comfy corset. I also feel that I’m able to very easily cinch down in this corset – I wish I had drafted it to be another inch or two smaller! The powernet is forgiving of curves and makes my asymmetric hips look symmetric, while giving me absolutely zero pinching or discomfort.
The only disappointments I had with this corset was a) the asymmetry in the diamond detail, and b) the rough finish of the serged edges. I may end up adding binding to this corset (either elastic or mesh) although that would somewhat ruin its ability to be worn inconspicuously under clothing, and I’m not sure how even elastic binding would bring back the dreaded muffin top which is currently so nicely avoided.
Overall I think this experiment turned out much nicer than I had anticipated, and I think I will use this as a sleeping corset in the future! However I do need to practice my “finishing” of corsets, even when they’re experiments or prototypes.
This entry is a summary of the case study for the Chocolate Faux Suede giveaway corset, made for the winner of the “Giveaway in Memory of Phoenixjodirae”. Following the summary was an interview with the winner of the corset, which you can watch in the video at the end of this post.
| Material | 3 layers; fashion layer is faux suede in chocolate brown, interlining of cotton coutil, and lining of hot pink twill. |
| Construction | 6 panel pattern. Double boned; it has one bone on each seam (sewn into the seam allowances) and another bone inserted into the middle of each panel using bone casing. Includes a floating liner. |
| Binding | Matching faux suede binding made from bias tape of the same fashion material. It was very fiddly to work with; I don’t recommend using suede binding. |
| Waist tape | 1″ wide invisible waist tape between the interlining and lining, secured down under boning channels. |
| Modesty panel | 7″ wide fabric lacing protector on the back made of faux suede and twill, stiffened with plastic canvas and suspended on the laces with grommets. Also includes a placket under the busk. |
| Busk | Standard flexible busk (1/2″ wide on each side) about 9.5″ long (5 pins). Also has a bone on either side of the busk for reinforcement. |
| Boning | 24 steel bones not including busk. 18 spirals (1/4″ wide), 4 flats (1/2 inch wide on the outer edge, 1/4″ wide on the inner edge) sandwiching the grommets, also two 1/4″ wide flats beside the busk. |
| Grommets | 18 grommets total, size #0 two-part grommets with large flange; set equidistantly, no splits, no wear/fraying/pulling out of grommets, thanks to some better quality grommets made of a more malleable brass. |
| Laces | 5/8″ wide double face satin ribbon in hot pink, to match the lining. |
| Price | A reproduction of this corset would be approximately $270 USD. |
If you would like to see the interview with the winner of the giveaway and her story, you may watch her video here:
After my interview with Foundations Revealed was released, I received several questions from people wanting me to clarify and expand on my answers, particularly this one I had given in my interview:
I have a lengthy checklist of requirements when buying corsets! My structured corset reviews basically outline this list, although I’m more lenient in some aspects than others. For example, I have worn corsets without a waist tape that cinched much more and lasted longer than some other corsets with waist tape. Some of my off-the-rack corsets have impeccable stitching which can only be achieved by someone who has sewn the same corset over and over for months or years, but the quality of the materials or the fit of the corset aren’t up to my standards – conversely, in some of my higher-end corsets I may see a wobbly seam or a pucker, but the corset overall is a beautiful example of artistry. I try to purchase and review corsets from all points on the quality/price spectrum, as I know that my viewers all have different expendable incomes, have different body types and use corsets for different reasons. Having so many corsets also helps me understand why some corsets are priced the way they are.
Indeed some of my purchased corsets don’t include a waist tape but they gave an amazing reduction and I didn’t feel that it was going to break. One was a corset made by an ex-engineer who argued that all fabric stretches somewhat, including waist tape. I have also seen the inside of a leather corset made by the respectable Bizarre Design that doesn’t have a waist tape. I believe he knows what he’s doing and if he has engineered a strong corset that finds waist tapes superfluous, then that’s great. But I will still go on using my waist tape in my own designs!
Some people will take a magnifying glass to a corset and make sure that there is not one stitch skipped or out of place (my boyfriend is like this with his tailored suits, and will also point it out in my homemade corsets). I can understand if someone is paying many hundreds of dollars for a corset, they may expect “perfection”. However, I’m not that scrutinous. When I was starting my corset reviews, I did go into detail about the stitching – how long the stitches were, whether there were any wobbles or skipped stitches, etc. Now, as long as there are no glaring errors or asymmetry in the corset, a wobble here and there in my purchased corsets doesn’t phase me. In my own sewing, I do try to keep my seams straight within 2-3mm, meaning that if I’m off by 3mm or more, I rip out the seam and do it again (and if I’m working on external boning channels, around 1mm). But I’m *slightly* less scrutinous with purchased corsets.
“Finishing” is one of my weak points. I have made a corset that is symmetric in width and height within 3mm, and then messed it all up with the binding. I have spent more hours on binding than I have assembling the panels on some corsets, because I am so terrible at it that I often have to do it three times over. I’ve never tried lace overlay and the few times I did flossing, it turned out abysmal. But with my purchased corsets, I have some that have several funky corners on the binding, or a flossed motif that’s a few mm off. I don’t have a cow about it. Actually, it almost endears the corset because I know that it was made by a human being. Some of the corsets I bought from Corsets-UK had flawless stitching and finishing, but does that mean the worker has incredible attention to quality, or does that mean it was assembled by a mindless drone who’s been making the same corset every day for years? Is it admirable, or is it… boring? It all depends on who you are and what purpose your corset will serve.
That is why whenever possible I try to give completely objective reviews, simply stating the facts and statistics, and let you, the reader or viewer, decide whether you like it. Some consider grommets with large flange a sign of quality and security, while others consider it ugly and cheap-looking. I have my own opinions but I try to allow you to think for yourself let you form your own opinions.
Strength fabric – Most of my owned corsets have twill or canvas/duck as the strength fabric, and I find it *okay*. Not unacceptable, but I won’t be doing a happy dance. Brownie points if they use coutil. If they simply use interfacing to strengthen the corset, I’m not going to be pleased.
Bones – I’m not one who believes that the more bones, the better necessarily – however if the corset has fewer than 1 bone per two inches at the waistline (that is, fewer than 12-14 bones in one of my standard 24″ corsets), it’s my experience that the corset will buckle and wrinkle (unless it’s a ribbon corset). The corsets I wear most often have about 1 bone per inch around the waist, and are ALWAYS steel. I prefer having spirals on the sides of my corset, although it’s not a deal-breaker if the maker uses all flats.
Grommets – I like the last panel of my corsets to be reinforced so that grommets don’t pop out. Sometimes if the grommets are split and the laces catch, it irks me, but this (for the most part) hasn’t done damage to the corset or me, and I know how to repair this. I like the look of #00 grommets with a moderate flange, although I will also use #0 grommets with a larger flange. It’s been my experience that the smaller the difference between the shank and flange of a grommet, the higher the risk of the grommet pulling out (unless a lacing bone is used). A popped grommet within the seasoning period (first month of wearing) is a deal-breaker for me, even when I can replace grommets myself.
Comfort/ Shape – If a corset is uncomfortable/ painful, I’m never going to wear it and it’s a waste of money. This goes for corsets that are too tubular, corsets that are too extreme and corsets that have odd or unrealistic dimensions/ length. Corsets that twist on me is unfortunately common as my hips are not aligned and I cinch more readily on one side of my body compared to the other, but when I’m doing reviews for others I try not to take this into account as there are buyers who are more symmetric than I am. Whenever possible I recommend certain style corsets for people of certain heights, torso lengths and body shapes, depending on what I believe would fit them most comfortably and what would be most flattering.
In the near future I will write about some of my positive and negative experiences as an unofficial-official corset reviewer.
This is a summary of the video “Waffle Iron” Skeleton Corset Experiment. If you’d like more information on how this corset is made and more in-depth explanations, please watch the video available on Youtube here:
I called this corset my “Waffle Iron,” because of the way my skin and flesh pokes through the holes of this skeleton corset prototype, and the lines it leaves afterward. I was inspired to make this due to the recent warming weather and ventilated corsets such as this.
I wanted to push my limits and my knowledge of corsetry, and break down corsetry to its “bare bones” so to speak. To experiment with “corset minimalism” and to get to know the “architecture” of corsets better – to see where the most important lines are.
While I agree that mesh on the open areas would have been more flattering, that wasn’t really the point. Skeleton corsets have existed in the past (with no mesh) and women wore chemises underneath which helped prevent the “oozing”. I still intend to use liners under this corset if/when I wear it in the future.
How this corset was made (please see the video as I did record the steps as I made this):
Once I put on the corset, I noticed a bit of an “Easter Egg” – I was able to perfectly see and understand my problem areas and my body’s asymmetry within a corset. Only by using a “transparent” corset such as this one would I ever have started to understand these little complications and how they can best be fixed. Let’s see a few pictures:
In this front view, you can see that my left iliac crest protrudes more than my right one, and also even one side of my body cinches more readily than the other side, which can be measured in hip-spring on each side vs. “rib spring.”
In the profile view, the bone of the corset is right in front of my iliac crest and pushing back on it slightly. This wouldn’t normally happen in a regular corset, because the fabric would prevent my hip from freely jutting out behind it. Instead, the bone would rest directly on my hipbone and cause discomfort.
Here is a picture of the right side, by comparison. You can see that the right hip doesn’t protrude behind the corset bone in the same way. In the past I would try to alleviate the discomfort on my left hip by simply drafting the hips of my patterns larger and larger, but now I see that I have to completely change my drafting technique and move the panels and bones away from the problem area.
In the first picture of the 3/4 view, you can see the “waffle iron” visual effect. The way that fat pads are genetically distributed, many women (and some men) have a little pocket of fat directly under their navel, and it’s no different for me. This is likely why so many skeleton corsets in the past had a diamond-shaped belt (2nd photo, same angle) or waist tape to hold that flesh in. The diamond could be shallow and stop just around the natural waist, or continue up to the sternum.
While I do realize that the “flesh oozing” is undesirable to many people, I have discovered that seeing the bulges is actually useful. I see it as a topographical map telling me how much support/pressure is required in each “grid” of the body – the more oozing in one pocketed area, the more tension and support that area requires. This means I can take more care and attention in shaping those areas in my drafting, while other areas can simply gently cup or lay flat over the flesh without restriction. If I were to put mesh between the panels, I wouldn’t be able to see this “map” quite as well.
In the future I will make this with coutil instead of twill, as the twill tape is fairly flimsy and makes for wobbly lines. I think I will have the same number of bones (or more) but instead of having “two bones on each seam” like I did here, I’ll likely have one bone on the “seam of the panel” and another bone in the “middle of the panel”. I will also likely add the mid-rib horizontal piece, and widen the area at the waist /make it a diamond shape to hold in more abdominal flesh. Lastly, I’ll make the top/bottom “binding” twice as wide so it will lay flat on the body without rolling and twisting funkily like it is here, and the bones may even extend (at least partway) through that width of the binding just to prevent twisting.
I’m quite excited about how much I’ve learned from this little project, and I’m looking forward to improving upon this first prototype. As they say, “Excelsior!”
This entry is a summary of the review video “Wrinkly Pig” Corset Case Study”. If you would like more complete information and side notes about the corset, you can watch the video on YouTube here:
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Note: the following are the differences between the “Wrinkly Pig” and the “Tickled Pink” corset in terms of construction:
| Wrinkly Pig | Tickled Pink | |
| Fusing | Fused the brocade to a layer of woven fusible interfacing, then flatlined that to coutil. | Fused the brocade directly to a layer of coutil using “Heat n’ Bond” (fiddly sheet of glue, I don’t recommend it). |
| Roll-pinning | Everything was flat-pinned, not roll-pinned. | Some roll-pinning was done on the side panels. |
| Seams | Lock-stitched seams; allowances were not trimmed or clipped at curves. | Seams were trimmed and flat-felled. |
| Boning channels | Double-boned at the seams, sandwiched between two layers of coutil. | Single boned at the seams, used external boning channels (cuts down on wrinkles slightly) |
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And here is my review:
| Fit, length | Decent curves. Used to be a slightly long-line corset but I later shortened the hips so it is more of a cincher now. Center front is about 11″ long. |
| Material | 4 layers including the interfacing: brocade fashion fabric fused to interfacing, then flatlined to interlining of coutil and another lining of coutil. |
| Construction | 6-panel pattern. Seams were lock-stitched (stitched twice) at the seams, the allowances were pressed open. The brocade/interfacing/coutil flatlined panels were all assembled, then the coutil lining was assembled. The layers were then stitched together at first/last panels, flipped right-side out and stitched in the ditch between panels and also secured at boning channels. Bones are sandwiched between the two layers of coutil. |
| Binding | The binding at top and bottom are made out of commercial hot pink cotton bias tape, machine stitched on both sides. |
| Waist tape | 1” wide twill tape between the coutil lining and interlining, stitched invisibly so it’s not noticeable. |
| Modesty panel | Suspended modesty panel made from brocade fused to twill, and stiffened with plastic canvas. 7″ wide. |
| Busk | A standard flexible busk, 1/2” wide on each side, with 5 pins, 9.5″ long. |
| Boning | 22 steel bones in this corset not including the busk. The seams between the panels are double-boned (except the seam closest to the grommets with ¼” inch wide spirals, and there are a pair of flats sandwiching each column of grommets. |
| Grommets | There are 30 2-part size #X00 eyelets (15 on each side). They have a medium flange around and are spaced out 3/4 inches apart. No pulling away of fabric yet but they are very small so many types of fat cord is hard to thread through. |
| Laces | 1/2″ wide double-face satin ribbon, baby pink in colour. About 5 meters and not really long enough for my tastes. I think I may change out the laces for some longer ones. |
| Price | If I were to re-make this corset, I would roll-pin the panels and also use wonder-under or stitch-witchery to directly fuse the brocade to a layer of coutil to eliminate wrinkling. Keeping other construction techniques the same, I would likely charge around $260 USD for a corset like this. |
This entry is a summary of the review video “Homemade Blue Ribbon Corset”. If you would like more complete information and side notes about the corset, you can watch the video on YouTube here:
| Fit, length | Short cincher about 12″ high in the center front, comes up high on the hips. Pointed in the front and in back. |
| Material | Almost entirely 2.25″ wide double faced satin ribbon, with coutil flatlined to the ribbon on the vertical panels in front, side and back. |
| Construction | Pattern is from page 88 of the book Corsets and Crinolines. The horizontal ribbons were draped into the correct shape and tacked on the sides, then sandwiched between two pieces of coutil-flatlined-to-ribbon vertical panels which were then topstitched. The bones sandwiched in the vertical panels only. |
| Binding | There is only binding at the top and bottom of the vertical panels, also made with blue ribbon. |
| Waist tape | None (ribbon corsets generally don’t have waist tapes). |
| Modesty panel | None. |
| Busk | Standard flexible busk, about 9.5″ long with 5 clasps. |
| Boning | 14 bones in this corset; 8 bones on the side panels (4 on each side), 2 flats on either side of the busk and another 4 in the back sandwiching the grommets. |
| Grommets | 26 gold #X00 2-part grommets (13 on each side). Gold was the only colour I had at the time. |
| Laces | Simple white round shoe-lace style cord, about 7 meters. |
| Price | Cost in materials was close to $35. A standard ribbon cincher is often sold for about $150-$200 depending on the maker. Custom fit ribbon cinchers often are more expensive. |
This entry is a summary of my videos for the Princess Tamina costume. If you would like more information and side notes about the corset and costume, you can watch the videos on YouTube here:
| Fit, length | Self-drafted underbust corset with a peaked front top and bottom edge. Stops just at the hips, and features a high back (7″ above waist). Made to close at 21″ at the waist. I took 3 horizontal measurements and 5 vertical measurements to draft this. |
| Material | 4 layers of material; fashion fabric is a very stretchy gold-on-beige lamé, two layers of down-proof cotton ticking (labelled “coutil” in French) as strength layer, and ivory satin lining. |
| Construction | Drafted from a 5-panel pattern. Lining was flatlined to ticking and lockstitched between the seams, then joined to another layer of ticking (wrong sides together) via the sandwich method. Sandwiched boning channels were sewn through those 3 layers, then the fashion fabric was redesigned to look like a ribbon corset and was tacked down at center front and back seams; floating in all other places. Embellishment was hand-sewn. |
| Binding | Made from bias strips of lamé and machine stitched on both front and back. Back of binding was not folded under but left raw; as it’s a knit it doesn’t fray. |
| Waist tape | 1-inch wide waist tape, invisibly stitched between the two layers of ticking. |
| Modesty panel | None. |
| Busk | None; closed front. |
| Boning | Only 12 bones including center front; all half-inch wide steels. Two at center front and one on each seam between panels; only a bone on the outer edge of the grommets, not the inner edge. |
| Grommets | There are 22, 2-part size #X00 grommets (11 on each side), finished in gold to match the rest of the corset. This corset being the first time I hammered in grommets, the back of some of them are rough and catch a bit on the laces. |
| Laces | Round nylon utility cord made for outdoor/sports use. It was loosely woven, frayed easily, slippery and didn’t hold bows very well. |
| Price | The cost for materials was close to $70 because the only store that supplied steel bones near me charged me an arm and a leg for them. Otherwise this corset would have been closer to $35-$40 in supplies. If I were to remake this corset today and sell it, it would cost around $315 USD. ($225 underbust corset + $15 half-inch boning upgrade (I’d use spiral at seams) + $20 double (proper) coutil strength layer upgrade + $40 pattern modification + $15 hand-sewn embellishments) |
This entry is a summary of the review video “Grey & Green underbust case study”. If you would like more complete information and side notes about the corset, you can watch the video on YouTube here:
| Fit, length | Self-drafted, longline (low over the hips) underbust corset with a peaked front top and a straight bottom edge. Made to close at 22″ at the waist. I took 5 horizontal measurements and 9 vertical measurements to draft this. |
| Material | Fashion fabric is a black/white fine herringbone weave with metallic gold thread pinstripes This was fused to herringbone coutil interlining and lined in fern green satin. |
| Construction | Drafted from a 6-panel pattern and both topstitched and lockstitched for extra strength. Boning channels are external (made from green satin fused to coutil) and the lining floats. |
| Binding | The binding at top and bottom are made from 2-inch-wide strips of green satin, machine stitched on both sides. |
| Waist tape | 1-inch wide waist tape, invisibly stitched between the coutil and the lining. |
| Modesty panel | Suspended modesty panel stiffened with plastic canvas and finished the same way as the corset – covered in the pinstripe fabric and bound with green satin on top and bottom. |
| Busk | Heavy duty stainless steel busk (1″ wide on each side) and was cut to 13″ long, with 5 pins. |
| Boning | 20 bones not including the busk; I had used 1/4″ wide spirals double-boned at each seam (except the one adjacent to the busk) in the external channels. By the grommets there’s a 1/2″ wide flat bone on the outer edges and 1/4″ wide flat bone on the inner side. |
| Grommets | There are 32, 2-part size #0 grommets (16 on each side), finished in silver (Chelsea’s choice). The grommets have a large lip around and are spaced 3/4″ inch apart down the length. |
| Laces | Flat nylon braided shoelace-style laces; 8 yards long. They grip well, are densely woven and are resistant to catching, fraying or snapping. |
| Price | The retail price for something similar is around $280 (underbust corset + heavy busk upgrade + double boning upgrade + external boning channels upgrade). |
