A Most Peculiar Mademoiselle

I've never made a corset before, as much as I adore them and the way they look. I have read a number of corset-making tutorials by people who have far more advanced skills than me, and whose efforts look much more professional and picture-perfect than I could ever hope to achieve....but we all have to start somewhere, right?

I began this effort on my long Fourth of July weekend. (Sewing is much easier when you can commit to a whole day in the sewing room, instead of a couple of hours.) After a carpet-soaked adventure having to buy a new water heater ON the Fourth of July...my sewing room had dried out enough for a project!

I wanted a lace-up corset vest that I could tighten or loosen (I had been working on myself for a few months now and dropped a couple of inches...so this thing should be adjustable in case I had good luck and got even smaller!) I didn't want it to be too big, so I figured I would err on the side of "a little too small" when laced all the way, that way I could slightly loosen the laces.

I haven't really sewn a ton of garments, so I knew I'd need a pattern. A corset would have lots of pieces and I needed guidance. I chose pattern Butterick B5662 (version D). It was a fully-lined, fully BONED corset vest that goes over the shoulders, that laces in both the front and the back. It's cut low enough that you'd be able to see the blouse underneath, and it's "plain" enough that it doesn't need to look like a vaudeville burlesque show. No corset busk, but just lacing on both sides to hold it together. However...having read the Beauty and the Beast script and done the show years ago, I know that ALL of Belle's costume changes are pretty lightning fast...which does not bode well for corset-lacing. There just isn't time. A few modifications will definitely need to be made.

So, after looking at the construction of this vest, I decided I would add a sturdy side zipper for getting in and out. That way I could keep the corset laced tight but still get it on and off with relative ease. I could loosen the lacing if I had to, but wouldn't have to completely lace or unlace it.

I also decided that I was going to need to modify the length of it. From the photos, this pattern clearly comes all the way down your hips and I needed it to cut more to the waist. Enough to cover the skirt waistband completely (without showing skin when your arms are raised) but short enough so it didn't restrict movement. (Also, as a true hourglass shape, nothing cut at the hips is flattering for me. I can be smaller or bigger, but my waist will always be smaller than my hips, so anything that is cut at the waist is WAY more flattering.)

Isn't it pretty???

I needed to find a pretty fabric. I'm thinking cotton, because it doesn't need to stretch and needs to be fairly sturdy to withstand being pulled by the corset boning. I wanted something that had a bit of pattern and frilly-ness without being super overwhelming (probably floral?). Something that was a little more than just plain blue, but still not over the top, and still had the "pure" bright blue color I was looking for without it being neon. (Something I could combine with a skirt and have it not clash or look odd.) I ended up at Hobby Lobby and found some pretty blue floral cotton for about $4/yd (with my 40% off coupon!) I figured I would use a different fabric for the lining, so I bought 2 yards, as well as some navy blue piping trim (not part of the pattern, but my inspiration photos used piping, and it's so pretty!) and some blue thread.




I also picked up some interfacing fabric. Interfacing is a kind of stabilizing fabric that you can put in between layers to give your garment a little more sturdiness. With a corset, I knew I'd need it. The pattern called for it, and I knew that stage costumes get thrown around a decent amount, so I wanted it to be really sturdy. With grommets/eyelets for the lacing, it also helps the fabric not to rip. It means you have to cut out double the pattern pieces, but it's worth the extra work. It creates that middle layer that allows everything to hold together. Also it's super easy to iron on; it has a "right side" and a "wrong side"; you just fuse the wrong side to the back of your fabric and it really just reinforces everything.

Fabric is folded at the top. Double pieces!
 (You can see where I took in the length of each piece.)

I cut out all the pattern pieces from the giant piece of thin paper (patterns are hard, y'all) and estimated the length I would need to adjust by holding them on myself and also on my dressform (which is SUPER helpful but still not exactly my shape or size, so modifications still needed to be made.) I folded each piece to accommodate the length (didn't wanna cut them in case I ever wanted to use this pattern again, also since the edges are curved, I had to make the adjustment in the middle of all the pieces) and pinned them up on my fabric. (Measure twice, cut once.)

(Side note: I'm not a hundred percent sure why,
but patterns instruct you to line up your pattern pieces with the fold/grain of the fabric so they "pull" the right way and don't have weird tucks or stress on the fabric. I'm not a professional, so I did what they said. Also, fold the fabric in half so you get the mirror image pieces so your right side matches your left. You only have to cut out half as many that way.)

This pattern also has modestly panels in the front and
back (top right and left pieces) to cover any gaps in the lacing.

I lined my pieces up in order and hey, it looks like half a corset vest! I figured eventually I would have to build a zipper into one side, so I would have to leave that side seam open. That meant I would have to build this thing in three separate pieces, as it was only laced together. So, since I chose to put the zipper on the left side, I'd build the front left which would connect to the back left (via zipper and shoulder strap) which would lace to the entire right side which would lace around to the front left. Since the right side would be the biggest piece, I chose to baste that entire side together first.

But before I did, I lined up the pieces on my mannequin to check the fit, and (of course) the waist was seemingly too big and it was a little bulky-looking. I took some tucks in several pieces and lined it up again. (THIS IS THE HARDEST PART OF FITTING STUFF ON YOURSELF. You can't just pin a million pieces of fabric on your body and hope they fit once you sew them together.) I pinned the pieces to each other and held up the side on my side (hoping the seam allowances were correct; you have to take into account an extra 1/2"-1" on each piece, depending on how wide your seams are)

Right front side

Right back side

As you can see from the photos, I had to modify some of the pieces quite a bit. Also, I later learned that my torso is a good 2-3 inches TALLER than my mannequin. When I put the piece on myself and lined it up with my waist, the shoulder straps didn't even touch....which is bad if I still need an extra inch for the seam. So I later had to add several inches to each shoulder strap. It wasn't as clean as I wanted (there was an extra seam), but I was too lazy to cut out a whole other piece that was longer. Plus I didn't want to waste fabric. It also meant it sat a little lower on me, so it didn't cut so high in the armpits, which was totally fine with me. I had to take into account there would be a blouse underneath and I didn't want it to cut into my shoulders or armpits and look too small.

The fan was for drying the carpet...

Piping is pretty!

 Before I started sewing, I ironed on my interfacing pieces to my fabric pieces. Iron-on interfacing is great, because you just heat it and then it sticks to your fabric so you have just a stiffer, sturdier piece of fabric. I figure I could cut off whatever extra there was, but this would help the outer layer to be nice and sturdy.

I was already loving the color contrast of the navy piping and the lighter blue fabric. I knew I eventually wanted some sort of lace/ribbon trim around the neckline, so I planned to incorporate the navy that way as well. Likely I would also do navy lacing? That way we have a host of blues to match the skirt to!

I finally took the plunge and sewed one side of pieces together, lining up and pinning the fabric/interfacing and laying out the piping trim inside both pieces, so when you unfold it, it shows between the seams. Piping can be difficult, but as long as you sew the seam right up next to the piping, it peeks out just right. I was just hoping I wouldn't have to adjust the fit and unpick any of these seams. Seam rippers are great, but it takes FOREVER. 

I used a 1/2" seam (meaning you sew 1/2" from the edge of the fabric), which is pretty wide, but it allows you to be able to press the seams open and still have it lay pretty flat. I knew that I'd be putting boning channels on the inside so I didn't want it to be any bulkier than it had to. However, the piping made it difficult to press the seams open since it wouldn't really lay to one side or the other. Oh well. This garment would be fully lined, meaning you basically make the layers twice (one inside-out) and have the nice sides lay facing out and all the ugly seams get sewn up on the inside so they aren't seen. I don't own, nor have I ever used a serger machine, which ties up and cuts all of your seams nicely so it looks professional, so the more seams I could hide, the better.

I laid out my right side piece on both my mannequin and myself. So far, so good? The fit was a tiny bit big, but I figured I could cut a little off the center edges if I needed to. The whole thing would be finished with bias tape, meaning it's basically fabric that wraps around the outside seams, so there is no need for a seam allowance on those edges.  I tried to line up the piece with the exact middle of my mannequin, so all I would need to do would be to create the mirror image pieces for the other side. Unfortunately I forgot to mark which pieces I totally adjusted and altered (I just sewed the seams smaller and cut off the excess) so I would have to eyeball it again for the left side. I also left piping out of the very middle side seam (you can see from the below photos that it's missing on one seam). Since I would have the zipper on the other side, I wanted them to match. Also this would make it much easier in case it didn't fit and I needed to adjust the sides; I wouldn't have to deal with unpicking piping too.

With my one half laid on my dressform, I draped some fake lace on it for fun, to get an idea of how it might look when finished, and I'm already in love! The blouse and apron would be stark white, so I was loving the thought of white lace trim to contrast with the blue colors. Everything is looking great so far!

I am loving this so far!

Maybe there is hope for me?

More to come: Belle's Blue Corset Part 2!