Corset break

So I really needed a little break from the corset, so I decided to make a waist cincher. I've always wanted to see what one would look like on me. I used the pattern from Simplicity 2331. Don't know how durable it will be, but it was easy and cheap. The green fabric is a medium weight twill-type that was given to me by my sister-in-law and the liner fabric was less than $1 from the thrift store. Free plastic boning from Home Depot's lumber binding. Including the cost of eyelets, interfacing, ribbon, and thread, this probably cost me less than $5 to make since I already had those things. I may add a modesty panel behind the lacing.

I didn't really have a specific costume in mind and since I couldn't decide between a dress or a shirt to go under the waist cincher, I went with something super easy - Butterick 4685. The brown fabric was already in my stash, and I think it came from the thrift store. I shortened the top by an inch and didn't put elastic in the sleeves. Super easy and has better shape than the elastic tops associated with ren/gypsy costume patterns I've used. And you don't need bias tape like some do. Bias tape would make a nice trim for this shirt though.

I shortened a skirt given to me by my sister and added a new waistband. Threw in some belts from the thrift store and I'm on my way to some sort of costume - scout, steampunk bad-ass, wench? Who knows.

Making a Corset is Easy (Ha) - Part I

How to make a corset - Simplicity 9769
Part I - Mock-Up(s)

Step 1. Research
From the many corset-making sessions I've attended, I believed making a fitted corset was like climbing Mt. Everest alone, with no shoes. I wasn't far off. The construction itself isn't that bad, but getting the right fit is a chore. I knew from the start that I wanted as much information as possible before I made my own. So I'll include some of the many resources I used along the way.

I chose the Simplicity 9769 corset pattern since folks seem to think it is the least historically inaccurate of the corset patterns from the Big 4 pattern makers. And I already had it and probably paid $0.99 for it. I figured it would be good practice before I spent significantly more on a fancy pattern such as Laughing Moon. After choosing the pattern I looked it up on the Pattern Review website. Very helpful advice on this corset. The pattern does indeed run way too big, so be prepared to make one several sizes smaller than you think you need.

I also checked out the uber helpful Corset Makers page on Live Journal. The indexed topics are great. They even have a topic just for this Simplicity pattern. Farthingales also has some tips about this pattern. Your Wardrobe Unlock'd has a great corset construction tutorial. I didn't draft my own pattern, but some of the construction advice was helpful. I used several other sources along the way, but you should do your own searches as well as there is a great deal of information out there about making corsets. Also consider the purpose of your corset. Mine is being made as an undergarment for costuming, so no one will be seeing it.

There are many sources for corset supplies. I've purchased boning and eyelets from eBay before. Chain sewing stores have limited supplies (don't get one-piece eyelets) and don't carry steel boning or busks. This time, since I needed a busk, I ordered from Corset Making Supplies. The shipping is higher than I like, but I was able to get eyelets (grommets), boning, boning tips, and busks into one shipping charge - making it comparable to piece-meal puchases on eBay.  Walmart and Michaels often have two-piece eyelets that work well when set properly. Be sure to research the proper method of setting eyelets/grommets. Get yourself an awl if you don't have one. Also, if you plan to wear this corset as outerwear, be wary of the store-bought black eyelets. I have found that the "paint" comes off too easily when setting them. I ordered black eyelets from Corset Making Supplies to see if theirs are better.

Step 2. Mock-up
Everyone recommends making a mock-up out of muslin, also called a toile. Even though I knew the pattern was going to be too big, and probably too short, I decided to make the mock-up from the size I thought it would be, just for practice. Cheap thrift-store muslin, free plastic banding for bones, and casings from muslin fabric. I did end up making my own re-usable eyelet strips from sturdy canvas-like fabric. I can use them over and over with other mock-ups. I did not put the busk in to the first mock-up. I just stitched the front pieces together with a tight zig-zag stitch. To save twill tape for this first run, I just used 1" strips of the muslin fabric for the bone casings. My final version will likely include a lining fabric and won't need casings, but it is good to practice.

The lumber at Home Depot is strapped down with plastic banding that makes excellent plastic boning. They just throw it away and are willing to let you have however much you want. I used sharp scissors from our garage to cut the pieces to length and then in half (they are 5/8" wide). I have heard that people use this in their bodices, and sometimes in their corsets if they don't need it too curvy. Heavy cable ties are also a cheap substitute for steel boning. Do your research about which boning you need to use in the final version.

Based on advice at the above-referenced sites, I did not flat-fell the seams. I pressed them to the appropriate side according to the instructions, and trimmed them to 1/8". The casings will then be centered on the seam line and I won't have to worry about matching up stitching lines. I did double stitch (lock stitch) each seam using 2 different stitch lengths. Another tip I read was to use spring steel boning at the back, near the eyelets, instead of spiral steel.

So the mock-up was waaaaaayyyyyyy too big. But I did discover that I made a common mistake - I had a few pieces bottom side up. The pattern pieces do look "blocky" so be sure to mark the top of each piece of the pattern as you cut them. I did this by making a mark with a red pen in the seam allowance at the top of each piece.

For the next mock-up, I decided to take my measurements and compare them with the actual measurement on the pattern piece (exlcuding the seam allowances). I decided how much "squish" I had in my chest and waist and how much extra could come off each measurement. After I compared that to the actual pattern measurements, I decided to go down 2 sizes in the chest and 1 size in the waist/hips. My goal was not to take many inches off my waist. I simply wanted to make a costuming undergarment that will smooth things out. I was not interested in being uncomfortable just to make my waist smaller. I could have taken much more off the waist, but opted for comfort this time.

I also needed to add 2 inches to the pattern. The first mock-up hit right above my hips and right at my nipples. (I don't consider myself long-waisted, but just about every top pattern I've used has to be lengthened.) I cut the pattern pieces at the waist line (see note below) and spread them 2 inches, taping the 2 pieces to blank pattern paper. I then re-drew the pattern lines to fit the two different sizes I am using.

*Note on waist line - The waist line is marked only on the center front and center back pieces. It is helpful to mark the waist line on all pieces if you are going to alter it. A tip I found on-line is to take the center front piece (13) and place the front piece (14) on top, matching notches and making sure grain lines are parallel. Then mark the waist line on piece 14. Continue with each pattern piece. When you get to the center back piece (19) redraw the waist line based on piece 18. For some reason, the waist lines don't seem to match up on 13 and 19. Maybe it's just me?

Even though my final version will have a lining and I won't need the bone casings, I decided to practice with the twill tape on this mock-up. I also made this mock-up with the busk, which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. In preparation for this corset, I ordered two busks - a 12" and a 14". I had a feeling I would want a longer corset so I got one that was longer than the pattern required. The second mock-up will include the 12" busk as I read that a shorter one can be used when there is boning adjacent to the busk. So hopefully I'll be able to use the short one and save the longer one for next time. I also added a piece of twine inside the bias tape on the upper edge, in an attempt to tighten down the bust part. I can see how this would be helpful if the top poked out a little. But it doesn't help much when the top is way too big.

This mock-up was still too big in the top. Laced all the way together, I could still stand to take 2" off the bust. I've read that a 2-inch gap is ideal between the eyelets, so that would mean an additional 4" to take off. The waist and hips fit, but didn't squish my waist at all - which is comfy, but I'll probably have to take a couple of inches off the waist/hips to make up for the take-up in the chest. I also decided to add two boning channels to each side - one directly under the breast and one to the side. I've heard this is necessary if you need to give the girls a lift. I've no idea how much a difference the spiral steel bones will make versus the plastic bones in the amount of support in this area, but I am not cutting the steel until I'm certain how long they will be.

So - next step is to dart the current mock-up to take-up the extra inches, add additional bones casings for the girls, and hope this time it fits!

Feathers to Dye For

Cheap, non-toxic way to dye natural feathers

When I decided to make my own mask for my autumn dryad costume, I decided on a paper mache base with colored feathers. As a vegetarian, it was hard for me to buy standard craft or store feathers, as they involve the killing of the bird. Fortunately, eBay and Etsy had a few folks selling naturally-shed, cruelty-free feathers. Often from pets or egg-laying birds, these feathers are natural in color and vary in size and pattern and are collected when the bird molts. As molting is seasonal, I had to allow some extra time to collect the feathers I wanted as they aren't always available. I did check with local wildlife experts to confirm that it is illegal to collect feathers of wild birds (hawks, owls, songbirds, shore birds, etc) even if you find them on the ground.

So I started out with all sorts of feathers - pigeon, turkey, peacock, guinea fowl, chicken - in various colors (white, cream, brown, black, grey) and patterns (stripes, dots, mottled). I did not wash the feathers before I dyed them. Some feather sellers wash them for you, but I don't think mine were. I found different opinions on the internet about pros and cons of washing the feathers. Some say the natural oils in the feathers are good, some say a wash in a mild detergent helps the dye set. I took the easy way in my test batch and skipped the washing. My feathers turned out fine.

I decided to try the kool-aid and vinegar approach to dyeing the feathers. It's cheaper than the chemical dyes and fabric dyes. I played around with the mixture of kool-aid and water/vinegar mixture to use the least amount possible.

What you'll need:
White vinegar
Shallow microwavable pan or dish (I used a casserole dish)
Kool-aid in your preferred colors
Ground tumeric (if you want yellow)
Chop sticks or other stirring device

Fill the shallow dish about 1/3 full of water and add a splash of vinegar. Stir in the Kool-aid until dissolved. The more Kool-aid you use, the stronger the color will be. You can also mix the colors for different shades.

Add the feathers one at a time into the Kool-aid bath. **If you don't need the fluffy part of the feather, save yourself some time and hassle and cut it off. The color in the fluffy part is more likely to be splotchy** Use the chop sticks to immerse the feather and work in the color. Be sure to get the air bubbles out. Add additional feathers until the surface of the water is covered. You can try to add layers of feathers to save time, just be sure that all the feathers are wet and in contact with the dye.

Microwave the feathers for 2 minutes. Gently aggitate/stir them to make sure they are still in contact with the dye - especially if there are a lot in the pan. Let rest for 2 minutes, then microwave again for 2 minutes. Let the feathers soak until they are the color you want. The longer they soak, the deeper the color. I gently rinsed my feathers in a strainer, but I don't know that you have to do this. The rinse was helpful with the tumeric dye since the tumeric didn't completely dissolve in the water and the rinse helps reduce the strong smell. You can use the dye again, but the color may be lighter unless you add some more Kool-aid. The dye will get lighter with each batch.

Gently pat the feathers to remove excess moisture. Use a hair dryer to dry the feathers completely and re-fluff. If the feather looks like it is separating, gently run your fingers down the spine while using the hair dryer. If you don't need the fluffy part, drying goes much faster without it. I did not need the fluffy part for my mask and could have saved a ton of time if I had cut it off before dyeing.

The very dark parts of the feather will not dye well. I liked the stripes and dots and variation in color with the natural feathers. I had to mix in some black cherry with the green kool-aid to get a somewhat muted color and not the crazy bright color. To make brown, I would mix in a different color with a used batch of dye that was getting too light.

Hat trick

Now that I've made four hats from Simplicity 4083, I confess that I have not learned the secret to easy, great-looking hats. It is safe to say that this hat is perfect for costuming/cosplay and it is quite possible to cover up little imperfections with feathers, flowers, ribbon, etc.

The first hat was made following the pattern, size small. I used acrylic felt for all the hats as wool felt is not available in retail fabric stores here and I imagine it costs more than I wanted to spend on a test hat. I used heavy weight fusible interfacing and was not altogether thrilled with the flexibility in the crown of the hat. The top and brim seemed pretty stiff, for their intended purpose anyway.

In an attempt to further stiffen the crown and solve the problems of "dents" or small sags, I tried Aleene's fabric stiffener that I bought from JoAnn Fabrics. I could have diluted it with water, but not knowing how it would turn out, I used it full strength. It seemed a lot like runny, white school glue. It did dry clear and it did stiffen the fabric. So A+ on that account. However the moisture caused the acrylic felt to pill. The stiffness of the fabric did not allow much give at all, so I wouldn't recommend it full strength if you want something soft. I tried using a stiff brush to smooth out the pills, but all that did was make the stiffener flake and turn white. I have not resolved the texture issue, and was planning to try a razor blade or something to try to remove some of the pills - but the hat has been donated for use as a prop. Next time I will also try applying the stiffener to the inside of the hat, so the look won't be so much of an issue, maybe. Since the inside was covered with interfacing, I couldn't tell if the reverse side pilled as well.

Since I could not achieve that perfect stiff hat look with the glue stuff, I decided to try craft weight interfacing. Pellon Peltex 70. I've used this before in a collar and it worked nicely. It is $6/yard, so a coupon is great for this (but not at Hancock since their coupons expressly exlcude interfacing). The hats were stiffer, but since Peltex is a sew-in and not a fusible, there were a few dent-looking areas in the crown, but not as many as with the lighter fusible interfacing. I shortened the crown about 2.5 inches to look a little better on a female and also used size medium for a more comfortable fit for the three females wearing the hats.

While this process did not create a professional-looking hat, the hats were easy to make (less than a day per hat) and folks seem to like them. It took me until the third hat to realize that pinning the bias tape on the brim while slip stiching is much less painful on the hands (duh). The hubby is now patiently waiting for his hat, once I recover.

The best laid plans

Every month I  look forward to the new sales flyers from Hancock and JoAnn. And every Sunday I check out the sales flyer and coupon for Hobby Lobby. These are the only places in town to get apparel fabric. I carefully go through the flyers - circling the things I want and need. Then I make a list of what I need and who has it on sale. I also make a list of other things on sale at each store - you know, just in case I "need" something else. I note the dates of the sales and what coupons I have. This is a standard process for me. And I always take the flyers with me to double check as I shop. Yes, wound a bit tight, it's true.

So I head out today for Hobby Lobby and Hancock. List in hand, coupons ready to go, flyers in purse. Found what I needed at Hobby Lobby: calico prints on sale, check; heavyweight interfacing with coupon, check; purple ribbon on sale, check. Next I head to Hancock, to pick up cotton and velour. Plan is coming together nicely. I'll be washing and pressing fabric in no time. But I wonder why some of the sale prices are wrong. Shouldn't the cotton be 40% off. Isn't velour 50% off instead of 30%. Thinking the sales associates didn't get the signs changed out, I grab what I need and head to the cutting counter.

I ask about sales prices before I have anything cut. "I don't think this is on sale" the lady says. I deftly present my sales flyer and point to the add in question. "Oh, yes, it should be on sale. Hmmm" says the sales lady. "Oh - they changed the dates of our sales. They start on Sunday now." Mouth open, I stare. "What?? After years of starting on Thursday, they up and change it to Sunday?" "Sorry dear," she says. "Will you please come back on Sunday?"

So now, I have no fabric. And I'm mad. Thinking an email to customer service is in order. And a change in my fabric shopping planning list. So all you folks used to shopping at Hancock - be warned to check the dates carefully on the sales flyers. For now, I think I'll dig up the old sales flyer and see what else I can get until Sunday. Hrmph.

Easy, floral branch wings

For my three dryad costumes (spring, fall, and winter) I used branches from the floral department at Hobby Lobby to make decorative wings. My inspiration came from a woman selling branch-like wings . Her work is amazing. Since I couldn't afford her gorgeous wings, I needed to make a cheap replica. Based on some experimenting with other materials in the house, I decided the branches need to be flexible for shaping (so no natural branches) and firm enough to hold their shape (so nothing flimsy). I also considered how to get the mossy look with model "flocking" and spray adhesive or natural moss and hot glue.

I found some lovely fake branches at Hobby Lobby and bought them when they were 50% off. I think I paid around $12 for 4 branches. The branches already has a nice mossy look to them, and the "leafy" parts looked very natural even from a close distance. The picture shows the spring branches in preliminary stages of twisting.

When making wings, you should consider the purpose, weight, and the place/event where you will wear them. These decorative wings would not be great for flitting about or for dancing in, as they are tall and wide. They aren't very heavy, which is good since I planned to wear them a lot. Also - a lesson learned by anyone navigating a crowd with folks in costuming - no one appreciates being poked in the eye by someone's wings. In contrast, people are not very considerate of costumers wearing wings. So try as you might to be careful how you turn and where you walk - someone who is not paying attention will run into you or get snagged on your wings. So be prepared for choice words - hearing them or saying them. Also be prepared for damage to your wings from walking in crowds.  I have found large, pointy, or bulky wings are great for contests and parades. Small, fabric or pantyhose wings with no sharp edges are great for crowds.

Before you assemble wings, consider how you will wear them and how to brace them if they are top heavy. There are many ways to wear wings. Elastic straps are the most common, but won't hold up very heavy wings. Under-bra back braces are great for light-weight and fabric wings - if you have a high backed shirt or stiff bodice to support the wires. Exterior, over-shoulder frames are good for heavy duty wings. Constructed bracers can also be added at the back for more support and decorated to match. Also consider how the attachments will look with your costume, if you will have or need help getting them on or off, and the ever practical question of how to go to the bathroom. You don't want to find out too late that you have to take your shirt off to remove the wings that won't fit in the bathroom stall.

For these wings, we decided that a simple bracer made from bending the ends of the branch inward into a loop would work nicely and would compliment the design and theme of the wings. First, we connected the branches in the center, at the desired width. I kept the middle width where the branches connect smaller than the width of my back. Zip ties are great for connecting the branches - just be sure the tips don't poke you in the back. I also used brown floral tape in places to cover zip ties. For the autumn branches, I twisted the left branches together first, then the right, before attaching all four together with zip ties. We used pliers to shape the ends of the branches around a can of soup to get them round. Then we used the pliers to shape the branches and clipped off any extra length.

In consideration of the color of my spring dryad top, I made simple casings for the elastic out of green fabric, with brown fabric at the ends for attaching to the branches. I made white casings for the winter wings and brown for the autumn. This really helps the elastic blend in with the costume if you don't want it to show. Just remember to make the casings long enough to fit around your arms when the elastic is stretched. In other words, the casing is longer than the elastic. Yes the fabric casing will be bunched up a little while you are wearing the wings, but it is a trade-off for an obvious band of elastic contrasting with your costume. I used clear elastic with no casing for my nyad wings.

The next step was embellishing and covering the connection area. I found a great natural branch garland that was small enough to fit. I used the model flocking and spray adhesive for the mossy look. Zip ties were used to attach the garland to the branches. For the autumn wings, I hot glued silk leaves and small branches to cover the middle.

These have proven to be pretty good wings. I do need help getting my long hair unstuck from the edges when I put them on. And the branches need to be reshaped after wearing. These are not recommended for crowds, by the way. Hair pulling, eye poking, and fabric snagging have resulted from passing folks in tight quarters and I've offered many an apology. They are also a bit wider than the standard door frame, so I have to remember to turn sideways. Hanging/storing them and transporting them have been the biggest challenge. I've worn them for 2 years and they still look good and are comfortable to wear. The green bits on the branches are showing some thinning in spots, as they rub against things and get transported, but I can still get more use out of them.  I've made four pairs of wings like this and will likely make more using this design. I've helped my sister-in-law make some awesome wings from gold metallic branches. My sister took the concept and made some with sprays of feathers and pearls. The possibilities are endless.

Costume pics 2010

This is a link to some photos of costumes for 2010