Good evening! I don't see any notes on the Community FAQ mentioning shopping references for brick and mortar places, so please delete if this is inappropriate!

I will be going on a road trip to California in June, and I’m planning to spend a morning in the fashion/textile district in Los Angeles (I’m sure I could spend all my time there, but my car mates may object!).

Are there any corset makers on the list who live in the area, who can recommend their favourite places to get materials for corsetry?

I’m particularly interested in places that stock:
-beautiful laces and appliques, in black and colours other than white
-silk ribbon that’s NOT cut on the bias, appropriate for lacing corsets,
-1 ½” to 2” silk ribbon to make ribbon corsets with, and
-coutil available in store (unlikely, I know, but worth a shot)

I've looked up the listing of shops on the fashion district website, so I'll be hitting up all of the places with "lace" or "ribbon" in their name, but nothing beats recommendations from people who know what the stuff will be used for!

I'll also be staying in San Francisco for a few days, as well as basically driving up the i5 from Seattle, so if you have suggestions for places there, please let me know!
 
 
    So, I am kicking around a costume idea for a steampunk convention and I'd like the opinions of the community on how well it might work. I am of mixed Navajo ancestry and I'm planning a character of the same background, as there was some pretty dramatic history happening for my forebears around the Victorian/Edwardian period. I was thinking of making the iconic steampunk "corset as outerwear" from a traditional blanket, but am afraid that the fairly coarse wool yarns used will fray too easily. My idea for a solution is to weave each pattern piece individually, with a shaped selvage. Basically, I'd be making eight or ten small oddly shaped blankets, then stitching them together. I'd then make the same pattern from coutil and sandwich them together. I'd probably make it either front-lacing, or back laced with a closed front, because I'm afraid the nature of the fabric will make busk insertion a horror. Have any of you done a similar thing? Seen it done? Am I crazy for thinking this might work?
 
 
25 May 2012 @ 10:03 pm
Hi, in addition to the previous post about confusion in Marianne Falkner's corset drafting tutorial at Foundations Revealed, I put some effort in explaining it with the help of line drawings. I mean absolutely no offense, just trying to explain what I understood and what I think about drafting an underbust corset.

Click on the image to get to the tutorial:
 
 
Current Location: Czech Republic, Prague
 
 
25 May 2012 @ 12:49 am
Hi,

Looking for some help with this pattern from Foundations Revealed...

http://foundationsrevealed.com/corsetry/corsetpatterns/345-underbust-pattern-drafting


I have sat down to draft it out 3 times now and failed at every attempt. I have struggled with it because sometimes it seems to be missing bits from the explanation ( "mark this measurement 6.5 from the CF" being one example - I guessed that I should mark this on the waistline but it didn't say so I could be wrong)

The author has some lovely work pictured, so I know that this is something worth persevering with, I just found the way it was written really didn't click with me, and unfortunately the corset makers I know "in real life" have all been stumped by it, too.

Has anyone else drafted this out successfully? Is anyone else struggling? Is there a simple explanation for this method anywhere online (it is reminiscent of Sams Darkleather to me, but taking the under bust into account. Maybe this connection is why I am getting confused when drafting it?)

This isn't a slight on the author at all, I'm just annoyed that I can't work it out as patterns are the one thing that I normally "get" without any help =[
 
 
24 May 2012 @ 12:27 am
Yes, I know this subject has been beaten to death, but obviously there are very few good instructional corset books out there, other than the three that most of us reference from time to time. I'm wondering what other professionals might like to see in a book. Fittings? Techniques? Shortcuts? Lots of pictures? How to become a professional or MORE professional? Embellishments? Working with leather, feathers, sequins?  I'd like patterns to the moon and back myself as well as very detailed techniques, but am wondering what everyone else is craving?
 
 
Current Mood: curiouscurious
 
 
24 May 2012 @ 12:46 am
Again, at long last! Busks, 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch spiral and flat steel boning, and tips. Minimums lower than our usual wholesale requirements, and at larger discounts!

All this and a convenient web-based order form, too. Deadline is June 30, 2012!

All your questions shall be answered by following this link:

Dragontown Group Order

Cross-posted, with love.
 
 
Current Mood: excitedexcited
 
 
23 May 2012 @ 11:32 pm
After joining this community back in March, I finally attempted my first corset using Simplicity 9769. I made it to wear under clothing and am fairly happy with the way it looks, but in taking some pictures of the sides and back and I can see that it could use some work in fitting better. I'd like to eventually make one that I'd wear over clothing.

I also need to apologize, I published this by mistake last night when it still needed editing, it was up for about 10 minutes before I realized my error.


Description and photos )
 
 
23 May 2012 @ 05:27 pm
Just saw this brand new pattern from Butterick for a corset and shrug/bolero: Butterick 5797  

I'm not sure what to think of the corset.  It's weird, and really short.  The bust kinda looks nice.  But I really like the jacket, so I'll buy the pattern for that, definitely.  Probably wouldn't use the corset pattern, though.  But it might be nice if someone wanted a corset to wear clubbing or something?
 
 
Current Mood: confusedconfused
 
 
Hello all, I've been meaning to post this for a while but haven't got round to it ... those who know me from Facebook will have seen this work from the outside, but not from the inside, with a few notes :)





Construction notes and pics... )


All in all a very fascinating and insightful project.  I shall most certainly be customising this pattern in the future.

 
 
22 May 2012 @ 10:10 am


Good morning all,

I would like some opinions on the following, so I am here to pick your knowledgeable brains! (sorry about the long winded explanation)





Read more... )