Corsets, construction diaries and lusciousness.

Sparklewren is now accepting commissions having opened her business on 1st September 2009. And the official website is now live. You can, however, also find all the relevant information by following these links.

About Sparklewren

A Comprehensive Guide to Placing an Order

Information on Standard Sized Corsets

Measurements Guide for Bespoke Corsets

Care/Lacing Instructions

So friends, this week I have been working overtime on this corset (potential clients and interested parties please note, working on a weekend is *not* standard for me - the website has more information on my working hours, policies, etc.). And I have finally come up with a better name for it than the Pink & White Corset! The Candyfloss Daisy Corset! Yes, I'll admit, it isn't a *much* better name, but it was the best I could come up with...

( Couple more images :-) )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

I still can't get over how beautiful this lady's work is. Utterly utterly splendid! I love that beige overbust (and feel it should be referenced every time someone says that corsets *have* to be made up of multiple thick layers, as it's so smooth and thin) and really admire the quality that comes from the drafting method she has chosen.

Ah, it's so lovely when someone new says, "this is my work, please have a look" and it turns out to be divine!

( In other news... )

Now, I had decided I needed a break and best go to bed early to read. Alas, all I could think to read was Corsets: Historical Patterns & Techniques! So here's some musings on a particular corset contained within...

( LOTS more ramblings... )

According to today's episode of Strictly - It Takes Two, Jade Johnson's tango dress next week will feature a separate little waspie over the top, designed to actually cinch! I'm very curious to see this, as I would have thought that cinching the abdominal and oblique muscles would be a bad idea for a dancer. Also, what if there were some dips or twists in the choreography? It is a tango, so I suppose that might not be a real problem. But she's very muscular too, so I suppose there will only be a very minimal amount of cinch really.

I had assumed on seeing the design sketch that it would simply be a corset-like garment, but there it is, in glorious internet streaming... one of the designers saying it will actually cinch in Ms Johnson's waist.

Ooh, I'm going to have fun watching it on the iPlayer this Sunday! I'm a very curious little wren now :-)

Hmm, I'm mulling over the angled boning channels on the back of this corset...

In adapting and customising an historical/commercial pattern for this corset, I dispensed with the original construction method (one layer with self-made interior bone casings) in favour of two layers of coutil (with the steels sandwiched between). Often I prefer a single layer, but having stitched the toile and tried the first method, I opted to do this instead as it would give me greater flexibility and control over the placement of the steels.

( Angles! )

So, this morning I knocked up some sketches and then a little sampler trying out some flossing ideas. The images are blurry (sorry!), but they give a good idea of the direction I'm taking.

The main idea was to follow through the daisy motif, so I've tried this in three different ways. I may need some simple "fans" or "arrowheads" also, but I think I am going to begin with the daisy motifs first, and then decide what would "balance" the best visually.

( Couple more :-) )

"I with you agree. In it something is. Now all became clear, I thank for the help and I hope to see more such articles."

Was it from Yoda do you think?

Mmm, pretty lace... So, as you can see my client has requested that we use the daisy lace trim for the gores instead of the tatting. We're going to eliminate cream all-together for a clearer pink/white colour scheme :-)

The daisies are absolutely lovely, and I've had good fun doing lots of delicate hand-stitching today. Now we're getting onto the machine stitching and it's taking shape nicely. This corset is like Victoriana candy-floss, so sugary sweet!

( Another in-progress shot )

More info. on the design...

Ooh, this baby pink taffeta is delightful! As you can see, we have some overlay options for my client to mull over. A vintage cream tatting for the bust gores, then two types of lace trim to sit between the taffeta ruffles that will be at the lower edge of the corset.

For our flossing (which will be based on the daisy motif) I have two shades of Perle coton for my client to choose between.

The taffeta has been fused to a lightweight cotton which makes it much more manageable and hard-wearing. Flesh-tone coutil provides the strength (I'm hand-basting them together today), whilst a loose lining in a pale cotton will finish the corset off very neatly. This is going to be a very frou-frou and decorative corset, and it's a real treat to work with such a light and cheerful colour scheme instead of my usual black satin coutil details :-D

Ooh, inspired by someone else's post on stockings, I am now slightly in love with these! Am I mad? They'd possibly be not-so-flatting on anything but the most slender of legs, but I just think they're beautiful...

I don't like these so much :-S

But overall, drool-worthy stuff!

Ah... well, I just watched The Painted Veil again. Really, top tip, don't watch something that you know will make you cry when hand-stitching! It's tricky making a neat stitch when you're all misty-eyed!

I really should read the book...

So, having had a few glasses of wine at last night's Halloween party I'm feeling a bit worse-for-wear today :-S

I don't usually get hang-overs, but what can you do... Anyway, in order to recuperate before this week's furious Sparklewren corsetiering, I'm going to watch "Marie Antoinette" (mmm, pretty dresses...), play some Sudoku, eat some crisps, and then have a delicious meal courtesy of my boyfriend (honey chilli chicken, I'm so excited!). This week coming I have three main pieces to work on, plus all the usual emails, accounting, purchases, fabric searches and so on.

A corsetiere's downtime... it's not all glamour kids! Although, my costume last night was pretty cool (I went as Mina Harker, and it was thrown together very quickly using other left-over things so real historical costumers would probably cry if they saw it - thankfully there were no seamstresses at the party!), and I do wish I had an excuse to wear corsets and bustles more often. Some people look good in jeans or t-shirts, I look good in corsets, mid-to-late Victorian bustles, and bolero jackets! Also, a dark dark lipstick that I got specifically for Halloween ("black cherry" by Revlon) wasn't the disaster I expected and actually suited my colouring, so I may have to start using darker lip-colours for normal evenings out.

As a personal project, I am producing a silk dress in "onyx" dupioni for my mama (fully lined with "gilded violet" dupioni - as used in this corset). It is a tricky one however...

Essentially, the main points are: a high, decorative neckline; a subtle split from the neck to the bust; a full skirt (gores, A-line or half-circle?); silk dupioni through-out; sleeves; streamlined corset or bodice.

( Read more )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

"Dracula: The Un-Dead" is Dacre Stoker's and Ian Holt's sequel to Bram Stoker's "Dracula". I picked it up this afternoon from the best-sellers shelf at a local supermarket, so lord only knows what it will be like! Despite finding the majority of Bram Stoker's book rather tedious (once we moved away from Jonathon Harker's words at the beginning the book's pace slowed down quite a lot), it is still an entertaining read and important in the Gothic literary tradition. I imagine the quality of the prose will prove far superior to this sequel, but that judgement is based solely on the new book's prologue, I'm going to sit down and read some more this evening!

I don't believe in reviews, so I haven't read up on this little book. I have heard though, that when the authors met their first inclination was to do a screenplay (and I don't know how much input Dacre Stoker really had with this book since Ian Holt is the huge Dracula fan and screenplay writer...). So I imagine it is going to be rather filmic in its descriptions and plot with easily digestible, prosaic, language. Make of that what you will...

But I'm hoping that it will serve it's function well: it must let me switch off the section of my brain devoted to corsetry, accounts, and business, so that I can have a relaxing Saturday evening :-)

Corsets Make a Comeback

Aw, when did they ever really go away?! I do love Polly Rae's blue feathers in this first image, though please bear in mind that this "article" comes to you courtesy of The Telegraph... Click through for more corsets and corset-like garments.

Oddly, beneath a picture of Dita von Teese it states, "possibly the world's most famous burlesque singer". Someone at The Telegraph clearly has no time for burlesque (or any media, in fact) and hasn't done their research. Either that, or Dita has started a singing career that I've heard nothing about :-S

Other questionable sentences from the disinterested journalist include "Fairygothmother [...] recently opened in Spitalfields" (recently?), and "this corset belonged to Marie Antoinette, who probably had someone to do it up for her." Oh really, do you think?! "Probably" indeed.

Well then, a lovely LJer has recently acquired two pieces of antique lace...

( Pictures :-) )