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Beginner Corsetry: -shapes
Drafting an Underbust Corset: ~Type One~ ~Type Two~
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Fabrics Now that you have a pattern, it is time to go fabric shopping. But, standing in the fabric store, with all the bolts and drapes of hundreds of choices, it doesn’t seem that easy. How do you know what’s the right fabric for your project? Well, it’s really not that hard. There’s a logical progression for picking out the fabrics that are right for your design. You just have to keep your usage and purpose in mind. Base Fabric
The main fabric in any corset is the base fabric. This layer is the strength of the corset; it allows you to tighten and re-distribute. There are very few choices for this layer. Most fabrics available are too weak or loosely woven. The base fabric will also be close to your skin, so you want it to breathe and be comfortable. In your basic fabric store there are few fabrics that fit this description. The first fabric to look at is denim. Denim is strong, cheap, and readily available. However, it has some disadvantages as well. Denim sometimes has polyester in it. The higher the polyester content, the more uncomfortable the fabric will be with extended wear. Denim also stretches with wear and shrinks with washings. Finally, Denim usually only comes in shades of dark blue and black. A darker color base fabric will show through a white or light outer fabric, which just looks bad. Another choice that is commonly available and very affordable is Canvas. Canvas can be found in the utility fabrics section near the fake furs and bolts of felt. Be sure you are looking at regular canvas, or cotton duck, not the slick, shiny outdoor canvas. Canvas is a good alternative to denim because it is usually all-cotton, thinner than denim, strong, and comes in a variety of colors, including white, black, red, blue, and natural, which is my favorite because it closely matches my Scandinavian skin tone. Canvas is a lot like denim in that it shrinks with washings and stretches with wearings. I think it also frays more than denim while you’re working with it. The higher-priced end of the base fabric spectrum is Coutil. Coutil is not usually available at a basic fabric store. Look for it in higher-end shops and bridal fabric stores that carry quality silks and laces, as well as online at corsetry-supply sites. Although coutil is more expensive, it is better for corsetry because of its weave. Coutil has a special herringbone weave that makes it very strong. It doesn’t shrink or stretch nearly as much as denim or canvas, so it provides a sturdy, non-stretch base for long-use corsets. The downside is that coutil usually costs at least twice as much as the other alternatives, or $15-$20 USD per yard. It also comes in a few different colors, mainly white and black. Sometimes a ‘flesh’ color is available, but again it’s a pale cream that only matches the sun-impaired, so it’s not skin-tone for the general population. Coutil’s high cotton content means you can easily dye it, but sometimes the fabric comes with a stiff pasty finisher on it that prevents dye from sticking or spreading evenly. So how do you know when you need to spend the extra money for coutil? It all connects back to your purpose. The longer you want your corset to last, the more quality you want in your base fabric. For a corset you’ll wear every day coutil is the only choice if you want your corset to last. For a piece that will be under a lot of stress, like the extreme waist reductions involved in tight-lacing, you may even need more than one layer of coutil. For a one-time costume piece, however, canvas or denim is a better choice because it is cheaper. For a medium or occasional use piece that needs to be washable, there are few alternatives to using coutil. The easiest and most affordable is using fusible interfacing on your base fabric. Interfacing is a stiffener used to make collars stick up and waistbands stay flat. Fusible interfacing is treated to have beads of heat-sensitive glue on one side. When you heat the glue with your iron, it bonds to the fabric, re-enforcing it with the interfacing material. The glue also bonds the fabric fibers to each other, making it harder for the fabric to stretch and shrink. The problem with interfacing is that your results depend mainly on the quality of the glue and how well you are able to fuse the material to your base fabric. For this reason I usually skip over the garment interfacings and use drapery interfacing. It comes in a nice, wide width with heavy-duty glue that lasts longer than the garment-grade stuff does. The fabric part of drapery interfacing is also stiffer, so it will stiffen your base fabric better. The highest end of interfacing is horsehair interfacing. It is high-quality and durable. It’s also very stiff, so you may want to experiment with it before you decide to use it.
Next you need strips of fabric to make pockets for your boning. There are many ways of doing this. With some styles, such as Renaissance or Baroque, the easiest way of inserting boning is to cut two pieces of base fabric and then sew or quilt them together in rows, creating pockets in between the seams that you can insert the boning into. A contemporary corset, on the other hand, is usually only boned on the seams. If only one bone is placed on each seam it is easiest to just create flat-felled seams on the base fabric to insert the boning into. To determine what to buy for boning channels, look at the boning guide that came with your pattern. Are the channels so close together that making separate channels for each would take too much time? Are they located only on the seams? Does your pattern recommend channels or the sandwich method? If you decide you need separate boning channels then you need to buy boning tape or material to make it with. One of the most common mistakes a beginner makes is to buy bias tape for boning channels. Yes, bias tape is conveniently cut into the right size and the sides are pressed under, but bias tape is wrong for your uses. It is bad because fabric cut on the bias stretches. This is great for seam bindings because the fabric will stretch to fit curves and angles. Boning, however, is under extreme stresses. As your body moves the boning will shift, trying to escape the pressures you are putting on it. If you use bias tape for boning channels, the shifting boning will stretch the tape, causing it to bag and allowing the boning to shift even more. If boning shifts too much it could rub a raw spot in the fabric on the channel and cut through, or it could shift and start to poke your body instead of support it. So what are the alternatives to bias tape? One of the most convenient
is located on the very same rack. Twill tape is fabric that is woven into
a strip the size of bias tape. Because it is woven straight on, twill
tape won’t stretch like bias tape will. The main disadvantage to
twill tape is that in my store it only comes in black and white. This
is fine if you are lining your corset, but if your channels will show,
or if the color mismatch really bugs you, you’ll have to look around
some more. There is an option that is just as durable and cheaper. If you only have a few boning channels you can cut strips of your base fabric and use a bias-strip maker to iron them into channels. Bias-strip makers are commonly found in the quilting section of your fabric store. The only thing to remember is that bias strips are bad, so be sure the grain is straight and cut along it. It may even be easier to tear along the grain to ensure a good line. These alternatives, however, are all on the mid to low side of the quality scale. Where do you find the durable stuff that will last? Like the coutil, you’ll have to turn to high-end stores or online corsetry supply. Look for bone casings. Bone casing is woven of heavy duty cotton straight on the grain in a long tube. It is very durable and long-lasting. You can buy it by the yard, but if you plan on doing more corsets buy it by the spool because it’s much cheaper. Like coutil, casing usually only comes in white and black, with a flesh tone occasionally available, but it can be dyed along with your coutil so the two match.
Next you need to pick out a lining fabric. The point of a corset lining is to protect the base layer from the salts and sweat on your skin and to protect your skin from the rough base layer and scratchy seam allowances. Natural fibers are even more important in this layer because they’ll absorb sweat and moisture instead of trapping it against your skin. You also want the lining to be thin and lightweight so it doesn’t add a lot of bulk to the inside of your corset. The best weave to look for is a straight on over-under 1:1. Cotton fabrics that have this weave are broadcloth, muslin, voile, batiste, and sheeting. Muslin is usually the thinnest and weakest, but it is also the cheapest. Muslin usually only comes in white and natural, although it is very dyeable. Broadcloth has a large variety of colors and is durable and strong, but you have to be careful to check the fiber content because the quilting broadcloths sometimes have some polyester in them. Batiste is a little more expensive, but it is thinner with a fine weave. It usually comes in white or black, but sometimes you can find colors and you can dye it if you wish. Voile is more expensive than any of these, and usually has to be mail-ordered, but its tight weave and smooth finish make it stronger and more durable. Sheeting can be found at your fabric store or in your bed sheets. If you are looking for a quality, cheap alternative to the fabric store bed sheets from home or the thrift store can be cut for lining. Sheeting’s disadvantage is that it is usually thicker than the other three. Any of the above should be dyeable due to its high cotton content. Colored linings, however, can bleed and dye your skin or any clothing worn under the corset. To help prevent this, wash your fabric three or four times with hot water and soap. If you have access to Retayne™ or Synthrapol®, or a similar product, use it in the loads as well. This will probably fade your fabric somewhat, but I don’t think it will matter because no one will see your lining fabric when you are wearing your corset. Dye down the drain is better than dye on the skin. There are some alternatives to cotton fabric. Linen is commonly used in historical reproductions. Linen is stronger than cotton, but it’s more expensive and usually has to be mail-ordered. If you are trying to recreate a pre-1850s historical piece, however, linen is much more authentic. Look for lightweight or handkerchief weight, which is thin and light. Silk can also be used. Habotai, or China Silk, is strong but thin and slick. The tight weave is not as good about wicking moisture away, and its slick texture is harder to sew, but the smooth weave makes it ‘glide’ more against under layers. Crepe De Chine is similar to Habotai but not as strong. Silk broadcloth and sueded charmeuse are closer to cotton in weave and behavior, although silks are generally not as strong or durable. To get silks, look for a bridal fabric store or search online for silk fabric.
The next layer to think about is a padding layer. These are most common in historical corsets and fashion corsets where you want to disguise the boning channels. You can use a padding layer to cushion the outside from the boning or to cushion your skin from the boning. I rarely use an inside padding layer for two reasons. The first is that with the correct boning pattern the bones should lay flat against your body, making padding unnecessary. Second, your lining layer should act like padding if it’s constructed correctly. There are some body shapes that can benefit from inner padding, however. The extremely thin can sometimes have problems with not having enough flesh to cushion the bony areas covered and can benefit from having some padding on the ribcage and near the hipbones. Extremely well-endowed women sometimes have problems with stress on the back part of the underarm or on the shoulder straps because that is the area that is under the most stress from the weight of the bust. Padding will make the corset more comfortable and help to distribute the weight more along the fabric. In both of these situations I may consider padding part or all of the inside. Outer padding is a more simple issue. It is used to disguise boning on the outside of the corset, creating a smooth shape broken only by seam lines. This is not always desirable. Sometimes a more angular look enhances the line of the corset. On other designs the boning is a decoration, even to the point of boning channels being sewn on the outside of the fashion fabric in a contrasting color. If you do need padding there are plenty of choices available in your local store. The cheapest will be felt. You’ll need it by the yard, which is often in the utility fabrics section. Felt comes in plenty of colors, but usually only in synthetic polyester fiber content. You definitely don’t want polyester for an inner padding. An outer padding layer is more forgiving, but the more layers in your corset that are natural fiber the more comfortable the corset will be for long-term wear. I’ve seen felt available online in a 20% wool, 80% rayon content which would be much more comfortable. Rayon is a border fiber, what I like to call a semi-natural, in that it behaves much like cotton even though it’s a synthetic fiber. Wool/rayon would have great cushioning abilities and yet still wick away sweat. An alternative that is usually natural fiber is found in the baby section. Flannel is used for baby clothes and bedding. It is soft and squishy, and usually is all or mostly cotton. The baby section usually only has pastel colors, the quilting section or a store that handles quilting products sometimes carries a wider variety of colors for flannel quilts. Another good product made for quilters to use for padding is quilt batting. There are many different varieties in cotton, polyester, wool, and rayon blends. My favorite is the Warm & Natural® products. They are constructed to feel much like thick felt, but out of 100% cotton fibers. I’ve seen it in three different colors: natural, white, and black. Historical corsets have different needs. Cotton and polyester are both too modern for padding in these corsets. If your aim is authenticity, look for wool felt. You’ll probably have to buy it online from a reenactment company, and it will be pricier than anything else listed here, but you can test your pattern to see where you need padding and only buy a small section for those parts.
The final fabric you need to pick is the fashion fabric. The fashion fabric is the outer layer that shows when you wear a corset. For this you can pick pretty much anything you want. I’ve even been known to layer a few fabrics together, like a pattern under a sheer, to get the effect I want. The only think I would recommend against is knits. Stretch fabrics have a tendency to bag over use. If the fabric you choose is weak, especially acetate, you can fuse it with interfacing to strengthen it. A great resource that outlines tons of different types of fabric is Sandra Betzina’s Fabric Savvy or More Fabric Savvy. It helps you to know the strengths and weaknesses for tons of different weaves and fibers, as well as stitch lengths and recommended needles.
. . . On to Construction! |