Category: Tips and Tricks for Corsetry and Sewing

1. From the Archives : Article by Rosie Dennington on how to use knicker elastic c. 2013

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 8th Mar 2023

   The Wonders of Knicker Elastic! by  Rosie Dennington of Rosie Red Corsetry and Couture

    In all honesty, elastic used to frighten me. I had previously played about before with making smocked dresses and elasticated summer tops, but it was always very trial and error. I really wanted to master knickers and swimwear, but just wasn’t very sure of where to start…

   I have now come out the other end! I feel I have managed to master the use of knicker elastic, and I want to share with you three different things knicker elastic can be used for.

   1.  Knicker elastic can be made to make knickers or panties! 

   Knicker elastic is most commonly used around the waist and legs of a pair of knickers. I found it most useful to study pairs of pants that I owned and to look at where the elastic had been used. This is because styles will vary. For this explanation though, presume I am talking about your bog-standard panties. So, how much elastic is needed? This baffled me until a lecturer I had at university explained to me that the simplest way to work this out was to literally get a length of elastic and hold it around that body part (waist or leg) until it felt at a ‘comfortable tightness’. This can then obviously be used as a rough guide for future sizing; if you wear a size 12 you are likely to be able to make all your size 12 knickers with these measurements. I have included photos to demonstrate this

   Too tight - this is going to hurt!	Too loose - not tension at all!	Just right, comfy and stays in place

   The next obstacle is now that you have your lengths of elastic cut, how much ‘pull’ is needed when you sew?  The first time I made a pair of knickers, they would have only fitted a doll, as I had pulled far too much. Take the waist for example, fold the elastic in quarters, this will give you markers for the side seams and CF and CB. These can either be pinned in place, or markers can be drawn onto the fabric. Again, I have included photos to demonstrate this. Finally, it is important to mention the stitch to use. A three step zig-zag stitch works best but if you do not have a three step zig zag on your machine, a plain zigzag is the next best thing.  The zigzag stitch allows the fabric to stretch with the elastic; it just isn’t possible with a straight stitch. The width and length of the stitch I have found, is purely a matter of choice. I often like to use a chunky zig-zag stitch in a contrast colour, as it works as a bit of a decorative feature.

   Tip:  Fold both knickers and elastic in half or quarters to make your own markers. This can then be pinned in place so you know how much ‘pull’ is needed
   		Most domestic machines have a three step zigzag

     2. Knicker elastic can be used to shape garments

   Knicker elastic can be used to shape soft cups in nightdresses and sundresses.  A big positive to this is that it really works for any size chest.  You may find it easiest to either flat pattern a cup, or to cut on the stand. When I say ‘cup’ it can be as simplistic as a triangle shape, commonly associated with bikinis. Work out the length of elastic you will require, and in a similar way to making the knickers, use a zig-zag stitch to attach. If you use this same principle and use swimwear fabric, you can even make your own soft cup bikinis.  This is particularly good when making bikinis and first bras for girls starting out with lingerie.

   soft cup bikini shaped with elastic trim	sexy negligee with bust area shaped with elastic

   3. Embellishment and decoration

   This is a bit more of an ‘out-of-the-box’ idea, but I have found that knicker elastic can be used as really lovely decoration. The real advantage of using knicker elastic is that it moves and stretches at your will so easily. I have used it many times to decorate nipple tassels and pasties. Knicker elastic is much easier to manipulate then a standard lace trim, so can be particularly effective for unusual shapes such as hearts. It can be sewn, hot glued or super glued in place.  I find it particularly effective for unusual shapes such as hearts. It can be sewn, hot glued or super glued in place.

   I really hope that this has been of help in showing just some of the ways knicker elastic can be used. Not only is it useful and often pretty, but it doesn’t break the bank either!

   Make your own knickers - free tutorial from the Very Purple Person blog

   Three free printable lingerie patterns from Craftsy

    

2. From the Archives : How to trace and mark a corset pattern

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 4th Mar 2023

   This is an oldie - extract from it what you will

    

   It is good practice to trace your sewing pattern so that you have a 'master' for future reference.   Alterations can be made using the copy.

   Note:  It is not recommended that you use a strong colour to mark pale fabrics.  I have used red here for clarity

   For this example I have used a few tools:

   1.  Tracing paper (greaseproof paper is perfect, but not baking parchment which is coated in silicone) and a pencil.

   2.  Dressmakers carbon paper (see note above)

   3.  A tracing wheel

   The tracing wheel should be the 'blunt' type, not the sharp type.

   Both dressmakers carbon and tracing wheels are available in the Shop

    

   	Use tracing paper and a pen to trace each piece of the pattern including ALL construction marks.  Do not worry too much about grommet hole markings at this stage.   Do make sure all the grain lines are marked.
   	Once your pattern is traced, you can use the copy to cut your fabrics out.   Make sure that the fabric is properly grained up as if the grain of fabric isn't right, the corset may end up twisting which will cause it to feel uncomfortable when you are wearing it. Also make sure that the fabric is laid out Right sides TOGETHER.  You will be marking the fabric directly onto the wrong side of the fabric.  Before taking the pattern off the fabric, you will need to transfer the relevant markings and balance points.
   	Using dressmakers carbon, create a 'sandwich'.  It is useful to use 2 different colours to mark the top and bottom layers as this will eliminate any confusion over which side is which later on.   Making sure you don't unpin the whole ensemble - ie, keeping the layers in the exact position in which they were cut, layer one piece of carbon underneath the pattern and ontop of the first layer of fabric, and one piece of carbon underneath the bottom layer of fabric.
   	Now firmly, so that the imprint goes right to the bottom, run the tracing wheel over the markings on the top paper.   Mark bone channels and balance points and any other relevant stitching lines or marks. Before removing the paper, check the bottom layer to make sure that everything is marked up. You should now have a left set of pieces and a right side of pieces.  In the seam allowance, label each piece of each side in the seam allowance ie: centre front/side front/side back/centre back etc.,

    

    

    

3. Making a Corset Mock Up

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 17th Jan 2022

   Corset Mock Ups

   I've written a detailed tutorial on making and fitting a corset mock up on the Tutorials page of this website.

   You can find it HERE.

   This is a supplementary blog post with a few extra pointers following questions i've seen in online groups and in my inbox.

   Use the best type of fabric for corset mock-ups

   Fabric should be non-stretch.  Idealy Coutil.  If you can't make it from coutil, then a medium weight non stretch calico will do the job just fine.  This is only a mock-up.  You want to check fit and shape once.  That's all.  Calico is all you need.  Unless you're fitting a client, then only coutil will do. Fabrics NOT to use:  Any and all types of linen, upholstry fabrics, stretch fabrics, twill unless it's herringbone twill, drill, denimn (especially upcylced), poplin, ripstop, nylon, scuba, synthetic fabrics such as a thick satin unless it's corsetry cotton backed satin. Fabrics I personally wouldn't use because I think it's too thick:  Ticking, canvas

   What is Coutil? And why should you use it?

   Coutil is a special fabric made especially for corset making.  It is very densly woven, but very smooth and light.  Plain cotton herringbone coutil is ideal for making a mockup.  At under £10 a metre it's not that expensive. You'll only need half a metre for most size of toile if you cut carefully.

   Follow the instructions on the corset pattern

   All indie corset pattern brands are owned by professional corsetieres.  They all have different methods of pattern making.  Their metrics are all different.  They all include very specific instructions with their patterns, on  1. Measuring 2. Making a toile 3. How to alter it. Read the instructions in your pattern through several times before you start.  Make notes.  Highlight important parts.  Corset patterns are not the same as dress patterns and if you're a first time corset maker, trust me, you don't know how they work on your body.  Follow the instructions, make the toile.  Take each step one at a time.  Remember, all corset makers are different. Note:  Don't even think about using a corset pattern from a commercial company if you want to make a real corset.  Just don't.  There are plenty of explanations as to why this is in the blog post linked above and in other articles on this website.

   Eyelets and Facings

   You need facings on your corset mock up at the centre back.  You don't need metal eyelets.  Remember this is only ever going to be worn once. Having said that, your lacing panel does need to be strong enough to withstand pressure for that one time fitting so use your facings.  That's a double layer of non stretch fabric for your centre back panels where you will then cut the holes for your lacing to go through.  If you want to make it a triple layer, then do so.   A single layer will rip as soon as you start pulling the lacing in, so double or triple face and you're good to go. No point wasting corset grommets or eyelets, they're not re-usable. I personally am not a fan of lacing strips.  They are innacurate, they look untidy and they get in the way.  Just make your back panels, add a 'seam allowance' of 3-6cm, fold it under once (3cm) or twice (6cm), et voila! automatic facing with no extra sewing.

   Seams

   Personally I'm a fan of sewing a corset toile more or less as I would sew a corset, with a few shortcuts.  This means that I do use boning tape.  And the reason for this is because it's good practice!  Yes, i'm sewing all the time, but you can never know everything, and you can always improve.  So I don't use lacing strips, I don't use busk strips (these seem to be a new thing!), and I don't use lacing tape either.  Getting to know a corset as it goes through all of it's stages of development is in itself, an essential tool in your mental toolkit and will ensure that the final item is really tip top. One more tip.  If you don't stitch your bones in the channels at either end, you will get wrinkling as the corset bones force their way out of the channels under the pressure of you wearing the corset mock-up.  I was absolutely horrified to read a corset making book which gave the reason for these wrinkles as a sway back or an asymetry whilst at the same time showing a picture of bones poking out of the top of their channels.  If your bones are not secure in their bone casing, then you will get wrinkles, so stitch them into the corset mock-up at the top and the bottom before you try it on.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

4. Herringbone Coutil Update

   Posted on 12:20pm Tuesday 8th Jun 2021

   

   So over the past couple of weeks, you may have noticed that our regular herringbone cotton coutil fabric feels a bit different - a bit softer, a lot softer actually.

   First of all PANIC NOT!  This is not a bad thing. The thread count and quality of the fabric is still the same. The sizing has changed - what is 'sizing'? I hear you ask...

   Size is the glue product which is put onto the coutil fabric during the finishing process to make the material stiff and therefore suitable for corsetry.  In the past, to be honest, I think the fabric has been oversized which has resulted in a really cardboard like feel to the fabric.  However, this over-sizing did have benefits too  because it meant that you could dye the white herringbone with ease and the fabric would remain firm even after several washing cycles. 

   Now, we have a softer product but no less strong and certainly still the best fabric to use for making a corset.

   If you do wish to dye the coutil, you can still do so but will need to use starch in order to get a crisp result. 

   The new softer herringbone corsetry coutil allows you much more flexibility especially when it comes to fusing other fabrics to it (ie: silk);  before you would end up with a really stiff and bulky cardboard like fabric which would permenantly crease if you weren't careful.  With the softer base, this will not happen.

   For tips on fusing, click HERE

5. Inspiration - Sand and lace

   Posted on 7:13pm Tuesday 7th Nov 2017

   

   As you may know, I only stock products at Sew Curvy that I myself would use - and therefore I like to use them too.  I sometimes have so much inspiration that it's hard to focus on one idea at a time - such is the creative mind, and I imagine that if you are reading this, you are like that aswell!  So, for selfish reasons, not least because i've discovered that making things for fun is good for my stress levels, I've decided to indulge myself a bit and make some inspirational blog posts using materials from the shop.

   Being a shopkeeper I have to stock practical things as well as pretty things, and sometimes certain colours can seem a bit 'hmm' until you've played about with the possiblities; our Sand herringbone coutil is one of those 'hmm' items and probably one of the most difficult colours to pair up so that's where i've started! 

   

   The sand coloured herringbone coutil on it's own isn't exactly inspirational - It's an odd colour truth be told - made for the medical market to replace what is now the vintage staple corsetry colour "tea rose" which is that salmony pink shade so common in corsets and girdles from the 1940's right up to the 70's, and which was the go to 'nude' of old.  Well this 'sand' colour (also once known as 'nude' and in Europe known as 'skin') is the replacement.  For medical corsetry, this colour was thought to be more compatible with a more multi-racial range of skin colours. 

   I call it 'sand' because it isn't like any skin colour i've ever seen, unless you count American Tan, but it is like a rich honey shaded builders sand.  It goes beautifully with ivory and also black as a base 'skin' tone type colour - it can melt away underneath a sheer underlay, and under ivory, becomes a very pretty bridal option. 

   In my first project,  i've teamed it up with our floral lingerie net, and two of our pretty guipure trims, along with a white busk and a cute little bra bow from the bra making range.  I like to mix and match shop supplies so that they are good for multiple uses and when I started stocking bra making supplies, I visited the warehouse to ensure that I could pick products that could be used for both bra making and corset making in a number of different ways.

   

   The most exciting thing I have to tell you about this project is that there is NO ROLL PINNING !!  Why?  Because the lace fabric has a slight stretch to it, so if you incorporated turn of cloth as you would a normal non-stretch fabric, you might get a bit of unsightly bagging.  Fabric with a slight stretch can cope very well with turn of cloth so no pesky fiddling about with those seam allowances and no tedious pad stitching as some people do. 

   Simply cut out both layers of your corset pattern at the same time, and stitch the coutil and lace together within the seam allowance.  Easy peasy and an excellent place for beginners to start with multi-layer corsetry!

   

   I can't bear waste (ha!), and in my classes I teach what I call "fabric economy".  With this in mind I can literally use almost every single scrap of coutil from half a metre or a metre - whatever i'm using to cut the pattern.  Because 12mm bias strips, which I use for boning channels, are only 2.5cm wide before being processed, you can get alot out of the surplus material around the corset pattern and  when you're paying anywhere between £10-30 for a metre of fabric it pays to be thrifty let me tell you - especially with the more expensive coutils such as the rosebud coutil.

   In this picture you can see that i've used self made boning channels from 2.5cm wide coutil strips, and I've used 15mm satin ribbon stitched into the binding as detachable suspender loops. 

   Using matching coutil for your boning channels gives a single layer corset a very tidy interior negating the need for a separate lining and therefore making sure you end up with a light yet strong and durable corset.

   

   I use the Prym bias binding maker for making the bone casings because it has a wide gap in the 'nose' - other bias makers can't take the thicker coutils, and I find that this little maker works very very well.  You cut your strip of coutil on the bias OR on the straight grain - it doesn't matter as long as you use a bias strip over particularly curvy bits.  Then you feed your strip through the little thingy, pin the end of the tape to the ironing board, and pull the contraption along your strip until you have a double folded peice. 

   I'll be making a video on this as soon as it stops raining!

   The bias strips are then used as boning channels and everything is stitched down with my 'wonder thread' - Guterman no 722 - it is literally invisible on a very wide range of fabrics!  Jenni Hampshire of Sparklewren fame discovered this and I've also been a devotee of the colour ever since... It literally disappears into any neutral coloured fabric including a number of the coutil we have at Sew Curvy:   Mink, Sand, Biscuit, ivory/gold rosebud, nude/silver rosebud, dessert orchid brocade, biscuit spot broche and small weave herringbone.  Amazing!

   

   The corset fabrics are all set off rather nicely with a white busk and a little cream bra bow.  Unfortunately, our black and white busks are currently on limited stock as my coloured busk project is on hold - basically the original factory mucked it alot of things up and i've been talking to another local place who have yet to provide samples for me.

   Here are some other palette ideas for the sand herringbone - black spot net, with black 'little crowns' guipure and either a Victorian style guipure with our 'latte' satin ribbon woven into it (good for lacing too) or the black tulle 'scrolls' trim.  Both look pretty and all of these options will go with our suspender elastics very well.

   SO! if you want to have a go - you can do this with any corset pattern at all, and these are the ingredients I used to make this cute little nude underbust.  All she needs now is a name - I think "Daisy" seems quite apt.
   

   • Sophia Corset pattern 
   • Herringbone coutil in sand - an economical choice, this is our cheapest coutil.
   • Ivory lingerie net - usually used for bra making but very pretty in corsets
   • White busk - subject to availability
   • Guterman Sew all thread 722 - magic thread, invisible with most neutral type colours
   • Loose eyelets - used without washers - I'll tell you about that another time
   • 10mm and 15mm double satin ribbon in Ivory (419)
   • Daisy guipure trim
   • Little crowns guipure trim
   • Spiral and flat steel boning
   • Underbusk - our underbusks are extremely sturdy, 20mm wide, 0.80mm thick and as used by Dark Garden Corsetry and Mr Pearl who has tested them personally
   • 16mm cotton bias binding in sand - i've used the sand colour narrow bias, it's a bit tricky to apply but gives a lovely neat finish
   • Prym bias maker 12mm - not the cheapest bias maker on the market, but certainly the best.

   
   Estimated material cost for a 22" corset approx £40 (excluding tools) if you had to buy everything - but see what's in your stash and have a play! It's good for the soul.

    

    

    

6. Cupped corsetry with scraps

   Posted on 7:09pm Monday 7th Nov 2016

   

   I've been struggling to find inspration this year as i've been so busy with one thing or another, not least going VAT registered in April, swiftly followed by the horror of Brexit (for small retailers this has been a pricing and cashflow nightmare with the fluctuating currency - affecting all things from supplies to courier postage).  SO... I've been a bit overwhelmed and 'pre-occuped' one might say.  Luckily I have good friends who have been helping me through the creative doldrums in an attempt to get my juices flowing again.  I am lucky!

   And so one day upon opening the door to Sew Curvy HQ, a big parcel was on the mat, and it was from my good friend Izabela of Prior Attire.  She very kindly sent me what I call a "mercy pack" containing one of her lovely and greatly sought after dressmakers notebooks and a bunch of silk fabric and lace offcuts - Izabela makes big dresses so her offcuts can sometimes be used to make several corsets!!  Better than chocolates and wine any day.

   There was quite a selection to choose from but in the end I chose to work with three of the fabrics first, the beaded lace, half a metre'ish of duchesse silk satin in gold, and a tiny scrap of beautiful silk brocade which probably cost asumidontwantothinkabout knowing Izabela.  I love a scrap challenge at the best of times so I got to work thinking how best to use these tiny snippets of glory.

   It soon became obvious that the small amount of brocade would best be used at the front of the corset, and whilst there was enough to do a complete front overbust panel, I wanted to make the corset a little bit more spectacular than that and I wanted to challenge myself, so I decided that cups were the way to go - I wanted to practice this area and here was the opportunity only there wasn't QUITE enough of the lovely brocade to do a full cup cover... imagination required, I dug into my 'retro files' for inspiration and came up with this 50's inspired cup design where the top and sides are framed with plainer fabric. The brocade is gathered at the sides of the cups, not because this is easier than making a separate cup pattern (which it is) but because it was the best use of the fabric.  All hand basted in place with black silk thread, it was ready to hand stitch down finally and yes, you have to do it all by hand.  

   Dislcaimer:  Proper cupped corsetry is quite difficult because you have to understand how a corset and a bra work to the best boobular advantages, however, you can cheat by using covered bust forms which is what i've done here - this is a good option for when you need to make a sample or practice techniques or for RTW corsetry where you dont need a perfect fit or where sizing is average.  As usual in corsetry there are many many variables.

   So once the cups and front panel were done I had just over half a metre of the silk duchess in gold to make the rest of the corset with.  As this will be a sample corset shot on a model, it's a small size - 22" waist.  And yes, you might notice the silk here is not gold nor particularly luxuriant looking as silk duchess satin should be.  That's because I made a mistake.  I decided to fuse the silk to some stiff canvas, but I fused said silk on the wrong side.  Argh! There's no going back from a mistake like that but luckily the 'wrong' side is just as nice in it's own way - rich ivory instead of gold, and looks more like tafetta than duchess, but still... it looks lovely nevertheless.

   

   You can see the boning channels are quadruple stitched.  This is a detail I learned from hours of examining this corset by Mr Pearl (for McQueen) at various museums over the last few years.  

   (unfortunately when I met Mr P himself last year, we had a bit of a party and I drunkenly gushed this revelation to him ... so embarrasing, hopefully he cant remember).

   SO, now we have, standard corset pattern adapted, cups covered, brocade front panel done, silk fabric fused the wrong way, boning channels like Mr Pearl.  All that is left to do is embellish it.  Which I've nearly done.  I've also added straps incase the cups aren't modest enough on their own (it's always difficult to tell when you're not making a bespoke item for an acutal person).  At the moment it looks like this - I'm quite pleased and it has most certainly done it's job of revitalising my creative direction.  In a big way.  If you have a friend in the creative doldrums, dont give her chocolate or wine, give her scraps and a challenge.

   

   And here I'll list the 'ingredients' of this corset incase you want to try a similar project yourself.  Note - I had enough silk to do the binding but it is very narrow binding at 2.5cm!  It must be hand sewn to get it in the right place neatly - observe:

   

   • Fabric scraps - I had half a metre'ish of silk satin, a tiny scrap of brocade and a tiny scrap of beaded lace.  There is enough silk fabric to make a short halternetck strap (wide bias strips) and the bias binding (very narrow)
   • Cups to cover - I used Prym double underwired bust forms
   • Strength fabric - I used stiff cotton canvas - once it's fused to silk it's light and crisp but strong as steel
   • Bondaweb fusing web 90cm wide
   • Boning channels made from stiff cotton canvas (unfused)
   • Silver eyelets with washers about 40 (should really have used gold in hindsight)
   • Spiral and flat steel boning (7mm regular spirals at front and sides, 6mm flat at back)
   • Double satin ribbon lacing in gold
   • Stiff wide busk for the front (12"), held down with 25mm cotton twill tape
   • Lining is soft coutil from my stash (also sewed 'inside out/back to front' because i'm a twit).

    Have you ever made a corset (or anything else) from scraps and leftovers?  And if so, did you find that it really lifted you out of a rut and turned you in new, sometimes unexpected directions?

    

7. Making bags can improve your corset making

   Posted on 8:58am Monday 9th Dec 2013

   A prospective student asked me today how she could better prepare for one of my classes in the New Year.  She told me that she had enroled in dressmaking classes in order to get used to sewing again. I responded that "As long as you are confident with the sewing machine, and comfortable with using one you will be absolutely fine.  Good corsetry is more about organisation, attention to detail, problem solving and accuracy than having amazing sewing machine skills."  It then occured to me, while writing to her, that the way I got good at corset making, was through making bags!

   How on earth, you may ask, does making bags make you good at corsetry?  WELL ....

   Bags are small items which can be made from scrap materials.    Sewing bags is therefore more 'relaxing' than sewing corsets because one of the biggest worries which can impede progress is immediately removed.  Wasting expensive fabric.  That isn't the main reason though.

   Making bags - good bags - involves sewing with lots of layers of fabrics in order to give the bag enough body to be useful and stand up to every day use.  Nobody wants a floppy bag do they?  So a typical handbag will have a good three or four layers inside it.  You'll have an outer layer of strong heavy fabric - perhaps wool, or if it's a light bag, then perhaps a cotton interfaced with fusible webbing.  Then you'll have a middle layer of a very thick interfacing, often this will be the type you use for curtain tie backs - strong enough to add a good deal of body and then there will be a lining.  If you like a challenge, that lining will contain pockets, zips, buttons and other exciting baggy features.  

   

   In addition to sewing through many thick layers, bag making can be quite intricate once you get into more exiting shapes and sizes.  There are sharp corners to navigate (with all those layers), curves to tame, embellishments to add and perfect symmetry to acheive.  Try adding a smooth line of piping or a frill into a small bag with 4 layers already.  

   There are other features about bag making which will challenge your constrcution and problem solving skills you might want a bag with a flat bottom and feet - how to insert a plastic tray to keep the bottom solid, waterproof and strong in that case?   How best to insert your magnetic snap? How to ensure your purse clip doesn't come undone after 2 uses?  How to make a neat transition between bag software and hardware.  All of these thought processes are usefull, if not essential in corsetry, they are just applied in a different way.

   

   And so it was, after I had discovered corsetry, I took a year off work for health reasons, and instead of making corsets, I made bags.  This wasn't a concious desicision to improve my corset making because at that time, a career in corsetry for me was about as far away as Katmandu, it was just a highly creative time  when I had to make stuff which was quick, satisfying and pretty.  Hence bags.  I got good at making them and I can honestly say, that bag making with all it's intracasices - and a fair few were flung across the room in a temper I can tell you - made me better at sewing, and eventually good at corsetry.

   Here are some good bag making resources:

   The woman who inspired a thousand craft businesses - including mine - Lisa Lam's U-Handblog where you'll find lots of bag making tips and tricks to go with her business U-Handbag where you can find the supplies to make said bags.
   

   Sew Christine is another lady who has lots of bag making tutorials on her blog, and who also has a little supply shop

   There's my old old blog Marmaladekiss which documented all of this frenzied bag making and then progressed into dressmaking and corsetry.  You have to start right back at the beginning to get the good stuff, and in the last 3 years it's been as good as dormant.  However, the odd faithful reader pops up now and then and says how much they enjoyed reading it in it's hey day.

   For other resources, because I haven't made a bag in years, go to The Sewing Directory the go to resource for everyone who's into sewing.

8. What is Corset Net or Mesh?

   Posted on 8:56pm Friday 18th Oct 2013

   The corsetry net at Sew Curvy is made from a strong polyester fabric similar to nylon, and  suitable for all types of corsetry.  Unlike softer nets such as silk bobbinet or stretchy nets such as power net, this polyester net is like any other non stretch strong fabric and you can make a corset with the standard four inch reduction without worry that it will tear or buckle.   It is sheer, durable and very very strong and can be used on it's own or with lace and other sheer fabrics for extra drama.
   
   There are some considerations to bear in mind when working with sheer net.  You must use external fabric bone channels if you don't want the bones to show, and you need to consider the inside finish a bit more because unlike a solid fabric where things can be hidden with lining, with a sheer fabric, everything is on show.  However, with some imagination, spectacular effects can be achieved.
   
   This net can be ironed with a cool'ish iron, and can be sewn using regular polyester thread or with clear/invisible nylon thread, all of which are stocked at Sew Curvy.
   
   Available in black or natural - the net is BACK IN STOCK! So hurry and get yours, it does have wings!

   

   corset: Clessidra (aka Sew Curvy)
   photographer: Catherine Day
   model: Sophie Roach

9. What are bust forms?

   Posted on 6:00am Sunday 6th Oct 2013

   At Sew Curvy we have quite a large range of bust forms.  We have them in various sizes, colours and types. There are the regular fabric style bust form which are quite 'round' in appearance and are made of a moulded fabric which feels a little bit like a fine felt.  And we have the 'swimwear' version which are more flexible in feel and I think, more realistic in shape.

   
   The regular bust forms can be used in dressmaking, the swimwear bust forms can obviously be used in swimwear and bikinis (or even corseted swimming costumes?)  and both types of bust form can be used in corsetry.  What would you do with them?  You can either use them to make a 'modest' cup under a sheer panel - ie, the panel will still look sheer at the bust but you won't be able to see the 'naughty bits' - or you can insert them into the bust in dresses and corsets for more shape or dimension, or you can use them as a mould for cupped corsets.  The range of uses for these marvellous things is actually quite limitless.  Just think about it.  Use a bust form to drape a cup pattern for your cupped corset.  Once this is done, attach your covered cups to an underbust corset pattern.  Experiment, explore, have fun with them!
   
   The regular forms come in the cup sizes you may be familiar with but are a bit on the small size, and the swimwear cups come in small, medium or large and look out for a cupped corset masterclass at Sew Curvy HQ, in the Spring with the wonderful Alison Campbell of Crikey Aphrodite!
   

10. Unpicking

    Posted on 8:58am Saturday 27th Apr 2013

    I often put a little freebie into my parcels going out to regular customers - only something little as a token of appreciation for their continued support of my business.  I bought a big bag of seam rippers from my wholesaler, to sell on the site, but also to use as a little free gift.  However,  so far, haven't put any of these into a package unless they have been ordered.  Why? I  am frightened people might get the wrong idea about my opinion of their sewing! - a bit like giving someone smellies for Christmas .. 

    The thing is, a sharp seam ripper is an absolutely vital tool for any seamstress or corsetiere.  Believe it or not, seam rippers get blunt very quickly.  The better you are at sewing, the blunter your seam ripper is likely to be.  It's a sad fact but I probably use my seam ripper, more than my sewing machine! 

    Now these seam rippers are the best I can find and the cheapest!  They cost £0.50p.  I don't believe in spending lots of money on a seam ripper because you do have to replace them so often.  Before I bought in bulk, I would buy 4 or 5 of these seam rippers at a time from my local haberdasher.   I still always make sure I have a personal stock of these and mark my current one with a blob of nail varnish - this way, the new sharp ones don't get used until the current one is blunt and in the bin. 

    If you get into the habit of using a sharp seam ripper, you will soon know and appreciate the difference between a sharp one and a blunt one - a sharp seam ripper will unpick your stitches faster and with much less risk to the rest of your sewing.  So! If you haven't replaced your seam ripper for a while, I urge you to assess the situation and replace  your seam rippers frequently for best sewing results. And if you do happen to get one from me that you didn't order, it's a gift but not in a bad way ;)