Construction Tips

So I just finished my first corset that I plan to sell at Anime Central 2011 (if I can get a space in the Dealer's Room, everyone wish me luck). As I was making it I thought about tips about construction that would've been really useful to me when I started out. Here are a couple of things that I've thought of, and if you can think of more or if you have more questions feel free to leave a comment:

1: The Type of Bones You Should Use
As I said in my previous post "Finding Your Muse" the best resource you can find for how to construct a corset is someone who manufactures them professionally. They tend to tell you what kind of bones they use, how many layers they put in, etc...Personally, I use a combination of spring steel bones and just plain steel bones. The spring steel bones are nice if you want some flexibility in the garment but still desire to have structure. However, I think it is absolutely essential to use steel bones (not spring steel bones) in a couple of places: the front panel (especially if you're like me and don't like using busks) and the very back panel by the grommets. You want to use steel bones in those two places because that's where you want the corset to be flat and straight.


2: How Many Layers the Corset Should Be
I know when I first started out, I thought you wanted to use three layers for your corset: fashion fabric, interlining, and lining. That's what I had read in a couple of places and that's what I thought you were supposed to use. All of my corsets, however, would come out really bulky and not looking the way I wanted them to look. That's when I spoke to Ms. Linda Sparks who told me, in her infinite corset making wisdom, that you want at most two layers: the fashion fabric and the coutil. If you can swing it, you really only want one layer, which you might want to do if you decide to use the bone casings as an accent on the outside of the corset.  The point is, you want to use as few layers of material as possible to make sure that the corset isn't bulky and will fit nicely to the wearer's body. Remember, corsets are supposed to be very fitted garments, and they won't conform nicely to the body of the wearer if there's a lot of fabric.

3: The Coutil Question
For the longest time I didn't use coutil when I  made corsets, because the material is expensive. When I finally broke down and used coutil as my strengthening layer, it made all the difference. It's not too stiff (actually it's surprisingly flexible) and the material doesn't wrinkle much. However, if you don't want to spend the money on coutil (which I highly recommend you do) make sure  that, for the layer you put the bones on, that you use a fabric that has some structure to it (not a lot but some), doesn't wrinkle too much (because otherwise when the person wears it it will wrinkle all over the place), and that the weave is straight, not diagonal (which you can figure out by looking at the material).

4: Make Sure to Reinforce Your Stiches 
I know this sounds silly, but make sure that you reinforce your stitches when sewing together your corset. The way to do this is by using two different lengthed stitches. I don't think it matters what size stitch you use first, so long as you use two different stitches. Then I would press the seam flat (fold the edges over, don't split them up) and do a topstitch over the seam. What you have is a nice, reinforced seam that won't bust when tugged. Remember the corset is going to be cynched up so the seams need to be able to withstand a lot of punishment.

5: The Thread Question
I generally use whatever thread I can get, but because I reinforce my stitches it hasn't been a problem. Just make sure that the thread matches the color scheme you want to use. It couldn't hurt to use more heavy duty thread, but I have gotten great results using regular $2 thread from Vogue Fabrics.


That's all for today! If you have any tips of your own or if you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment :) Also leave a comment if there is something in particular that you want me to talk about in my next post. 

Finding Your Muse

For me, finding inspiration is probably one of the most difficult parts of being a designer. What do you do when you find yourself experiencing a writer's block of sorts?

Sometimes this happens when one has so many ideas in her head that she can't focus on any one thing. If you're like me, though, what really happens is you set up your sewing machine, look at it, and then wonder what to do next.

The first place I go is.... *drum roll* the internet! In particular there is a wonderful livejournal community called corsetmakers where sometimes people post pictures of the corsets they've made and discuss how they've put them together. Just looking at the wonderful work these people do is usually enough to get me inspired. Overall I recommend looking at things that other designers have made because there's nothing quite like seeing someone else's work to get your own creative thought processes going. 

The second place I usually go is my friends. Phenomena like Facebook are wonderful in that you can look at your friends' pictures and become inspired. For example, I have one friend who owns beautiful corsets, so whenever I feel stuck I look through her pictures. It's a little creepy I know, but ya do whatcha gotta do and hope that they never realize that you're being creepy ;)

Other places to look for inspiration: books, movies, tv, and video games. I know what you're probably thinking: "I knew about books and movies and I can kind of see tv but video games? What can I possibly get from them?" In my humble opinion, video games tend to have some of the most intricate and interesting costume designs. I guess this is because they don't have to worry about reality. Anyway, the result is that it's really fun and quite a challenge to try and make those designs come to life, and you'll be inspired to make your own unique designs.

What if you have a concept in mind but don't know how to implement it? That's where resources like this blog and corsetmakers community on livejournal come in handy. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Look for what others have done and try to put your own spin on it. For example, I'm planning on putting together a fiery fae costume using a corset I bought at Anime Central like 5 years ago (long before I knew I wanted to make my own corsets). I spent a good chunk of time researching what a fiery fae was to get an idea of what it might look like, which helped me create my own ideas. This involved looking at drawings that other people have done.

The last thing I recommend if you decide to try and make your own corset is to buy one for yourself first. I highly recommend doing this because then you'll get a better idea of how it should fit and what other people who make corsets professionally use. The people who sell corsets generally like to tell you what's in them and what kind of materials they use, which is an invaluable resource when you're starting out.

Anyway, that's all for today! I don't think I'll be able to post every day (because by day I am actually a mild mannered law student) but I will try to at least post weekly.

As always, if you have comments or if there is a topic you would like to see me write about please leave a comment.

A Book That Every Budding Corsetier Should Read

The book that every budding corsetier should read is The Basics of Corset Building by Linda Sparks. It is an incredible resource that discusses in detail how to build a corset in a way that is pretty easy to understand, in my humble opinion.

I lucked out in that I actually met Ms. Sparks. She's incredible, and gave me a lot of advice. She even signed my copy of the book!

I know I said that there was only one book, but then again the other thing I'm about to recommend isn't really a book. Every person who wants to make corsets should read the Corsetmaking Revolution at http://www.foundationsrevealed.com/downloads/CorsetmakingRevolution2.pdf

My good friend was kind enough to share this with me. Essentially this download (for lack of a better word) is about how to draft a corset pattern! It's amazing, and I use the skills I learned in it all the time. Let's face it, for something as structured and fitted as a corset you can't really use a standard pattern, nor should you be restricted to that!

Anyway, that is all for tonight lovelies! If there is something specific you want to know and would like to see a whole post dedicated to it, leave a comment. You should leave a comment either way, but certainly leave one if you want to know more about something specific.

First Post!

Hello All!

Welcome to the Corsetier's Conundrum, where I talk about my love of creating corsets. For the most part I will try and concentrate on the evolution of my process of creating corsets, as well as when and where I will be selling corsets. This page will also be where I talk about my experience of being a budding corset designer and business person.

I hope that you all enjoy this! Please feel free to leave comments.