Edwardian corset finally finished!!!

This weekend I finally finished my Edwardian corset!! I didn't end up using any of my antique lace because I didn't have enough of the Irish crochet lace (it was about half an inch too short to go across the top), but I found this cream-colored pleated lace at Hobby Lobby and immediately knew it would be perfect.

I'm very happy with the way it looks on me, though I did learn a few things in the process of trying to tighten the laces by myself.

1. I only set every other grommet, except for at the waist. When I was tightening the corset, the edges of the lacing strips bowed out around the curve between my waist and hip. I think I now know why the grommets are so closely spaced on the pattern--because it helps the distribute the tension on those areas more evenly.

Now, this could be because I couldn't tighten it evenly from top to bottom, but I really think I need to go back and put more grommets in. I'm thinking this shouldn't be a problem, I'll just undo the stitching on the bias binding on the bottom, take out those two bones on either side of the grommets, and stick a few more in there.

2. If you lace the corset to have those loops on either side of the waist, you really can't tighten the corset yourself because there's no way to hold the loops and tighten at the same time.

3. If you've torn your rotator cuff in the last six months and are trying not to put too much stress on the joint so that it can heal, trying to tighten a corset by yourself is a really good way to aggravate the injury. My shoulder had been feeling almost all better, and I've screwed it up again because I couldn't wait to try the corset on. But what can I do, since I don't have anyone to help me. My ex said he would have helped me, but I think that would be weird.

So I only have a few pics from the front, since I couldn't lace the back properly. Like I said, I'm really happy with how it looks. I was afraid I would look like a chunky sausage in this thing.

The underbust and waist fit quite well. I'm not sure if I'll be able to maintain parallel edges of the lacing strips all the way down though. I just can't get a feel for how it will fit over my hips when it's laced properly.

I can see that this style of corset isn't meant for waist training or creating any kind of an hourglass figure. It's meant to create a columnar silhouette for those long, lean styles of the 1910s-onward.

I think it's very interesting that girdles in the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s kept the same form as the Edwardian corset. I'd kind of like to experiment with making some girdles of my own because I like that kind of thing and I have a problem with getting very bloated sometimes--I can never predict when--and I have to wear loose clothes all the time because of that. I would love to have a corset/girdle to wear under my work clothes so that I don't have to worry about looking okay in my dress in the morning, only to appear to be 5 months pregnant later in the afternoon because my GI tract is so touchy.

Too much information? I'm sorry. But, it is a problem that a lot of women have.

Anyway, yay for my first REAL corset being finished!!

1911 Edwardian corset is almost done

I really can't believe that I'm almost finished with the 1911 Edwardian/Titanic corset I started two years ago for the Bridges in the Body corset sew along. It wasn't hard to make, but for some reason I just worked on it in fits and starts. Now one half of the corset is completely done except for the lace trim. The other half just needs grommets, and then I can finish the top and bottom edges with bias tape and lace.

I finished inserting the bones and sewing the bias tape to the top and bottom edge of the finished half last night and while at lunch today I pulled out my stash of antique and vintage lace to try and decide which one to use to trim the top edge.

Here are the options:

Lace 1

This tatted lace is too delicate to use on anything that has to be washed. Plus, it's a monster to iron.

Lace 2

Pretty! But I think a little too wide, and too busy of a pattern. It fights with the corset.

Lace 3

This is three yards in one continuous piece. I think it was meant to trim a petticoat.

Lace 4

I love the way this looks. And these pieces are already the perfect length for trimming this corset. The only problem is that the color is slightly too "off" for blending into the corset. I'm not sure if I can get them whiter or not.

I've seen lace very similar to this as cuff and collar trim on many Edwardian and late Victorian gowns.

Lace 5

This is very similar to Lace 4, except narrower. I think it's too narrow for the top of the corset. But I love the off-white against the brown of the corset.

Lace 6

Crochet trim. I don't think this is antique, whereas I think that Lace 1, 2, 3, and 4 truly are Edwardian. That's just my gut feeling. But it definitely is very very vintage at least. It was in horrible shape when I bought it.

This was a monster to iron, which is why it's a good candidate for a corset. Those little scallops at the bottom shrivel up in the wash.

Lace 7

More crochet trim. It's not as wide as it looks--there are remnants of fabric attached to it from where it must have been cut off of a dress.

Maybe the pattern is too bold to complement the corset. It kind of takes over.

Lace 8

Very similar to Lace 7. Pretty, but it doesn't do much for me here.

As I look at these pictures, I find myself leaning towards Lace 1 and Lace 4.

Lace 1 looks almost perfect. It's much more striking in person than in the pics. And really, I can't think of a better use for it than as corset trim.

I am in love with Lace 4 though. I'll have to stare at it for a while tonight to decide if the color will work well enough for the corset.