A friend of mine needed to make a new gown in a week. She came over with the mock-up ready to be fitted and we dove into pressing, cutting, and stitching it together. One night we got everything cut and serged.

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I’m working on this new 1889s style corset for a client. The final corset will either be in natural or a fleshtone coutil with coutil boning channels. I’m tempted to add a lace top edge to the final corset. But until then I’ve drafted up the pattern, constructed the mock-up and decided to try out bias cut coutil boning channels.

Here is the sampler of possible colors for the project:

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This project is turning out to be impossible to photograph. But the first person to see it in person said they wanted it So at least it looks good in person! The trim is this lovely stuff I picked up outside of Moro Bay in this neat little trim shop. The shop owner said she imported it years ago from France. I hope to have enough to do along the top and bottom and maybe a few garters…

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Construction continues…

Curvy enough at the bust that it can’t lay flat anymore:
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This patterning is based off of the red & black lozenge under-bust with the torso lengthened from under-bust to the waist. I wanted to make a quick corset so I just popped on the mock-up from the other corset and adjusted like I would normally. This worked since my client has the same proportions to me but is shorter waisted.

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This jacket is styled after the military zouave jackets that became a popular bolero jacket style in mid to late Victorian era for women. We are doing it in a very fashionable red, but instead of wool it is a fine silk.

All and all, a very clean & subtle jacket that looks lovely over the black silk velvet waistcoat. It has just enough tie in with the skirt to look like they go together.
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I’m using french linen collar canvas to build up the shaping on the standing, pleated collar for the jacket:

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Only a few more pieces left to stitch:

Adding the waist tape & lining: (more…)

This corset design was a collaboration between me and a client who is always a pleasure to work with, thank you Michelle! Like usual I pulled out tons of fabrics and she was instantly drawn to a specific fabric. It is tie silk and I wasn’t sure if it would work for a corset but agreed to test it out. I found the right interfacing and we moved forward on the design. (more…)

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