Skip to main content

Edwardian Corset and Corset Cover

    Please allow me to take you back to last year. Well, actually, that might not be the best plan. Let’s leave 2020 in the past. Anyway. In 2020, I had a project which I called “Unmentionables Through The Decades”. As a whole, this project was very successful. I managed to complete a good number of my planned sewing projects that year. There were a few projects that I didn’t blog, a few that I might do later, and a few that I don’t plan to make after all. Today, I thought I’d get back to my Edwardian undergarments set. This is by far my favorite set in this series. I blogged about the drawers, the chemise, and the “bustle”  last year.  This week, I’ll write about the corset and the corset cover, and finish up the 1900s series next week with the petticoats.


    Corsets are always my least favorite projects, but I am incredibly pleased with this one. They are usually a lot of work, for a garment that isn’t even seen. This is the “Edwardian Straight Front Corset” from Black Snail Patterns on Etsy. I was happy with this pattern, and I can recommend it. It comes together easily (for a corset). Construction took maybe two weeks, on and off. The fabric is some type of polyester brocade or something similar. It’s woven with roses in it, and it’s simply beautiful. Again, I have no idea where it came from. I took half of the fabric and used it here. The other half I dyed purple and will use for another project. I used the brocade for the fashion layer and coutil for the strength layer. All the notions (busk, boning, boning casing, lacing, etc.) are from corsetmaking.com. I really like the support that spiral steel boning provides, but I must say I don’t enjoy working with it. Attaching the tips is fiddly and annoying.  I think the fit is fairly decent, even though I made no alterations to the pattern.


    

    The corset cover is from Truly Victorian’s “Edwardian Underwear” view A. I found some white embroidered cotton in my stash. The multiple ruffles on front are lace trim. This pattern is very good, but some parts of the instructions might be a bit complicated. An example; The neckline edge facing is sewn to the inside of the piece, then flipped to the outside and topstitched down. Not impossible or anything, but might be confusing for beginners. There are 5 buttons down the front. Again, found in my stash. They are similar to those pearl buttons or snaps on cowboy shirts. Thankfully, the buttonhole function on my machine decided to cooperate this time. I think it’s lovely. And of course, I love the silhouette it gives me. 



    The Edwardian look really is capturing my heart recently. It’s so feminine and lovely. My Constance Hatchaway wig really completes the look, in my opinion. It’s just too fabulous. 



    Yours in hard work, creativity, and a dash of Pixie Dust


    Sarah

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bow-Tie Necklet

Are you, dear reader, in the mood for some winter accessories? Or, like me, are you already anxious for spring to arrive? The only good thing about winter is the cute accessories, I always say. I have a big canvas basket full of scarves, gloves, mittens, and hats. I have a black and also a purple peacoat. Plus my dramatic leopard print fleece cape, which I have previously discussed. Simply put, I don't like to be boring with my accessorizing. It is my only source of cheer and happiness when preparing for a cold winter's day. Ok, enough with the dramatics. On with the subject of today's blog. I knit this up several years ago. This is what the pattern calls a “Bow-Tie Necklet”. It is a scarf, but not in a traditional long rectangle shape. One end is pulled through a loop on the opposite side, forming a sort of bow tie. I have seen several examples in mid century photos of similar knit scarves that seem to have been made the same way. Of course, I forgot to save them/...
Post a Comment
Read more

Disney's The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Blue Dress

    Anyone who has spent more than 3 minutes with me knows I'm obsessed with Disney. My three favorite movies are Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. So for Halloween 2011, I made a version of Ariel's blue dress. She wears during "Kiss the Girl" scene and when they are riding in the carriage around Eric's kingdom. . It was fairly easy to make. I used McCall's 4090 (View A), a simple skirt with a waistband. For the bodice/over corset, I used another McCall's, 4861 (view A). I didn't want side lacing, so I just traced each of the four pieces separately, then taped them together at the sides, overlapping the seam allowance. This left me with the back lacing only. When it was assembled, I roughly "eye-balled" the sweetheart-shaped neckline and cut it out. The shirt was made with Simplicity 3677. I just added cuffs to the sleeves instead of elastic. A couple things I lea...
3 comments
Read more

1930's Bra and Taps-Unmentionables Through The Decades Project 1

YouTube video associated with this blog For my first project in my “Unmentionables thru the Decades” project, I decided to start with the 1930s. This was really the decade when the fashions for underwear changed into the form we recognize today. In the '20s, they did have bras and panties more or less as we know them today. But they were really only popular with the very young and fashion forward ladies. More conservative ladies and older ladies still wore plenty of layers. Maybe not a true corset as we would call it today (more like a girdle), but basically everything else their fore bearers wore. But by the '30s, a much lighter style of underthings was worn more universally. Here is a gorgeous example I found on Etsy. It has a similar style. And here is mine! I decided to begin this project with a gorgeous reproduction pattern, Simplicity 8510. It is a reprint of a bra and tap pants set pattern from the 1930s. https://www.simplicity.com/simplicity...
2 comments
Read more