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Punk Rock Elegance
This is a on-of-a-kind wedding dress, fusing the aesthetics of both punk rock and traditional ellegance. It was made custom for http://tuffycuddles.deviantart.com/, based mostly on her own concept drawings.
The dress is made with a satin outer, on a foundation of coutil in the bodice and tulle in the skirt. It is lined with white muslin. The ( Read more... ) -
Encyclopedia of Needlework
Today a friend referenced me to Project Gutenberg, which is a catalog of free e-books, many of them originally published in the Victorian. The specific book my friend sent me to is Encyclopedia of Needlework by Thérèse de Dillmont, a very comprehensive text on all things needlework, including hand stitching, embroidery, crochet, Irish lace, and ( Read more... ) -
New Tutorial: How to Make a Basic Ribbon Corset
The new tutorial is a clean-up and re-write of my blog entires on the subject much earlier this year. The photos are the same, but I made some major changes to the text so it will be clearer. I had not read through the blog since writing it, and was both embarrassed and amused with my late-night lack of grammar and clarity.
At any rate, it should ( Read more... ) -
Detail Photos and Still Lifes of Chocolate Silk Renaissance Stays
This one is image heavy. I finished the wooden busk and took a bunch more detail photos and some still life photos of the corset and busk before packaging it to mail off.
The busk is hand-carved from solid oak using a dremel tool, and finished with Danish Oil. It is 2"x12". I'm hoping to take the time in the next few weeks to carve another ( Read more... ) -
School and New Corsets and Corset Photos
SchoolI have returned to the local community college extension, part time. I'm taking a class in ancient art history, and a pen and ink drawing class, and I'll post artwork and anything interesting from the classes. I have already been planning for this, and spreading out the orders for the next couple months. Sadly, I underestimated the amount ( Read more... ) -
New Supplies
I found a new source for ribbons, where I can buy silk double-satin ribbon, rayon grosgrain, cotton taffeta ribbon, and cotton herringbone ribbon in a rainbow of colors. I'm particularly excited about these materials because they are sturdier and breath better than the synthetic materials I've been using. They'll be better for re-enactment ( Read more... ) -
General Corseting FAQ
This FAQ is intended to give a broad overview of answers to common questions about corsets and corseting, particularly questions asked by newcomers to corseting. If you would like more information on a particular question, or do not see your question, please comment or contact me directly. I'm also very interested in any feedback regarding the ( Read more... ) -
Red Silk Sweetheart Finished
Tonight I finished the red silk Victorian, many months in the making.
Core: Two layers of corset coutil
Cover: Dark red dupioni silk
Flossing: Black buttonhole thread
Edging: Black dupioni silk bias tape
Lace: Black slightly stretchy lace
Boning: 38 1/4" flat spring steel bones
Piecing: 8 panels per side
Busk: 16" metal straight double busk
Red ( Read more... ) -
New Short Tutorial: Boning Channel Alignment Trick
In most cases, the boning is aligned to the seams of a corset, but when using spring steel flats this is not always an option. Spiral steels can curve and twist with a boning channel, but spring steel only flexes in and out, so it must be vertical to the curves of the corset at all times. When the seams of the corset do not lay on the vertical, ( Read more... ) -
Urgh...
Well, I finally wrote it, in CorsetMakers, no less. Two very, very sour experiences with posting to that group in the past month, and I am seriously contemplating the wisdom of posting there in the future unless it's something safely pertaining only to modern corsetry. It's no fun to be involved in a "discussion" where nothing I say is going to ( Read more... )