Throwback Thursday: Off-white silk corset

Back of the white silk overbust corset

I’m calling this a Throwback Thursday because this is actually a corset I made a while ago (so I don’t have any work-in-progress photos either). I made this to sell, back when I was hoping to get commissions for custom work (I’m not looking to do custom work anymore).

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Back of the off-white silk corset I showed off earlier. Pretty ribbon lacing. #throwbackThursday I made it a few years back… Now too big for me but still so pretty! #corset #corsetry #silk #handmade #eveningWear #sewing #overbust #selfie

A post shared by Dawn (@sadinadawn) on Apr 14, 2016 at 7:38pm PDT

Last week I showed off a white silk corset using gorgeous sheer embroidered fabric, and this corset uses the same beautiful fabric!

A bit about this corset:

This is an off-white overbust corset with a variety of textures on the outside. Some panels are white silk with sheer cream silk with cream and silver swirly embroidery. Other panels are off-white shantung silk with applied satin ribbon. The ribbon is a darker cream. Other panels are plain off-white shantung silk.

48 bags in one day

piles of 48 fabric bags and pouches

In early June my former teacher gave me a box of free fabric.. and then followed up with ANOTHER box of fabrics as she tried to de-stash her collection. I didn’t even know what to do with most of the yardage, so when the next box came I was already feeling a bit overwhelmed (as is my sewing area). This second box though wasn’t yardage… but home -decorating samples… totally different.  I took a few pieces, not entirely sure what I’d do with them, and passed the rest along to a crafty-artsy-sewing friend.

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My fabric-fairy-godmother strikes again! This time I was given a filing box full of home decorating #fabric samples. Largest are placemat size, smallest are coaster size. Some paper-frame-backed, some not. Some appear cotton, some obviously synthetic. Others blends. Can any of my #crafty #DIY friends use this? I just don't think I can use this right now, since I'm focusing on garments, not crafts.

A post shared by Dawn (@sadinadawn) on Jun 2, 2016 at 12:10pm PDT

 

I figured that if I didn’t use up these samples super-fast, they were just going to sit in a bag and breed on the floor of my sewing room (which is looking far less organized right now than I’d like, with piles of wools and silks and cottons all over they place…. all of my organized storage is full…) SO… what to do with a whole bunch of sample-sized fabrics?

SCA 50 year A&S challenge

11th Century Byzantine costume (without the cloak)

The SCA 50-year celebration is this June 17-27, and for it, Lady Albreda Aylese sent out a challenge (according to websites I read… since this happened in 2007, long before I joined the SCA!)

She proposed a breadth and depth challenge (participants could pick one, the other, or both). The depth challenge was to create or do 50 of any one thing. For example:

June 2016 free fabrics

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More free fabric arrived today! I have the feeling I'm never going to get caught up on my sewing projects at this rate! 😉 #DIY #sewing #costuming #fabric #wool #cotton #plusSomeBlends.

A post shared by Dawn (@sadinadawn) on Jun 9, 2016 at 1:54pm PDT

In early June my former teacher gave me yet another box of fabrics from her stash (she’s given me a few boxes before too….as she tries to de-clutter her own craft and sewing area). This time while I left some fabrics behind (my mum took some, and others I’ll give away, I opted to keep the following:

2.1 meters of burgundy-red fabric.
Interesting weave, most likely cotton.

2.3 meters of brown single-faced Melton,
wool-synthetic blend

Shortening a too-long corset

Frequently I hear more from people with long torsos looking for long corsets, and less for short-waisted people looking for shorter corsets….

Now.. shortening a too-long corset won’t actually work as purchasing a corset that is designed for a short waist (proportions and all of that) but this video has a visual tutorial on how to shorten an overbust corset down into an underbust corset.