All posts tagged: underbust corset

The ‘Madame Monet’ underbust corset

The inspiration for this corset was Claude Monet’s portrait of his wife, Camille, in a kimono against a background of Japanese fans, reflecting the mania for all things Japanese that was sweeping Europe in the wake of Japan’s opening to the West. I’ve like way the underbust corset echos both an obi and the Western fashions of the 1870s, playing on the influences in Monet’s painting. And I love the fabric I chose and the way it also echoes the blend of East and West: using traditional Japanese motifs and weaving techniques for a fabric that was intended for the very Western practice of quilt making. I lined the corset in some fabric left over from my Ice Cream Banana blouse, and bound it with some vintage polished cotton. I wish the front busk was gold, to match the gilding on the fabric and the gold grommets and aiglets, but gold busks are almost twice the price of silver, and take weeks to order in. For the photoshoot I pinned all of my Japanese fans …

The ‘Serendipity’ Underbust corset

Published by The Dreamstress

I love my underbust corset pattern, and I keep making it up. I also keep making up versions of it and not quite finishing them. For once though, this served me in good stead. Five Sew Weekly challenges ago I was sewing like mad, desperately trying to get everything made the four challenges I would miss while I was in Hawaii, where I wouldn’t much in the way of sewing accoutrements or internet access. Other than being frantically busy, I had one massive problem: Mena hadn’t put the Sew Weekly challenges past the 8th of Sept up before I left, and I would get back Friday the 14th Sept, with the next, unknown, challenge due on Sunday night. Not a lot of time to sew, especially since I would kinda need to spend time with Mr D too! So I took a deep breath, crossed my fingers, prayed, and tackled my UFO pile, hoping that I’d get something finished that would fit the challenge due on the 16th. After all, we’d had so many specific …

Yet Another Underbust Corset

Published by The Dreamstress

Remember how I told you about the process of developing an underbust corset, and how I went through a lot of prototypes to get my formula just perfect? That means that I made A LOT of underbust corsets. I’ve given some away, torn some apart and recycled the pieces, but still have quite a few to show you. I really love this one, but I’m still tempted to call it the ‘Not Another Underbust Corset’, because I’m afraid that is really how I felt making it. It’s made of vintage post WWII synthetic brocade, which was called ‘Kyoto silk’ at the time to make it sound a bit fancier. The fabric was a gift from my honorary aunt Artie. The piece was just big enough to make the corset. It’s lined in a fabulous printed houndstooth craft cotton in aqua and black. I love the contrast of the bold lining and the delicate pastel outer. The houndstooth lining was a fairly recent purchased, picked up at a 50% off sale at Arthur Toyes. Like all …