House of Marmalade

A green fairtrade upcycled corset

2012-01-30T19:07:00.003Z

Thanks for all your lovely comments on the last post :)

I thought I'd show you the finished article!

This longline corset is made from fair trade vietnamese silk which is a beautiful lime/pea green colour shot with yellow - it gives a kind of 'beetlewing' effect .. although together with the weave of the fabric, close up, it reminds me of flies eyeballs (!) - it has the most amazing array of colour depending on the light.

The silk comes from a small co-operative business in Vietnam .. it's a bit of a long story as to how I came to have some so I'll give you the short version:- A lady who was a journalist, visited some out of the way places in Thailand and Vietnam. While there she discovered independent co-operatives weaving silk and fell in love with the beautiful fabrics they were producing, so much so that she decided to leave journalism, buy a ton of silk direct from the makers, and open a shop here in Oxfordshire, which she ran quite successfully for some years. The shop was aptly called "Silken Dalliance". Well about 18 months ago, she had to close her shop and has been selling her left over stock via various other channels in Oxford.

My next project will use some silk from the same source but blue shot with grey, silver trims and more intricate flossing. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, my next post will mostly be about thimbles.

Bra recycling

2012-01-25T20:49:00.000Z

I had this bra which didn't fit, but it had lovely lace details....

so I cut it up and saved the bits ...

The straps, fastenings and underwires will eventually make another bra. With the lacy bits, I decorated a corset...

The corset is especially made for the mannequin which came from Lucy. I love how the bottom of the corset makes a pretty petal shape when fanned out like this ...

I have animal friends to help me! A magnetised pin whale, and stork scissors..

I'm now inclined to look in charity shops for discarded bras with pretty lacy bits ...

Bespoke corsetry & vintage style couture clothing

2012-01-24T10:25:00.001Z

Friends! I have managed to achieve my first aim of the new year which was to launch my new website by the new moon this month!

Here it is

click on pic to go to site

I'm very happy with how it's turned out and extremely proud of my work. I know that doesn't sound awfully modest, but I really have worked very hard to get to this point, and with the amazing help of a couple of individuals to whom I shall be forever grateful, I've managed to shape my idea of a future career into something concrete, worthwhile and deeply fullfilling. So I am very very pleased.

I'd love if you popped over for a visit and report back with your thoughts?

The shape of things to come

2012-01-20T10:29:00.002Z

Lordy, I just don't know how I manage to fill up my time so!! Things on my table already for this year which I will be telling you about in due course ...

Corset making - I am furiously sewing up show pieces for my new website, Marmaladekiss.com. The new designs have to be tested on a real person to ensure fit, proportion and line - the difficult part of this is finding a person with very 'average' measurements so that my fitting can be refined and further designs draped in a way that I know will fit real people.

flossing detail of a longline silk overbust corset with external bone casing

Dressmaking - I'm signed up to teach basic dressmaking over a 7 week evening course starting in May at the local sewing shop. Working from home means I don't get out much and this chosen work means that even if I did get out, there aren't that many interested in what I do. So teaching enthusiastic newbies the basics of dressmaking is good. I've been asked to think of other courses in the line of lingerie and corsetry which could be held here so all is very exciting on that front.

Commissions - A friend from Edinburgh has seen a dress in a vintage shop that she wants me to copy. She would have bought the original dress but it didn't fit - she is breast feeding, and will be for a while - so not only does she need extra room up there, but she needs the dress to be altered when she stops. The shop keeper was more than happy to let her take pics of details to send to me for replication so I am very happy to do this.

Details of the vintage dress

It's a beautiful dress. Black wool crepe shift with cap sleeves, boatneck and a silk frill at the bottom with some beading and fringing details. All of the materials we have bought - silk and wool crepe - are fair trade/organic/recyled/ethical which makes this project all the more lovely. I've been concentrating on corsetry so much over the last year that I haven't made a dress for an age and this one is a lovely little commission - a simple, classic, elegant design. Ofcourse made with modern materials and with my own design details included it wont be an EXACT copy but one that will be utterly personal to my friend and hopefully treasured for a very long time. Perhaps even in 70 years time, it will be admired in a shop window as a lovely vintage piece in it's own right. We can dream eh?

I also have a ton of silk underwear projects to get through, some for my friend with the dress (above) and some for my mother in law - it's all compatible with my new line that I'll be showcasing over at my other website.

And as if that isn't enough (and it really isn't all), I really have to make some dresses for myself. My weight has been fluctuating over the last 2 years but I've finally got a grip on the reasons for this and what to do about it! Basically, as you get older, you can't eat chocolate and other 'rubbish' .. so it's new diet, new year, new wardrobe, new career ... I can't wait for 2012 to happen!

A Very Happy New Year!

2012-01-16T17:21:00.001Z

Hello everyone! Happy new year to you all! I hope 2012 has started off well for all of you. I love this time of year, so full of promise and inspiration for the coming year.

I thought I'd just pop up here to give you two bits of exciting news!

The first - what's been keeping me away from here. As I mentioned before, I'm working on a new website for my bespoke corsetry, accessories and lingerie. The website is nearly ready, so i've activated a live 'teaser' page for people to look at. I've designed a new logo and I'm furiously sewing up some stunning samples for show. Click below to see the preview the new MarmaladeKiss website.

As if that wasn't exciting enough, I've just been informed that this blog is on the 'We love vintage blog' award and 'Blog we like best of all' in the Company magazine blogger awards! If you'd like to vote for me, please click HERE or on the pic below.

I'm so excited that I think I need a little lie down!

And now for a short break

2011-12-13T11:01:00.003Z

I've been blogging here for nearly four years and over that time, my life has changed quite radically for one reason and another. When I started blogging I was having a 'career break', meaning I had been bullied out of the best job I ever had, and was so traumatised by the experience that I was unable to return to 'the office' for another year. During that time I found the online world of craft and stitchers. I had always had a sewing machine and I was already making corsets and dresses, but over this rest period I spent my time crafting bags, and purses, and kiddies clothes along with keyrings, flags, bunting and and any other thing that could possibly be stitched. My fabric stash grew along with the space I needed to sew and by the end of that year I had become very proficient with the sewing machine, a passion had been born and my friends insisted that I do it for a living. There is no coincidence that in my spiritual life, I was working very closely with the element of fire which of course has everything to do with action, creativity, and passion.

My first blog posts here

Well despite all that, I ignored the advice of my friends at that time and whilst still learning all I could about sewing, dressmaking, pattern making and corsetry, I did go back to the office, a lovely little part time job with a nice boss and friendly colleagues. I stayed there for just over 2 years and found out lots about technical things like photoshop, illustrator and online publishing. With all that knowledge I was able to build a small business of my own, Sew Curvy Corsetry and when that was all set up and running, the call of my beautiful Singer became too loud to ignore, and it was time to take the leap into self employment, which I did on 1 April this year.

My book finished!

Sew Curvy is busy, but the main reason for me setting it up was so that I could eventually one day become a full time corsetiere. This summer was spent consolidating all the information i've learned over the last 4 years, honing my craft, researching everything I could about corsetry, finding techniques, and methods that work with my own style and ideals, dreaming up beautiful designs and deciding where to go with it all. As you know there has also been book writing which is now finished and submitted to the publisher ready for spring publication. Yes, the last 18 months has been intense, but oh so worth it!

source

Long time followers of this blog, will know that I work very closely with the seasons, and so it feels important to announce to you as witnesses, that now, just under 2 weeks before the winter solstice, I'm officially stepping out of the blogosphere into a period of deep and intense creativity, until the end of January when the light grows stronger, and life begins to stir. The perfect time for new ideas and ventures to be born.

Complicated corsetry

2011-11-21T19:10:00.000Z

I've been immersed in some complicated corsetry - setting myself challenges and working out designs.

One way to take your corsetry to the next level, is to sew as many historical patterns as possible. I've got a stack to get through, some from old patents, some scaled up from books and some drawn by corsetiers who own antiques, such as this one from Atelier Sylphe. This pattern is from the period c.1902-1905 and therefore an early Edwardian corset - my favourite style because of the curved seams, flat front and beautiful hip shaping of that era.

Atelier Sylphe

Atelier Sylphe patterns come with some very basic instructions and a ton of pictures supplied electronically detailing every seam, every angle, every minute detail of the original antique corset, so that the experienced corset maker can figure out how to sew it together. It's not as hard as it sounds once you get down to it, but I found that pinning the paper pattern complete with bone channel guidelines together first, acts as a great reference and guide to sewing the toile - you can make notes on it as you go so that you have a 'live' reference when you come to sew the final version.

Edwardian corsets are generally single layer garments with curved lapped seams, bust and hip gussets, and vertical bone channels sewn to the inside over the curved construction seams.

I made one calico toile, sewing each side together separately and making improvements each time. I then collected some coutil scraps and made a section of the pattern to see how the design reacted to much stiffer fabric, and added a little piping experiment. Quite happy with the results I cut the corset in coutil and made up one side with silver piping at the main curved seams.

Black satin coutil is extremely unforgiving - it shows up every single tiny mark, every pin prick, every crease, and to make matters worse, it is a devil to stitch - the glare of the shiny surface with black stitching is an eyeache.

However, the result is extremely pleasing, and although hard on the eyes when stitching, satin coutil is very easy to sew and gives the corset a lovely crisp appearance and feel with a really beautiful lustre.

The piping is polyester - all I had in the correct colour. I'm not convinced. Will have to try silk fabric for the piping - it's thicker than polyester so the 'rope' pattern of the piping cord wont show through, and it will be less slippy to sew. However the other reason i'm not sure about the piping is because of the way the boning channels must be sewn perpendicular to the curved seams and therefore over the piping at an almost 45 degree angle. It might therefore be better to construct the corset in a different way which means that the vertical bone channels are sewn invisibly to a lining.

I do love this pattern. The way it has been drafted is excellent - every line perfectly matched so that the corset, once you have worked it out, is actually really easy to sew. The detail is fabulous, the shape lovely. I'm going to sew the other side in a different style - closer to the original, without piping but with contrast stitching.

My blog posts will be quite intermittent over the next few weeks but I will keep you posted, and I do have a little giveaway to tell you about soon.

A little rant

2011-11-04T13:41:00.002Z

This week on my Sew Curvy Facebook page, I wrote a 'status update' which I thought may be of interest to readers here too. So I have expanded upon it a little and added a video to demonstrate the problem.

The corset on the left is by Electra Designs, the one on the right is a cheap chinese rip off. See what corsetiere Alexis Black had to say about it on her Facebook page by clicking here.

Corset design and image theft is a big problem in the independent corsetiers world. Individuals are constantly finding that their hard work has been ripped off and copied by unscrupulous Chinese factories, and to add insult to injury the images which they have worked hard to create and probably paid a lot of money for, are used to promote these knock-off's at ridiculous prices.

From time to time, these big companies from China offer me wholesale corsets at knock down prices. USD5.00 each to be precise. Yes $5 for a corset.

This means that the manufacturing cost of these corsets is under $2.50 which works out at about GBP2.00 and €1.50.

If that's how much it costs to manufacture a corset in China, can you then imagine the cost of the raw material - the busk, the bones, the fabric, eyelets and the lacing plus any embellishments? Perhaps we're talking $1.50? Which leaves less than $1 per corset for the people working in the factory!

These corsets retail in the West under brands such as "Corsets UK" and other similar sites, for between £30-100 (€40-120/$50-150). That's a heck of a mark up!

As I said, often the designs are copied from hard working independent corsetiers. The resulting fake product is not only cheap and nasty - literally, but the fit is ...well there isn't a fit.

Corset busks from Germany

German steel is the best steel in the world, closely followed by British steel. Most professionals use German steel busks in their corsets. If you consider that one German steel busk fastner is more expensive wholesale than the cost of a whole corset made in China, you can easily see the reason why it's best to either make your own corset with quality supplies, or buy a bespoke or rtw corset from a reputable and independent corsetiere. Infact, the cost of making a quality corset can quickly add up to £50+ for the raw materials depending on fabrics used. The money you pay for a bespoke corset is made up of this cost plus the extreme care, attention, and time lavished on each piece by it's maker. A plain corset can take 20 and more hours to make.

Once, I had a corset for sale in a shop where I happened to be working when a couple took an interest in the peice. They saw the price tag of £200 and dropped it with a nervous giggle and a look which said "whoever made that is having a laugh". I didn't say anything but I was aflame with indignation! If I was paid just £10 an hour for the length of time it took me to make the corset - not including the cost of materials, it would have cost much more! When you think that a good hairdresser is paid up to £50-60 an hour for their work, then please tell me why an equally skilled artisan is worth less per hour just becuase their work involves a needle and thread?

In corsetry, and other sewing related artistry, you really do get what you pay for so here's a little film from Lulu and Lush to demonstrate what I mean.

And to all ladies who sew - we must never underestimate or undervalue our skill and the care and patience it takes to produce beautiful things with it.

Vogue 8701 nearly done, but ...

2011-11-01T10:16:00.000Z

Ok this time it wasn't all my fault. It's the Vogue jacket. It doesn't like my fabric. Too many seams perhaps? But also a few faults of mine. I'll walk you through it ..

Here's the lined and semi-pressed still unfinished jacket. It looks OK I hear you say ...

Well, something has gone drastically wrong with the collar notches .. not really sure what as I followed all the instructions and both were OK until I trimmed them to get sharp points. Then (top pic) a large scoop became apparent on the left, while the right has a smaller scoop but a scoop all the same. I reckon it can be fixed with a little patience so no huge disaster...

The lining went in very smoothly and I was very very pleased with the stitching - I really don't like working with slippy synthetics, but this lining was OK and didn't fray too much. There were alot of pieces just like the jacket so it was quite time consuming. The whole thing is stitched together via the outside edge, and turned through the middle where the back peplum is then constructed. This is the bit that remains unfinished.

BIG mistake number one - remember I shortened the back? That's fine. What I shouldn't have done was shorten the front. I'm not sure why I did this as it had previously taken a considerable amount of experimentaiton and brain wracking to learn that petite stature/big bust means shorter back length but longer front to accommodate "bust rise" .. why why didn't I remember this hard gained wisdom when I decided that the jacket was too long for me??? You can see the effect here clearly - the waist line slopes upwards from the back. While the untrained eye probably wouldn't notice, it's not a good look overall and doesn't improve the comfort factor of any garment!

Overall, I like this jacket but can summarise my experience quite succinctly as follows:

Fabric for this design is far too thick - it's car upholstery remember? There are too many seams in the design which cause too much bulk with my car upholstery. Bulky fabric means these seams - however expertly they are trimmed, remain lumpy.

The light tailoring I did on the collar and lapels was probably not necessary because of the seams joining the jacket and collar - a tailored jacket is cut in one piece and therefore needs the tailors tape stays and the pad stitching to make it all bend and fold the way it is supposed to. This has seams to serve that purpose. I learned this while making this jacket!

The sleeves of the jacket were far too wide for the fitted design. I narrowed the sleeves without narrowing the armhole by mistake. It wasn't a problem (infact the sleeve setting went like a dream), but in a different garment, this may have made things very difficult!

Although, I have to say, that mistakes are my reference library - it doesn't bother me that they happen because I learn so much from them, I don't mind telling you that I am a little dissapointed. I liked everything about this (proposed) jacket. The fabric, the design, the buttons (!). It will probably finish up quite nicely but I have decided not to spend any more time on it for the time being. Lots of reasons for this, but those are for another post, another day. I very rarely see other bloggers sharing their bad work .. is it just me who has "OMG I can't believe how much I can't sew!" moments?

When you don't like what you sew

2011-10-26T19:41:00.000+01:00

Hello all... it's been a bit hectic and I haven't finished my jacket yet ... nearly there - had to overcome my fear and loathing of sleeve setting, now it's just a question of lining and collaring .. it'll soon be done!

In the meantime, I made a beignet. I had some black cord, and some faulty lining. Those were ok. But then I bought some buttons.

I bought cheaper buttons than the ones I really liked. They go with the lining and they look like peacock feather eyes. I quite liked them in the shop where I was as usual overcome with fabric loveliness and blind to the fact that I never wear blue, or green, or turquoise ... As soon as I got home, I realised that I didn't really like the buttons ...

The lining cost £1.35/m because the print is faulty. OK for lining a panelled skirt

I sewed my Beignet in the knowledge that I had made a mistake with the buttons. Now I don't know about you, but when I know that I dislike a detail of something, my heart goes out of the subject but I press on regardless because I've spent the money and I don't like to waste, but I don't take as much care, and then things go wrong, and I end up with a garment that not only is unwearable, but that isn't 'me' and that i'd never wear in a month of sundays ...

they're really nice ... just not 'me'

So .. there it is, my Beignet disaster. A skirt which does't fit, which isn't made properly, which is bulky and heavy, and which has really horrible buttons :(

you cant see, but it's all wrong ..

I DO like the pattern though. I am not sure cord is the best fabric - it makes a very heavy skirt with all those panels. So I will make this again but with lighter fabric and better buttons. Like these ones which I LOVE but which are triple the price of the ones I bought...

50p each .. alot when you need 12 buttons but not as much as a wasted project

What happens when you find yourself not liking your project? Do you abandon for the sake of time and sanity? Or do you press on and then end up with something you don't like?

Corsets on the table

2011-10-09T10:12:00.002+01:00

Furiously trying to finish my book in time for the November deadline. I'm nearly there but finding it very hard to keep it simple and understandable for beginners, and yet inspirational for intermediates.

Here is a double layered silk corset which is one of the corsets featured in the book, proudly modelled by one of Lucy's gorgeous girls.

This is what the boning looks like if you could see it

The next project for the book will be the same shape but using a different technique with different fabrics and embellisments.

Also on the table, I'll be making a corset for a friend soon, here are the ideas i've been playing with in scraps..

Red is the colour

2011-10-05T18:09:00.002+01:00

Yesterday a large envelope plopped onto my doormat. It contained a lovely package wrapped in tissue...

Inside, was 2 metres of GORGEOUS bio linen with some ribbons

Isn't it beautifully presented?

Long time readers will definitely agree that this is my colour, however, it is such a nice fabric, I shall definately be investigating other colours in the range!

It came from Dragonfly Fabrics, (btw, have you seen the new range of winter fabrics over there?) and I cannot wait to make something from it .. it's quite a nice heavy but soft linen which I happen to have been lusting over for months and wondering about the properties of. I think will be suitable for autumn/spring wear and I am currently fancying it in the form of the new Peony dress from Colette Patterns.

What do you think?

Vogue 8701 Progress

2011-09-29T19:44:00.000+01:00

So i've done the pad stitching on the collars. It took a while as the collars are quite wide. Not only that, they are not one piece with the body as a tailored jacket normally would be, they are sewn onto the bodice as illustrated in the last post.

Pad stitching is easy peasy to do once you get the hang of it, and you easily get into a 'rhythm' which makes it much easier still. You just have to remember a couple of things.

Keep the collar folded (pref. over your finger) at the fold line

Keep the stitches small

Keep the stitches as even as possible

Each line starts at the opposite end to the last - this is what causes the chevron shape.

Pad stitching not only shapes your collar, but it also ensures that the collar lies flat and where it is supposed to be.

Here we have one side padstitched, and the other not. You can clearly see how the pad stitching has helped the left side lie flat while the right side is distorted out of shape because it is bouncing back upwards.

Here it is from the side - very unsightly!

And from the other side ... even worse!

Now complete, my collars are beautifully shaped as the pattern intended and nice and flat too.

Vogue 8701

2011-09-20T07:00:00.004+01:00

I know, don't faint! I have actually started making something other than a corset! And this is it. Project 1 of 6, the Vogue 8701 jacket. I like it because of the open shawl type collar, short length and fitted style. It's a jacket I am making to wear with jeans or a skirt. Smart yet casual, and warm.

click on pics to enlarge

I made a toile from many different bits of calico - hence the strange "technicolour dreamcoat" look! There are 14 pattern pieces to this jacket which makes for some interesting details, namely some slanted panels and peplums which go towards creating the fitted look.

The centre back section is made from 2 pieces, but I am not sure why, so I have cut the back panel on a fold for a less smoother look. I cut the size 16 which I think MIGHT be a trifle too big, but as it's a jacket, i'd rather it be roomy so I can wear a jumper or couple of layers under it. The only alteration I made to the pattern was to shorten it by 3cm. I did this at the front and back, but really I think I should only have shortened the back. For bigger busted 'petite' women (ie: under 5'4"), the front of the garment should be longer than the back to compensate for 'bust rise'. Consequently with this jacket, the waistline is not level but I've already cut it out - not a huge problem but I could have done better by being more patient!

Here are the front side panels in progress. A peplum is a little floaty flap which kicks out like a large frill. The bottom section in this picture is the peplum, it works because it is made from a panel which has been slashed and spread giving it volume, making it wider at the bottom with shorter curved seam at the top.

When this curved edge is eased against a slightly longer straight edge and sewn down, the peplum kicks out in a frilly manner.

The front of the jacket calls for interfacing, so I have used medium weight, woven fusible cotton. I am going to use some 'light' tailoring techniques on the jacket to make sure it has structure and strength but I'm not going to go overboard with the tailoring on this project because this is just practice for the next 'big' project, the Vogue 8333 which is a Claudia Schaeffer couture number.

I basically want to make sure that this jacket is firm not floppy and that the collars stay in the right place, so I'm including a neck stay to stabilise the collar and ensure it lays flat against the chest as it should - this is particularly important for ladies with a bigger bust apparently.

I followed the techniques in my tailoring book and employed a fell stitch to attach the stay tape just inside the seam allowance of the jacket collar.

I've also added a back stay to keep the jacket in shape.

I really like the slanted panels at the sides which i've topstitched for extra definition.

I'm using a 100% wool fabric which I think is car upholstery - that's what they said in the shop! It has quite a stiff hand and cost £5.00/m. I've used 2 metres which was only just enough, and will line it with plain black polyester lining. Next job is shaping the collar.

A word on the comment box

2011-09-16T14:47:00.005+01:00

Thanks for your comments on the last post everyone :)

To tell the truth, I'm a bit confused about comments these days .. When I first started blogging, you got a comment along with an email address to which you could reply. That doesn't seem to happen now, email addresses never appear with comment even in my email inbox and so I find it very hard to reply individually and am confused as to whether it's worth going back to the comment box to reply - I never check back for replies on the blogs I read - do you?

So I am really not sure about the ettiquette these days, except for what The Coffee Lady wrote here - in particular her paragraph which reads

"If you leave a comment, and Blogger gives me your email address, I'll email you back. Blogging wisdom says this is a big no-no. Blog popularity charts and PR people look for high engagement, which means everyone chatting animatedly in the comment box. Now I love comments - who doesn't? - and as you came over to my blog to find me, it seems only polite that I come and find you in return. (If Blogger gives me no email address I respond in the comment box, but I do wonder - does anyone ever come back to check?) A lot of my favourite bloggers do it this way, and I don't actually mind if that means my blog doesn't rank quite so highly. Some of my best blog friendships have been forged in my email account."

I couldn't put it better myself - I am still in touch via email and even Facebook, with many of the people I blogged with when I started but since blogger stopped giving emails, my personal correspondence with 'new' commenters has been disrupted.

So what i'm trying to say is this .. I will try harder to reply to the comments box whether I think anyone is listening or not!

And just to prove that, here is a tutorial on how to do a mood board. It's a bit different to how I did mine - I used a combination of Mac software and Photoshop to get a quicker result - and there's a downloadable pdf to go with it!

My future wardrobe

2011-09-11T20:29:00.000+01:00

Do you ever have lots of good intentions, fuelled by certain inspirations and fantasies, and then find a year or so down the line that not only did you never get round to all the things you meant to, but your inspiration or intention has changed and with it your focus?

And so "My future wardrobe" on the left is soon to be erased, to be replaced by "My wardrobe in progress".. It's different. More practical. Quick. Modern. As much as I love to cut my own patterns, i've been spending all my energy on corsetry. There's no more left for clothes design and frankly, sewing from patterns is relaxing for me, so i've stocked up via Vogue and Colette, and made a 'capsule' board to focus on basics which will go with the existing bits in my ready made wardrobe, which still fit me.

I have all the fabric already, now i'm going to use it - it's been hanging around for at least a couple of years! I really don't want to go out and buy more bits - so this entire project will be made from my current stash of everything.

I made a chart:

And I've already started!

You see, I really really need some clothes - in the last year i've gone from a size 8 to a size 14 and back down to a 10 again ... I feel like Oprah Winfrey!! So i've started with a jacket. The Vogue 8701 with light tailoring, in preparation for Vogue 8333 which is a Claire Schaeffer couture number. I'll be blogging my progress in the next few posts, so stay tuned!

And the winners are ...

2011-09-10T12:39:00.003+01:00

Thank you all very very much for entering the Dragonfly Fabrics givaway and helping out with some extremely constructive feedback about Dragonfly Fabrics' website. Simon and Dorte, the husband and wife team behind Dragonfly are delighted with all your comments and will be working with your suggestions to improve your shopping and browsing experience.

There were 91 entries (1 duplicate) - a few of which were 'double entries' from where some of you posted news on the giveaway on your own blogs - huge thanks for that too. So without any further ado, the Random Number Generator has announced the following winners:

Shivani

1 Colette pattern of choice
5 half metres from Anna Maria Horner's collection of cosy flannels
3m dotty ribbon

Tracy

1 Colette pattern of choice
3 x 3m dotty ribbons

Jacqui

1 Colette pattern of choice
3m dotty ribbon

Congratulations ladies! Please email me (julia at marmaladekiss dot co dot uk) with your addresses and choices, and i'll pass the details over to Dragonfly Fabrics.

The art of sewing

2011-09-08T09:26:00.001+01:00

I have often made reference to one of my favourite sewing books, the Odhams Encyclopaedia of Needlecraft which was published in 1954. I think vintage sewing books offer information that is often these days, overlooked, ignored or covered up in favour of shortcuts, modern techniques or 'insider secrets'.

There are no secrets to good sewing - all the information is 'out there' somewhere. The great couturiers of past years all learned at their mothers or grandmothers knees before fashion degrees and sewing schools ever existed. The difference between them and most of us, is that they are innovators. A quote from the book "Waisted Efforts" by Robert Doyle explains:

"Interestingly, as scholars research and analyze the techniques of master couturiers, it is often forgotten that the couturier is a master of sewing and cutting, that decisions are made depending on need, not formula. Sewing after all, is simply a series of seams, some straight, some curved. The crucial part is that the stitcher must become proficient at doing them."

Most practical sewing skills are available to learn in vintage sewing books and discussed in plain english - I've said it before and I'll say it again, reading a vintage sewing book is like sitting with your grandma and sewing together.

Back in January I posted some pages on how to make a bodice block. Here is the next few pages - how to make a simple bra from the bodice block.

Enjoy!

click to enlarge

Dragonfly Fabrics Giveaway!

2011-09-02T11:59:00.001+01:00

Ok dear readers, here's the news you've all been waiting for. The Dragonfly Fabrics giveaway post!

As I mentioned yesterday, Dragonfly Fabrics are a new internet shop and as such they are very interested to have some feedback about their site in order that they can effectively provide what you the customer would like to buy.

In exchange for this vital information they are giving away three gifts as follows:

1 Colette pattern of choice
5 half metres from Anna Maria Horner's collection of cosy flannels
3m dotty ribbon

**
1 Colette pattern of choice
3 x 3m dotty ribbons

**
1 Colette pattern of choice
3m dotty ribbon

Three prizes, three chances of winning!

Rules of the giveaway are:

1: Entries must be via the comments box on this blog post

2: Your entry must include some constructive feedback about the Dragonfly Fabrics Website and products offered

4: If you post a link to this giveaway on your own blog, and include a link in your entry as well as your feedback, you will have 2 entries. That's a double chance of winning this stupendously fabulous giveaway! Go on, share the love!

Entries will be drawn by random number generator next Friday 9 September.

Sponsors and Giveaways!

2011-09-01T17:40:00.001+01:00

I've been waiting for the right moment to tell you all that i'm now taking sponsors here at The House of Marmalade! You may have noticed a couple of new buttons and badges over there to the right. Yes! I have 2 lovely sponsors. Here is some information about what they do:

The Sewing Directory is the brain child of Fiona Pullen who launched it last March after realising that there was a gap in the market for a special on-line directory of sewing companies and services which are listed not only nationally, but regionally too.

The directory therefore covers internet businesses who can service customers where ever they live in the world, and also, sometimes more importantly, the local and regional businesses and groups who people always seem to be looking for but who otherwise would find it very difficult to find the right sort of exposure for what they do. The Directory therefore gives information on where to find sewing services, supplies, courses and much much more, whether you need them in your town, or online.

In addition to simply a list of businesses and groups, Fiona works very hard to make the site a valuable resource for all sewers and there are therefore lots of sewing and business related articles on site including interveiws, project information, reviews and tutorials. As if all that wasn't enough, The Sewing Directory has a vibrant and active Facebook page which in addition to linking to some great sewing blogs and other online articles and snippets of interest, gives notice of weekly competitions and giveaways. Oh yes, you'll also find them on Twitter too!

Dragonfly Fabrics are a new online store specialising in 'designer fabrics for dressmaking, crafts, patchwork and more". Of most interest to me personally is the lovely range of 'bio linen' that they have in stock, mostly in plain muted colours, but some with pretty designs which are absolutely perfect for summer dresses, tops, and skirts. Bio linens are so called because the linen fabric has been washed in a special bio-enzyme to make it softer than normal linen.

Loving the selection of baby cords!

There is a whole range of other fabric types from corduroy to voile, flannel, fleece, jean, jersey etc., as well designer ranges from 'famous' designers including Anna Maria Horner, Annette Tatum, David Walker, and Tilda to name but a few. The growing range of goods offered also includes ribbons, trimmings, magazines and patterns from Colette.

Some of the organic cottons on offer - lovely!

Tomorrow I shall tell you about the AMAZING giveaway that Dragonfly are having via The House of Marmalade. I think I can honestly say that it is the most generous giveaway I have seen for a while in Blogland, and I am hoping that most - if not all of my readers will think so too!

Jean fabric - I'm thinking Colette's new cigarette pants!

In the meantime, i'll give you a hint; Nip over to Dragonfly to do a little bit of window shopping in preparation for the big choose tomorrow!

Oh I do like a bit of suspense!!

All sorts of corset

2011-08-29T20:57:00.001+01:00

The things which struck me most about the Victorian and Edwardian corsets at Snibston, was their lightness, their diversity and the innovation of those who made them.

All of the corsets, how ever many bones or layers, were extremely lightweight. Many, though not all, were also very stiff keeping their hourglass shape in their boxes even when laid flat. This can probably be attributed to the manufacturing process where the finished corset would be strapped onto a copper dolly - like a dress form made of copper - pasted with cold starch and then heated via steam in the dolly. This heat process would dry the corset into it's final moulded shape. The thought of pasting one of my painstakingly made creations with cold starch makes me shudder!!!

Not all were stiff though and some would have to be laid flat or stretched out to see how their panels were shaped. This one above from 1911, has the most beautiful curved panels - there are 4 on each side which are gussetted at the bustline to accommodate the bust. The shaping of the bottom panel means that no gussets are required to accommodate the hips, while the very curved panel in the middle, seems to support, or anchor, the structure of the corset.

The Victorians are known for their innovation and corsets are no exception. Here is one with a slotted back system which is tightened by two straps which enclose the waist on the outside - the straps are pulled around the middle and fastened with a buckle to tighten the corset. This design therefore does not require eyelets or laces - the usual method of back adjustment for corsets of this period.

The corsets were given structure by a number of materials in combination or otherwise - there were flat steel bones, spiral steel bones, whalebone, cane and cording - all of these different materials, in various different widths, gave different levels of support. The bones - whatever they were made of, were extremely thin, lightweight and flexible.

These bones strapped to the back of one semi 'de-boned' corset, are made from thin cane with ends dipped in what looked like enamel paint. They are so thin they are almost cardboard like!

The cording on the corsets was so fine and delicate, but made rigid panels! It was made on special machines and then cut to shape. The 'cords' were made from a number of materials from something called Coraline which was made from specially woven vegetable fibres, to paper, to hemp twine.

The insides of the corsets were neat and tidy - no raw edges here. This is because all the seams were lapped, sometimes through several layers - a popular interlining was hessian. Whether they were interlined or not, most of the corsets were made of either cotton coutil, lasting, or sateen for the outer fabric, and cotton twill for the lining.

There was little mention of this lovely fan lacing on the museum card attached to this corset. Fan lacing was thought to add back support to the corset - it is tightened by a strap which buckles at the front.

There were a number of "tropical" or lightweight corsets on display proving that a very wide range of materials, techniques and designs were employed in corsetry. The corset above was a favourite with many in our group, but the one below, invoked the most 'surprise' because it is made of cotton lawn - a material which would seem far too flimsy to make a firm foundation.

There were many different types of busk fastener on display - straight, conical, spoon, and 'unidentified'! When the two piece front busk fastener was invented it revolutionised corset wearing for ladies because being able to fasten/unfasten it at the front prior to lacing, meant that they no longer needed help getting dressed in the morning.

Unlike our modern corsets today, the bones in Victorian corsets - metal or otherwise - were moulded into shape during the manufacturing process.

Last but not least, my very favourite corset style of the day was the deep plunge corset pictured at the top. There was an identical style in our display room which was so dilapidated, it was difficult to examine. Both examples are French and from the period between 1905-1910. It seems like an utter contradiction to suggest that both look remarkably modern, but they really do!

One day I will try to recreate it

In un-corset related news, stay tuned this week when I have an AMAZING giveaway to tell you about. It's from Dragonfly Fabrics - click the badge on my left hand side bar to have a guess at what they might be donating to your sewing cause.

All pictures (c) Leicestershire County Council Museums Service Symington Collection

Corsets as far as the eye could see

2011-08-25T10:32:00.000+01:00

All pics (c) Leicestershire County Council Museums Service Symington Collection

The past weekend was VERY exciting! I am a member of an online resource called Foundations Revealed (see the bar at the bottom of this page), a webzine for corset and underwear enthusiasts. Apart from lots of inspiring online articles, tutorials and advice, FR also arrange the odd "field trip" to museums in order that members can get 'up close and personal' not only with antique corsets, but also with other corset makers. There's nothing like discussing your passion face to face with another interested party.

X-Ray of a steel boned Victorian Corset

And so Saturday past I joined in with the latest field trip to Snibston Discovery Centre which is the home of - amongst other things - the magnificent and world renowned Symington Collection of Corsetry. Here, in a special room allocated to our group, we were allowed to examine, touch, photograph and take notes on a vast array of antique Victorian and Edwardian corsets laid out on tables just for us! Amazing! Talk about children being let loose in a sweetie shop - that's how we all felt!

There was also an Underwear Exhibition in the Fashion Gallery. If you live near the Midlands it's well worth a visit. Entry is free on Wednesday afternoons, and there apart from the vast collection of underwear through the ages on display, there are also some fantastic couture pieces from such luminaries as Dior, Westwood, Mugler, alongside historical pieces including this 1940's utility dress. The exhibition is set up to give an insight into how modern designers have been influenced by history and is one of the best fashion displays I have ever seen in any museum.

The fabric print here on this dress is scottie dogs and lamp posts!

I still have to jumble through my notes and pics from the day - there are so many! I also have yet to sit down with the fabulous book, Foundations of Fashion, by the vastly knowledgable Curator, Phillip Warren, who gave us a fantastic talk about the history of the collection - I am trying to find out where you would be able to buy this book outside of Snibston. Here in the meantime, are some links where pictures have already been uploaded.

Click HERE to go to the Foundations Revealed Flickr page full of pics from the day including pics from the underwear exhibition in the Fashion Gallery (free entry and on until May).

Click HERE to go to the Sew Curvy Corsetry Facebook Page which has lots of pictures and comments.

I intend to write much more about this, but today I have to get ready for my Introduction to Corsetry Workshop, taking place this weekend in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. There are still 2 places left if you would like to join in!

Old, Interesting, and Gorgeous

2011-08-17T13:26:00.000+01:00

The other week a friend of mine sent a parcel with the note "I saw these at a vintage market and thought they might be the sort of thing you would like" .. I opened the package and promptly burst into tears of joy and happiness! Look what was inside ...

Two 1950's bullet bras!! They are made from cotton and though constructed differently, have the same spiral stitching design on the cups. I thought you all might like to have a closer look ...

The first is by "Gordonia of Nottingham". Despite lots of interwebular searching, I can't find any information on this company except that they had offices in New York too.

I love the way that bullet bras are constructed. They seem so easy to replicate - all the parts are very simple, no stretchy powernet, no complicated stitches, no underwires, just cotton, elastic, and shaping.

This Gordonia bra has elastic under the cups at each side, which joins onto a cotton 'cradle' in the middle, and cotton 'wings' at either side which are also attached to the sides of the cups.

The side wings are the same shape and size on either side, but unlike modern bras, they do not meet in the middle. I am guessing that this particular bra was for a lady with a very wide back. As you can see, the working part of the strap is a long piece of wide elastic, which joins onto a cotton 'eye' tape with two adjustments. The hook section joins onto the other wing and is neatly sew in, whereas the eye side is zigzagged onto the elastic and frayed at top and bottom - this leads me to believe that hook and eye tape was not as neatly finished (if at all) as it is these days.

The inside of the bra cups are unfinished in that there is no lining to shield the breast from either the seams or the stitching - might be quite rough to wear! Interestingly from a construction point of view, the seams inside the cup seem to be lapped because there are no raw edges visible at all and they are not bound over. The construction of the cup is in three parts so there is a seam right across the middle, and then one going down to the cradle from the middle of each cup. The top section of the cup is one piece. The shaping comes from darts placed in these seams. Click HERE to read a post I wrote last year on the shaping of cups for a bullet bra inspired project.

The lower edge of the cup, on the inside, seams to be finished with cotton tape, and the top edge on the inside has a satin tape finishing the inside - the only 'luxury' apparent in this very 'everyday' bra.

The straps are attached at the front by a small piece of elastic sewn in between the cup and top binding into a loop which carries two metal rings through which the bra strap passes. These rings act as the method by which the straps are adjusted - the end is left loose (and unfinished!). At the back, the straps are sewn into the bra strap at the edge of the 'wings'.

The second bra, is made by "Exquisite Form" and is a '34C'. Although at first glance these bras look very alike, they are in fact quite different.

This one has the elastic in the middle of the cradle with a peepthrough hole above it, presumably by design but also to allow the a good stretch if needed. Again the cradle attaches each side to the wings, which are in turn attached to wide elastic at the back with a wide hook and eye tape. The hook and eye tape on this bra looks as if it is hand whipstitched.

The major difference with this bra is the cup design which is in 4 parts instead of three, so the seams form a 'cross' shape. On the inside, the seams are not flat felled or lapped as there are raw edges apparent, but the cup is lined with tulle netting - or bobinette. Presumably for comfort, but also perhaps to give the cups a little body.

Unlike the Gordonia bra, the bottom edges of the cup here are not bound with tape, nor are the side seams joining the cradle to the wings. The top and bottom edges are finished with narrow cotton tape. No luxury here but interestingly, the side seams do have a little strip of bobinette sewn over the top of them. Fiddly!

The straps on this bra join on by a similar method, but no elastic, just a strip of material the same as the straps, sewn into the top of the bra holding a square metal slider as the mode of adjustment for these straps. Again, the straps are sewn into the back of the bra.

Now the straps ... I just love how these have been made! The same on both bras and such a simple method.

this is the inside

this is the outside

A simple strip of cotton, folded either side and then folded again to meet in the middle, and topstitched down. That's it! The stitched side - ie the side where the edges join, is on the outside of the bra. Utalitarian and decorative all in one go. My favourite!

I can't imagine that these bras were anywhere near as comfortable or supportive as todays bras, especially for the bigger busted lady, but I think they are gorgeous and I am definitely going to try and replicate them at some point in the not too distant future, perhaps with some beautiful light silk and maybe even a little padding in the cups to enhance the spiral stitching - like these dress cups I made a while ago in a similar style (click link above for full post).

Retro style padded cups - unfinished - I grew out of the dress before I finished it! :(

Another month whizzes by

2011-08-08T18:15:00.000+01:00

I know you probably didn't notice, but I've been away again - my body in not so sunny Cornwall, but thanks to this wonderful book, my mind firmly in (very sunny) Mexico... sigh ... If only!

Now back I have a ton of stuff to do this month, my book cover is due, I have 7 keen beans signed up for my corsetry workshop at the end of the month, and work continues apace with the corset I am making up for the step by step instructions to be included in my corsetry book (the publication date of which has now been postponed to Spring). Here's a 'test' panel I made up to check my colour scheme and techniques. It's a shame you can't see the colour properly - a beautiful ballet shoe pink.

This fabric is faux silk - I thought it was silk when I bought it years ago, and subsequently discovered with the benefit of experience*, that it is actually polyester dupion which annoyed me somewhat as I paid a silk price for it, hey ho.. ANYWAY, the benefit is that it is shiny on one side and dull on the other which I have worked into my design. Every cloud has a silver lining.

To test if a fabric is synthetic or natural, take a lighter to it.
If the frayed edge burns slowly, then it's natural, if it melts and bubbles, it's synthetic.

It's not really clear here, but the body is dull, and the external bone casings are shiny

It's taking shape nicely and I am loving sewing with this colour.

Do you find that sewing certain colours makes you more or less enthusiastic about a project?

Unusual tools for sewing

2011-07-27T11:05:00.001+01:00

Have you laid a wooden or laminate floor lately? In which case - have you got some of these ....

I said BLOCK!

This is a "heavy duty knocking block" - sounds a bit risque doesn't it? I use it for weighting my patterns - like this...

tracing a corset block from a master pattern

I also use large washers to weigh down pattern pieces on fabric. You can get them from any hardware shop. Mine cost 5p each - i've got 20. They are indispensable. I'm going to make some heavy duty ones by glueing two washers together. I use the washers to hold the patterns in place, and then the knocking block to hold the pattern piece and the fabric in place while I cut it out with the rotary cutter.

When I use my washer weights, I feel like a croupier!

As for my indispensable sewing tools - the rotary cutter you see pictured, my graders set square which isn't pictured, and my lovely wonderful French curve. Sewing tools I just couldn't live without these days.

This is not the same as the Shoben Patternmaster which I have put firmly in the dustbin.

Competition results

2011-07-25T22:35:00.001+01:00

Well it was a hard job to decide the winner of the competition and there were so many entries and great ideas! In the end, I picked the most practical idea and the one which made me think "why didn't I think of that?" and still had me thinking about it a week later - often the most obvious answers are the ones which elude one's mind when faced with an urgent challenge!

The most popular suggestion by far was that I make or buy bags drawstring or tote, to put the corset kits into. Although this would be a favourite idea of mine, it is unfortunately too time consuming for me to make the number of bags I would need, and too expensive for me to buy the number of pretty bags I would have to buy to get a good price. I think these ideas are definately something I might explore in the future though.

Other people suggested ziplock pouches, pillow boxes, paper bags, fabric wrapping or plain brown paper with old fashioned string - all lovely ideas, but not quite in keeping with my original theme which was to provide something which resembled an old fashioned corset box with layers of tissue paper concealing the delight within. I know the assumption is that Victorian women perhaps thought of their corset like a prison, but I don't doubt that when they received a new one, fresh, crisp and, if I know the Victorians, prettily packaged, in that beautiful but utalitarian way which they were famous for, it must have felt like a treat in the same way that a present of prettily packaged fine underwear is to us today - whether we have bought it ourselves or otherwise. In my kits, I wanted to capture that feeling, even though you're not actually getting a complete, ready made garment.

And so the prize went to Aurora who said:

"I would use your original idea, just use the brown box instead of black and substitute teal everywhere you have pink. I think brown and teal is a gorgeous, vintage-y color palate"

She's right! I was so entrenched with my pink and black packaging, that I never considered adding teal to the colour mix, even though this colour does infact appear in my logo and branding - the little birdies!

I will be introducing this new packaging over the next few weeks!

Thank you so much to everyone for entering the competition and supporting me with you ideas (and links) - all of which were brilliant!

My first commission - Done!

2011-07-14T17:36:00.000+01:00

There has been blood, there has been sweat, there have been tears, there has been swearing, and sobbing and also hystericaly euphorical moments, all of which have contributed to the completion of my first ever paid commission ...

It's been a very very steep learning curve. Even though I have made lots of corsets and been studying the subject for years, I have learned more than I could ever have imagined by doing this, and I have made some wonderful corset making friends along the way, some of whom I'll be meeting on 20 August at the Foundations Revealed field trip to the Symington Collection of Corsets. Details here.

Luckily today was a beautiful sunny day and so I took her outside for a photo shoot.

Now all I need to do is think of a name for my 'label' ... Any ideas? Anyone?

Competition time!

2011-07-12T11:00:00.000+01:00

Oh no! It seems that I am unable to purchase my signature black boxes which I pack my corset kits in. Apparently it has become impossible for manufacturers to purchase black board economically, and as my boxes are thoroughly eco friendly (no plastic coating or other un-biodegradable nasties) I am unwilling to source a more 'shiny' alternative. I can get the same box in brown or white, but they seem a bit boring to me, and they don't go with pink ribbons so well!

SO, we're having a little competition, and here is the prize:

It is the new (ish) book by Velda Lauder, Corsets: A Modern Girls Guide.. It's a lovely little handbag sized book all about corsets, but most specifically, those delicious creations by one of the UK's leading corsetiers Velda Lauder. It was her corsets which inspired me to start making them for myself, and now for other people.

Inside, there are sumptuous pictures and the information starts in the historical beginnings of corsetry right up to 'modern' corsetry against backdrops of high fashion, couture, burlesque, and fetish. Is right up to the minute - including details from London Fashion Week 2010.

There are pictures and words about other famous designers, their corsets, and their clients - here's one of Kylie Minogue in a space age style silver corset by Jean Paul Gaultier.

So! Get your thinking caps on people. This book will be sent to the person who can think of the best alternative idea on how to package my very popular corset kits. Here are the rules:

I need to be able to package my corset kits in a way that makes people feel 'special' when they receive it. A gift for themselves or a gift for someone else. My current package includes the black box, pink ribbons and pink tissue. In other words, if you were to buy a corset kit containing all parts required to make a corset, how would you like it to be presented?

The packaging needs to be pretty, light weight, inexpensive and eco-friendly - all parts need to be either biodegradable, recyclable, or re-usable. It need not be a box, but I do not want to use plastic and I need to be able to use my labels so that people know what they're getting.

Competition is open to anyone where ever you are! The best / most original idea will win.

Closing date is Friday 22 July. Enter as many times as you like, using the competition form on my website here: Sew Curvy Corsetry: Competition

Please spread the word! The more entries the better.

Been and gone ..

2011-07-11T17:29:00.000+01:00

I've been away! Not that you'd probably notice ... I've been to north east Italy to see my friend who I refer to here as 'The Italian Connection'. She's not Italian, just lives there, and we've been best friends for 22 years this September! We had a perfectly girly (or girlily perfect?) 4 days filled with peace and quiet, husbandless solitude, lots of chatting, eating, more chatting, more eating and general flopping about in the sun ... absolute bliss.

I must have needed the break! It's been non stop frenzy at Sew Curvy HQ ever since I returned on Friday, but in a good, refreshed way. Not only did I wrap up a large backlog of a orders, I also changed around my sewing room so that it now resembles a proper studio. I'm VERY pleased with the results. Mr Marmalade made some 'stilts' for my regular table making into a perfect cutting table, and we moved an armoir downstairs where it is more useful. He also constructed a 'bone holder' for all the different sized corset bones I have to keep organised. I now have a useful, workable area for sewing, design and admin.

Here's the 'design and making' side - can you see the stilts on the table?:

Here's the 'sewing and admin' side:

I even managed to utilise some CD shelves which would otherwise have been passed on for recycling elsewhere - now that we all have ipods, there is no need for CD's to sit around collecting dust (we don't even have a CD player in the house). Ideal for storing rolls of ribbon, tape, threads etc for my shop.

So it's been all go, but now thanks to long luxurious evening drinks on an Italian patio, I am itching like mad! We were right in the sticks there and I was practically eaten alive! Luckily, my friend Jane has posted a timely tutorial on her blog The Soap Teacher, giving instructions on how to make an antiseptic balm which takes the sting away from bites. A summer essential for anyone I think!

Corsetry for Beginners

2011-07-04T00:03:00.000+01:00

Finally, a year after the first corsetry course I did last year at Darn it and Stitch in Oxford, I have organised another 2 day workshop for corsetry beginners.

This time it's in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, and you can read all the gory details over at my website

Sew Curvy Corsetry.

Corset progress

2011-06-28T13:22:00.004+01:00

I've been ensconsed with a wedding corset. Got to finish it by the end of the week as I'm going off to Italy next week for a few days.

The bride to be has given me gold dupion to work with, and I couldn't help being a bit 'traditional' by using a blue lining ..

The fabric cuttings looked so gorgeous all piled together on the 'cutting room floor' that I couldn't resist taking a quick pic.

There are just over 40 pieces to sew together - the outer layer of dupion silk, the strength layer which is 100% cotton coutil, and the lining. There are 6 panels on each side, and two straps. The dupion silk is flatlined to the coutil and treated as one layer for assembly.

My favourite part is watching the shape happen as I sew, and I feel quite narcissistic staring at my lovely top stitching! In my younger day, though I always had ambition to sew, I never ever imagined that I would be able to make a lovely straight line like this, and so they do give me much pleasure!

The fabric is absolutely gorgeous in real life, I can't get a photo to do it justice. But it's coming together rather well. Hopefully I'll be able to post a pic of the finished item before I go off to Italy next week.

Are you on Pinterest?

2011-06-16T10:55:00.002+01:00

I am! and I LOVE IT!

Click the pic to see my boards

Hello!

2011-06-14T18:00:00.001+01:00

First of all a huge Hello to all my new followers! Thanks for sticking around. I havent been very good at blogging lately, just while I get used to my new routine and finishing my book off. I do hope to post more regularly, as I have lots of personal as well as professional projects in the pipeline.

One thing i'd like to do before summer is out, is make a couple of new outfits for my holidays coming up - fingers crossed that Old Father Time, allows it .. oh and just incase you're wondering, I do have a couple of updates on 'my future wardrobe' (eyes left) ..

a block i'm working on for me .. subject of a future post on petite sizing
where due to height, the back is shorter than average but the bust is larger than average!!

The other thing which I have been pretty consumed with ofcourse, is my bride for whom I am making a corset. It's an underwear corset which she would like to wear in the future as outer wear. ie: She's wearing it under her wedding dress, but rather than have it too plain and underwear-like, she is having it made from a lovely gold silk which can be embellished further at a later date - after the wedding. To cut down on bulk it will be a single layer with loose cotton lining so that it will be light and comfortable next to her skin. We had a third and final toile fitting yesterday so I am good to go with the real thing, and my bride has kindly given me permission to post here, so expect an update or two on her corset production.

a corset toile
same pattern and size, different style options on each side.

Wedding corsetry has therefore been topmost in my mind of late, and in those of other corsetiers, it being the season, and I was going to do a little post about it, but one of my online corsetmaking friends has beaten me to it and frankly, her post is better than mine ever would have been!

as waif-like as she was, Audrey's gowns often included a corsolette foundation

Glasgow based Alison of Crikey Aphrodite!, has written a very concise article on her blog, which covers everything you need to know about bridal corsetry, whether you're thinking of wearing a corset under your dress for some extra structure or whether you're going for that 1950's super cinched look 'a'la Audrey Hepburn in the film Funny Face.

Click here to see: Corsets for Brides.

How to use spiral wire boning

2011-06-06T21:38:00.001+01:00

There has been much talk of and use of spiral wire boning in blogland of late, so I thought i'd write a little bit about it.

Spiral wire boning is used in corsets and in couture garments for strong boning support. It is made of steel which has been formed into a continuous spring which has then been flattened. Because spiral wire boning is a flattened spring, it is extremely flexible and can bend horizontally and vertically (backwards, forwards and sideways), making it perfect for boning over and around curves.

The curvy bone channel goes from side to side as well as up and over

In couture garments, it is used in conjunction with 2 layers of tulle or bobbinet which is a very fine and very strong netting material which when layered together, has no stretch but provides a fine, non bulky foundation for a gown.

a corset looks like a skeleton when held to the light

In corsetry, sprial wire boning is used in conjunction with coutil fabric and often in partnership with flat sprung steel bones which are not as flexible and therefore useful when a firmer, straighter support is required. Both types of steel boning were invented during the Victorian age and used instead of whalebone because it was cheaper and easier.

Spiral wire boning comes in various different widths, from 4mm-15mm, and various different thicknesses making it possible to 'mix and match' your boning to achieve whichever level of support is required for any particular project. For instance, you may only need a light 5mm wire to bone a net bodice, but you may need a more robust 7-10mm wire to bone a multi-layer corset for tightlacing. With all boning, there is flexibility!

All types of boning, whether steel or plastic, comes either in pre-cut lengths or in continuous reels. It is more economical and much more efficient to buy your steel in a roll and cut it yourself but many people are put off by the supposed requirement for 'brute force' with which to cut it.

Do not fear!

Spiral wire boning is easy peasy to cut and tip.

Here is a tutorial to show you how.

To cut and tip spiral wire, you need a pair of wire cutters, and two pairs of pliers, one of which must have flat edges.

my flat pliers are out of shot!

To cut the boning, you need only snip either side of the wire. When you have snipped the wire either side of the spring, it will come apart naturally.

Trim any pokeyouty bits with your wire cutters and then apply a metal end cap and push it on so that it feels quite secure.

Now this is the fiddly part - using both pairs of pliers, you need to squish the end cap onto the wire simultaneously from either side and top and bottom. Like this:

kindly modelled by Mr Marmalade

Now you have a tip which is compressed onto the end of your wire

BUT ... sometimes, if you make a mistake after inserting the bone into a channel and you need to pull the bone out, the cap can come off in the channel leaving you with a nasty conundrum. To counter this, I use plumbers tape. It's cheap as chips and less messy than glue. You just wrap a bit on the join between wire and cap, and this holds it all together perfectly and makes it all a bit smoother.

Easy when you know how!

Drawings and happenings ..

2011-05-31T21:21:00.000+01:00

My book is due this month so I'm working very hard to tie up all the loose odds and ends, bring it all together chapter by chapter, zip the files up and send them to my Publisher. It's hard work and all consuming but no pain no gain !

One of the difficulties is pictures. Where do I get nice corsetty pictures for my book, without infringing any copyrights, or having to pay through the nose? Well .. most of the book is tutorial, which means photos and video taken as I go. The intro chapters, and the bits where I talk about corsetry through the ages, are a little more challenging, but for this I have found a few copyright free images, and the rest, I have drawn myself using a nifty piece of software called Artrage. I love it because it's much more like proper drawing than other arty packages such as Illustrator and Photoshop but it still uses similar technologies such as layers. Here's one I 'drew' earlier to illustrate the archetypal Victorian corset shape - small waist, rounded bust and hips:

I have also been in touch with a local museum to see if they would let me photograph some of their items. They said yes, and waived a large part of their copyright fee, but more excitingly, they put me in touch with a lady who has a private family collection. I went to see her last week, and though I can't show you what she showed me - because I haven't got any pics - I can tell you that I spent an entire afternoon with her, clutching the most exquisitely carved and polished 1795 stay busk which would have been slotted into the front of a pair of stays a little like this:

source

.... and examining a huge huge pile (and I mean a mountainous pile) of beautiful Victorian and Edwardian underwear and dresses which had belonged to her grandmother! Not only that, but the lady was able to show me pictures of her ancestors, wearing the very clothes I was looking at! It was a surreal afternoon I can tell you, and extremely enjoyable.

A new Girl

2011-05-05T09:00:00.003+01:00

Well you know how I am with my vintage sewing machines, I had five, now I have SIX - with one in between who has been re-housed due to unsuitability - she was too young and noisy for this house.

Hilda: Inherited from the lady next door who sadly died, now in the hands of charity

My newest girl was born in 1948 in Scotland, is a Singer 201k like one of my others, but older. I bought her infact, because she was nestled in a pretty oak table which folded down to a flat top which I thought would be usefull if I wanted to use another sewing machine instead of my main one ... The ebay listing showed this lovely table - exactly what I wanted, with what looked like a pretty grotty machine on the top.

original ebay listing picture

She was a dirty machine indeed .. but underneath all the grime, was an absolute GEM! Unfortunately, the table was rubbish :( The treadle base which you cant see in the ebay picture, had been cut off, leaving the table wobbly and unstable - unsuitable for such a heavy machine as the 201k.

The iron treadle base has been cut out of the oak table

However, I cleaned up Martha, as she has been named, and now I have a sparkling spanking gorgeous 201k machine to be used as a backup for my main one.

All shiney and new

See the whole story over at my Flickr stream

The point of this post is to tell you about another site I have found which deals with restoration and maintenance of old machines. It's from the very worthwhile charity "Tools for Self Reliance" which sends out hundreds of vintage machines to the third world every year. They publish a guide on how to overhaul a machine ready for use by people in Africa who need to make their own living by sewing. So this site is useful if you have machines you want to use or machines you acquire and don't know what to do with and would like them to go to a good cause. Personally, with 6 vintage machines that I use every day, I cant afford the servicing bills, so this site is very handy for me as I am now a self sufficient machine mechanic, and if I decide ever to give any of my machines away, then this is where they will go.

Click here to see the manuals :

Tools for Self Reliance

Hello ..? Is anybody there?

2011-05-03T11:30:00.001+01:00

What a month! I haven't stopped! Here's a quick rundown...

Did I mention that the day I left my day job, I received my first signed client contract? A lovely bride who is getting married in July and who wants a full over bust corset, with straps, to be worn under her vintage 1970's wedding dress. I spent the first week or so of my 'freedom' working on the design for her corset and then making up a toile for her. In the following weeks, the toile was fitted. Now I am working on a second toile just to get the shape, fit and style absolutely perfect before I start work on the real thing.

My client has very kindly given me permission to publish these. Here are the front side and back views of her first toile.

I've also been furiously working on my Corset e-Book which is due for submission to the Publisher in June! Argh! I have written all the technical bits, and now i'm ploughing ahead with the practical bits.

For illustrating various techniques in corsetry, I have decided to make up a historical corset from Jill Salen's book, "Corsets". The reason for this is because by making up a genuine Victorian corset pattern from a book, readers will learn several things, namely:

how to scale up a pattern from a historical source or book such as this
how to construct a basic two layer Victorian corset from start to finish
how to make the corset so that it has a smooth outside and inside
how to make and apply external boning chanels
how to fortify the corset using steel bones, fabrics and other techniques such as cording
how to embellish the finished corset with trim and with decorative embroidery.

Here is a picture of the historical corset from the book that I have chosen to model this work upon:

ALSO going on in the House of Marmalade, is ofcourse my ever growing business, Sew Curvy Corsetry which I have been developing and expanding. There are just not enough hours in the day! Most of my work with Sew Curvy over the last month, apart from sending out orders every day, has been involved with getting Custom Corset Patterns up on the site, and finding out how to make and send a decent HTML newsletter to customers who have signed up to receive news, updates and special offers.

Custom patterning was an idea I had a while ago, but drawing all the pictures and diagrams and instructions, ready to be uploaded onto the site, not to mention creating the special measurement form, is what has taken the time. But it's up there now! Basically, there are 6 different shapes to choose from, you fill in a form with some key measurements, and I draw a custom corset pattern based on your personal size. To my knowledge, nobody else in the UK offers this service and it has already proved to be very popular! I have received orders from as far and wide as California and Saudi Arabia! Very exciting. Click over to the Custom Corset Pattern section of my website to investigate further.

My first Sew Curvy Newsletter, "News from the Corset Front", went out mid-April after I had discovered a marvellous programme called MailChimp which lets users customise ready made templates, upload pics and link to social networks all for free! If you are a small business who would like to start a newsletter feature, then I recommend it, it's brilliant. If you'd like to sign up for my newsletter, click HERE.

If you managed to click through to the newsletter, you will see that I'm about to upload to the website things for making bras! This includes patterns, elastics, and findings. I am busy sourcing some pretty bra fabrics to use for this, along with all sorts of other what have yous to add to the site.

AND as if all that weren't enough to keep a whirling dirvish occupied for every second of every day, there has also been the garden - I am compelled to grow our own veg as some of you will know, and have been doing so with a vengeance - I am trying to keep my other blog updated with progress in the allotment, but have so far, failed miserably.

There has ofcourse been lots of lovely weather to enjoy and other excitement such as a trip to London with my very best friend in the whole world who lives in Italy, and thankfully, a few bank holidays, so relaxing in secluded spots by the Thames, found on bike rides in the country with Mr Marmalade, hasn't been totally off the agenda, otherwise my head might explode, but hopefully now, i've caught up with everything, and will post a little more regularly than once a month!

New new beginnings..

2011-03-25T13:47:00.000Z

Old desk complete with big Mac and Dalek

This week I left my day job. I enjoyed the last two years, it could be said that it's the best job - or at least the best boss - I ever had, and it was very sad to leave him and my lovely collegues some of whom were into sewing!. Can you see the pile of books over on the far side of the desk? They were my leaving pressie, 3 beautiful corsetry books, and also the Dita von Teese "Art of Burlesque" book. Lots of inspiration in there!

Last time I left a day job was 4 years ago when I had what I thought was a perfect job - the job I always wanted, but unfortunately, it transpired, it came with the worst boss in the world. Avery nasty piece of work, universally despised by all who meet her, but in a position of power and after 4 years of being bullied by her to the point where she made it impossible for me to do my job, I was unable to work, physically or mentally, and it took a long time for me to recover... I am not sure if I am fully recovered even now!

New desk!

Happily, things are VERY different this time round and very very exciting! I have a whole new purpose and direction, everything seems to have fallen right into place as if it was all meant to be, and when I returned home from my last day at 'work', I received my first signed client contract and deposit - so I know it's REAL! My client is a bride, and I am ridiculously excited to be working with her.

New work mate. Good company, doesn't say alot

So.... It's full steam ahead with Sew Curvy for which I have big plans, book writing and corset making ... with lots of sowing and growing in my spare time.

I feel like it's going to be a good summer.

High waisted pencil skirt pattern

2011-03-17T18:28:00.003Z

Right .. so you've done your swotting and you're up to speed with how to make a skirt block, and how to then customise that into a pencil skirt shape like this ....

Click pics to make them big

Making it into a high waisted 'retro' style skirt from this point, couldn't be easier ... Here's one I made earlier..

High waisted panel skirt with vintage buckle

and another ...

High waisted plain pencil skirt with darts and integral belt

To begin with, simply determine how high up you want your skirt to go, and measure around that section of your torso.

On your master pattern, draw straight up from the waist, and then remove the difference between what that measures on paper, and your measurement, plus about 2cm for ease. Take the excess out at the darts, extending them upwards to the top of your skirt like so:

At this point, you might want to make it a panel skirt, in which case, simply extend your darts to the bottom of the skirt - this will make a number of pattern pieces that are sewn together separately instead of sewing in darts.

Shape the top of the skirt, I like mine to slope downwards towards the back and be a little bit pointy in the front, but you can draw whatever shape you like, just play around, have some Blue Peter moments.

When you've finalised your shape, it's time to trace it off as a pattern, adding seam allowances all around. Decide where you want the opening of the skirt to be - back or side and include that within your pattern. You also need to include either one back vent if your skirt is back closing, or a couple of side vents if your skirt zips at the side - these are little design details which depend on how you want your finished skirt to look and are entirely up to you - just draw them where you want them, but make sure you include marks, and seam allowances.

The pattern should look something like this complete with balance marks, reference points and grain lines. You can either make a facing as described in my original pencil skirt post, or you can make a waistband. It depends how you are going to line and finish your skirt.

The way I lined my latest skirt required a waistband which I didn't account for when making the pattern and so a certain amount of improvisation was required. This is what I should have done:

Draw the waistband in where you want it no less than an inch thick (plus seam allowances),

Separate the waistband from the rest of the skirt - now you have 4 pattern pieces instead of 2. Trace off the waistband pieces with tracing paper

Then in the same way you made the facing for the pencil skirt, fold out the darts in your tracing paper making 2 separate curved peices, like so...

Trace all of the separate pattern pieces off marking grainlines as you go - as above, and then add your seam allowances notches and balance marks so that you don't forget how it all goes together.

You might also want to add other details like integral belts and buckles which can be sewn in at the side seams, but you must mark the pattern appropriately in order to get an accurate result.

little belt added to panel skirt attached at the side panels and joined with a vintage buckle.

integral belt added at the side seams

Any questions ?

Soap Making

2011-03-10T12:48:00.002Z

I know I know! don't look at me like that .. i'm trying to get the next skirt tutorial together but in the meantime, i've had to make some soap.

When you use handmade cold pressed soap, made with natural oils and without the goodness taken out, it is very very very hard to go back to using shop bought commercial soap.

Infact, it's impossible.

Not least because it's almost impossible to find soap which hasn't been made with palm oil in the supermarket but also because commercial soap is so drying and so harsh. One's skin notices the difference immediately.

I've been making my own for about 2 years and after successfully keeping myself in soap for all that time, I ran out a few weeks ago and haven't had time to make more in months. I had to buy 'handwash'! Oh how dry my skin is! How my hands hurt :(

So today, I am making soap. And LOTS of it!

Next week, I shall make more.

If you want to know how to make soap - and other natural bodycare products, then read this new fantastic blog called

THE SOAP TEACHER.

It is written by a lady who is a very big noise in the soap world. Last year, she went on a soaping mission to Nigeria to teach women how to make soap in order that they could make a living. This year, she is doing something similar in Spain.

She is my friend, and she taught me how to do it! I'm just about to try the Castille Soap recipe, using nothing but olive oil (from Sainsburys), water, and caustic soda (from the local hardware shop).

Honestly, it's easy when you know how, why don't you give it a whirl?

Future plans and skirt revision

2011-02-28T10:32:00.000Z

Thank you all so much for the lovely and kind comments on my last post, all very much appreciated and gratefully received. It is indeed extremely exciting, not least because i've spent the last 40 years wondering just what it is that I would like to do ... and now I know! Hurray! I wish it hadn't taken quite so long, but I do beleive in fate and the fact that everything has it's time and place, and even pace .. I am feeling very positive and I'm also looking forward to more blogging time!

I'm continuing with my skirt making 'series' which never got past the pencil stage last year! Never fear that I have forgotton though, because I have now drawn the diagrams for my high waisted pencil skirt, with belt attachment and with lining based on a technique I found in Threads magazine. If you want to make your own skirts, here are my first three tutorials on how to get to the pencil skirt stage:

Skirt block - part 1, measuring and drawing the block

Skirt block - part 2, shaping the block with darts

Skirt block - part 3, making a plain pencil skirt from the block

I hope to post the next tutorial this week sometime so watch this space!

Did I say Exciting?

2011-02-23T16:44:00.002Z

I have resigned from the day job .. HURRAH!!!!

I have decided to focus 100% on Sew Curvy

I have new supplies for the shop and big expansion plans!

and ...

I am going to start making corsets for a living.

I am going to become a full time corsetiere!

Isn't it exciting?!

I have spent years consternating over suitable names for such a business, and suddenly, the other day I settled on one I'd never thought of before and quickly bought up the domains.

I have so many ideas my head is BURSTING!

I am learning Dreamweaver in the final weeks of the day job and so should be able to build and manage my own websites which in itself is an exciting design project.

seeds have been planted

On the home front, the greenhouse and all the pots have been cleaned and de-cobwebbed, the compost is ready, the seeds have been bought (from The Real Seed Catalogue), the windowsills are laden with pots, and my chickens are laying again!

Everything is so exciting!!

Plans and delays

2011-02-14T21:45:00.000Z

Thank you all for the very constructive and helpful comments left on my last post about what to put in the book. I can safely say that most of those topics will be covered! Watch this space!

The last few weeks have been quite hard work. One new year's resolution has turned a complete 180 degrees and so i'm pointing in completely the opposite direction to the course I had planned for the year, but this is a very good thing. There are major plans afoot - clue in the picture above, and I will keep you posted as I can.

I wanted to mention comments. It's not that i'm a rude person or a bad blogger - at least I try not to be, but I don't always get time to answer comments at the moment. This should improve alongside the aforementioned 'plans' but for now, my day job is exhausting me and hence so little posting. It will get better I promise, but in the meantime, I plan to reply to as many comments as possible via the comments box.

The other problem with comments is that I noticed that Blogger has decided to keep some back! I had comments from October waiting to be "approved", much to my horror! And so to all the people who thought I had ignored them - sorry! I didn't realise. All comments are now safely approved and regularly checked. I really am grateful for all feedback, so thank you all! Please do keep visitng and commenting... It would be nice to meet some of you lurkers!

Talk to me!

2011-02-07T20:03:00.000Z

This is what i'm working on at the moment. Not a corset but a set of techniques.

If I told you the techniques i'm working on now, i'd have to kill you.

I'm particularly pleased with the way the front panels line up quite perfectly

And i'm extra pleased at the way the lining - a soft cotton sateen - has turned out. This is a three layer corset, made from 2 layers of coutil and a floating lining.

As you know, I'm writing a beginners guide to corsetry for Rainbow Disks. It will be published in the autumn, in time for Christmas and I want it to be THE corset book to get.

Tell me ... If you were making a corset for the first time ever, what do you think you would like to know?

Pencil Skirts

2011-02-03T14:32:00.001Z

I've been making pencil skirts with different features. Both are high waisted because I find these comfortable - and they happen to be fashionable now. Both are winter skirts - heavyweight and lined, both are boot and shoe friendly.

This one is made from greenish cord with 6 panels, pockets and a top bodice section.

This one is made from a wool mix fabric with an attached belt which makes the figure look super curvy. The buckle came from a charity shop belt which I bought for 50p.

Charity shops - fabulous source for notions which are expensive new.

This skirt used a new lining technique which can be found in issue 150 of Threads if you have it.

I'll be demonstrating in the near future, how to make both of these skirt patterns expanding on

THIS TUTORIAL

How to make a custom bodice block

2011-01-28T09:00:00.010Z

I've been meaning to post these pages from my "Odhams Encyclopeadia of Needlecraft" for ages. It was published sometime in 1954 so there are no copyright issues now.

I LOVE to look through it as much for the language used, as the techinques described.

Here then, is an illustrated method of making your own custom body block (sloper). I hope to be able to go through some basic manipulation principles with you which will show you how to change the position of darts for fit and style at various points throughout the year, and also, this book includes patterns for lots of lovely garments, based on these blocks, including a bra pattern.

Making your own dress block and then understanding how it relates to all other patterns is a brilliant way to understand how clothes are designed and constructed, it will help (as it did me) no end with commercial patterns too - this is basically the mechanism by which all patterns work.

These pages are all very self explanatory, click on the pics to make them larger - I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do!

Restoring a Vintage Sewing Machine.

2011-01-25T17:31:00.002Z

Have you ever looked at an old vintage sewing machine which is perhaps a bit rusty and thought "ooh I'd love that, if I had time to clean it up" - imagining that it might take a team of magic pixies and a whole year's worth of elbow grease to do..?

Well .. Here's how you can do it without the pixies and only a weekend's worth of low grade elbow grease. With just a few household 'substances' you can have a very old, very beautiful machine working as well as it was the day it left the factory. So without further ado, heres is

Mrs Marmalade's definitive guide to Vintage Sewing Machine Maintenance and Restoration!

You've all met Wilma before .. she's 120 years old and has for the last 22 years, lived in my loft. She was in a bad state when I rescued her from Oxfam but deteriorated a little more over the years. I thought her sewing days were over.

Poor Wilma has a yellowed bed and rusty parts but she is still young inside, all her bits work as they should. After surfing around a few sites looking for info about machine maintenance, I figured I could try to restore Wilma.

The 'traditional' method seems to be by soaking the entire machine in Kerosene and then scrubbing and rubbing the thing clean and then lots of polishing preferably with a Dremel.

Well I don't have a Dremel, and Mr Marmalade won't have Kerosene anywhere near the place - it is ridiculously dangerous - much more flammable than petrol, it stinks, it is messy ..yuk yuk..

So instead of Kerosene, this is what I used - I bet you have the same stuff in your cupboards:

Here we have, a can of coke (most important), car polish, metal polish, dusters, wire wool and, not pictured, a toothbrush, some Barkeepers Friend and a camera.

First of all make sure you take plenty of 'before' shots, both distant and close up - you really wont believe your eyes and you wont remember how 'bad' she was before.

Keep taking pictures as you dismantle your machine, lots of pictures, make labels of all your bits, and take pictures of said bits, on the labels.

If there are multiple parts which fit together, take a picture of the thing before you dismantle it, take pictures as you dismantle it, and take a picture of the parts in the order they should be put back when dismantled - you can never take too many pictures.

If your metal bits are rusty, take most of the rust off by rubbing the part with some grade 00 wire wool - dry. It will come off quite easily. If the rust is stubborn, add a bit of WD40. If there are screws that you can't undo, use WD40 to loosen them.

I couldn't get this part off so I just polished it up with wire wool and Peek

Take off the face plate and the back plate and clean the insides as well as possible with a duster/toothbrush/dry paint brush/air can - don't get the insides wet. If there is alot of gunk in there, use WD40 to loosen and clean it.

Don't forget the underside - give it a good old clean with a dry cloth and some WD40 if necessary. The most important thing is to never get the insides wet with water as this will cause rust in unreachable places.

When you were little did you ever do the coke and penny experiment? Put a dirty penny in coke over night and the next morning it is shiny and new?

A similar principle applies to your metal sewing machine parts - when they are as de-rusted as possible, soak them in the coke overnight. Do not soak painted parts in coke! Only metal. *Please note, only soak your metal parts if all there is no chrome present!! Obviously Wilma started off life with chromed parts but after 120 years there is no chrome left so these parts are back to the bare metal.

While they are soaking you can get on with the body. I scrubbed Wilma on the outside with washing up liquid and a toothbrush, and rinsed her with a damp cloth - this wont get all the dirt off but it will shift most of it. If you have really really stubborn dirt, use a 'bug remover' for cars - available in car part shops or Halfords. If you are in doubt about what you use to clean the body, test a little area first, at best, you may silver the decals, and at worst you may rub them off or dissolve them! Car cleaning products are generally 'kind' to sewing machines. You may end up with patches on the machine which look a little brown - don't worry about them.

When you have washed and dried the body, and have dusted and de-gunked the insides, give the machine a liberal dose of sewing machine oil on all the moving parts and turn the wheel so that the oil gets in all the nooks and crannies. Oil some more.

On the outside, you can polish the body using T-cut, this will do four things 1. remove deeply ground in grime which can't be budged by soap alone, 2) restore the blackness in the colour, 3) give a lovely shine and 4) ...

Even if by chance you have accidentally scratched your paintwork with wire wool, T-cut will make them good. It's like a miracle!!

these have just been removed from the coke .. as you can see they still look dirty, but the dirt is really loose now and scrubs off easily

The next day, when your metal parts have soaked in coke, take them out one by one and deal with them by scrubbing again with wire wool to remove the now loose dirt, then apply a little Barkeepers friend. This finishes off the job of the coke, removes really awkward stains and adds a little bit of shine. Rinse whilst still 'polishing' with the wire wool under running water.

Dry the parts and polish with Peek or Brasso (I prefer Peek). The metal polish buffs up the metal but also adds a protective coating which will give the metal parts a new lease of life and protect them from immediate rust attack.

You might discover some hidden gems ...

Reassemble your sewing machine bit by bit as you polish your metal parts. This is where your photos will come in handy - even though it hasn't been long since you dismantled, you will be surprised at how quickly you might forget which screw goes where!

When done, stand back and admire your work!

There are many more pictures over at my Flickr Stream right HERE.

Womens' Sizing - Multiple guess?

2011-01-21T14:22:00.001Z

I wrote an article on here a while ago which covered the topic of Anthropometrics, and i'm damned if I can find it now, but I am inspired to revisit the subject after listening to an article on Womens Hour BBC R4 yesterday with Gemma Seager, fellow blogger at "Retrochick" and a chap called Ed Gribbin, president of Alvanon, a company which advises clothes retailers on size and shape of people.

Anthropometrics, the study of human measurement, is obviously a topic of great interest to the fashion trade and anybody else who uses or cuts dress patterns and makes clothes. I find it absolutely fascinating! The subject covers amongst other things, human proportion and therefore clothes measurements .. ie: a human head will fit into a human leg about 7 times (fashion models who embody the 'ideal' standard of human perfection are known in the trade as "8 headers" because they have extra long legs!), the distance from waist to upper upper hip is 10cm and from waist to lower hip is 20cm, the bust typically has an 8cm radius etc.,

Though the study of anthropometrics has existed for centuries, Standard sizing in the clothing industry was only 'discovered' by the Guild of Military Tailors during WW2 when they noticed a certain 'uniformity' in the clothes they were making for male and female soldiers and military personnel. The 'standard' sizing in use today as the model for all other sizing charts, is still based on those dimensions from the 40's when women, men and children were a very different shape and size to their counterparts today.

Many high street clothing brands make up their own 'standard' sizing building clothes which conform to a certain body shape and a certain demographic - a teenage size 12 is not going to be the same as an elderly size 12, or a middle age size 12. The trouble is (apparently) that clothes brands don't find it important to mention which demographic they are aiming for and so clothes shopping for the average woman can turn into a black pit of pain, panic and horror after the first three changing rooms!

In practice, for me as a typically 'curvy' female who's shape has not altered that much over the last 20 years (notwithstanding the recent middleaged spread), this means that if I shop in Next and M&S - aimed at the post 20's-middle age market, I know I'm a size 8 in bottoms and a size 12-14 in tops, but in Jane Norman - a shop aimed at the teenage and early 20's market, I am a size 14 in everything. I can therefore go into any of those shops, pick something up without trying it on, and know that it will fit.

On the other side of the coin, I know that Levi jeans never fit because their target demographic is 'twig' - it's taken me 20 years to deduce that fact. Similarly, Karen Millen and Coast (owned by the same company) only make clothes for tiny flat chested pixies - deduction time = 5 minutes.

The same goes for more 'intimate' apparel. I know that the Bravissimo style of bra sizing suits me. I also know that bras sold by other retailers who conform to that method of sizing, will fit me, and I know who they are. M&S underwear makes me look like an ugly pink overflowing sausage whatever size I choose.

Confusion continues to reign at home when I am making my own clothes, in modern dress patterns I am a size 12, in vintage dress patterns, a size 18.

In short, womens sizing is like womens hormones .. All over the place! You have to know how to deal with them in order to avoid a life of despair!

So it was with interest I listend to Womens Hour on Radio 4 yesterday to hear talk of a proposed new system of standard sizing for the high street based on modern womens size AND SHAPE. Actually Queen Bravissimo thought of that first - here is the Bravissimo sizing chart:

I personally think that the woman behind Bravissimo should be honoured with the title of "Queen" or similar, because she is my saviour. Before Bravissimo the task of finding a bra for my small frame yet substantial cuppage was painful and emotionally draining requiring at least a week of 'build up' before and a further week of severe depression after.

As you can see it covers the range of 'standard' sizes from UK 8 upwards, but then a sub catergory of two sizes, curvy/really curvy, really curvy/super curvy.

At first I thought "goodlord! how complicated is it going to be just to buy some clothes?" but after some contemplation, I think it will be a good thing IF retailers ensure that there is plenty of stock for all - ofcourse it could mean that their stock increases three fold if the industry advisors have their way - they suggest 3 sub catergories:

straight - for the a 'boyish' figure

moderately curvy - 60% of women fall into this catergory

quite curvy - hourglass figure and mathcing the original standards of the 40's

Will retailers clothing policies become more transparent - will they want to encompass all or just one type of fit?

The question is

Will this sizing system make our lives better or worse?

I am not so sure it is the answer - there are so many variables to shape and size in our modern age that I wonder if it is possible to find a definitive standard that fits all. It was this very problem which put me off shopping for life and turned my attention to the sewing machine ..

What do you think Readers?

My New Best Friends

2011-01-14T09:00:00.020Z

I've been collecting old ladies from Scotland for the past few months .. want to meet them?

This is Wilma. She and I actually met 22 years ago .. You can read more about Wilma HERE.

This is Sabrina (the stitch witch). A Singer 201k - made in Scotland in 1953 - a special year denoted by the blue ring around her tradmark plate. Here she is sitting on Wilma's treadle table. She is now my main sewing machine and I LOVE HER! I use her for corsetry because she will sew through ANYTHING and any thickness, without so much as a growl or groan. She's amazing!

Kylie is a small Singer at 3/4 size, she has a more 'traditional' look being a bit older than Sabrina at 60 years. She also has the original black bakelite motor and light. She is for dressmaking.

Sabrina and Kylie have matching 'luggage' - you can see the size difference between them.

Sabrina's case is on the right, Kylie's smaller case on the left

Smallest of the old ladies is Gertie - So named because about 5 minutes after I bought her - in the midst of that excitement flush that one gets when one has acquired something very special, I received a lovely email from the Gertie, which you'll find out about in good time (if you read her blog that is, and i'm sure you do!).. My Gertie is much older though, Scottish and born in 1954. Compact and bijoux are the words for my little Singer 221K Featherweight. She came with handwritten notes by her previous owner. She is the smallest, but the most sought after - see here for lovely pics of an identical model.

Then there's "Molly", newest addition to the House of Marmalade and not quite as old as Wilma but she fits in here nicely. Being a 1938 Singer 15K (family friendly model), she lives downstairs with us and blends in perfectly with our 1933 house!

Molly has the most beautiful face plate out of all the ladies, and she's the 'quiet one'. Unlike Maisie, she gets on fine with Mr Marmalade because she is very inconspicuous - folding into a flat table when not working, a bonus because I can sew by treadle power, quietly, in front of the fire, while Mr M and Jimmy watch TV. What bliss! I plan to make 'non clothes' with Molly - curtains, blinds, quilts, that sort of thing .. also, Molly will be teaching me how to use .....

... the impressive array of accessories that my ladies brought with them,

complete with instructions thank goodness ..

click to enlarge

Being old girls, they all need regular 'medication', oiling of joints, that sort of thing but they are hardy birds who get on with the job with no complaints in a very straightforward way - none of them do fancy stitches (just as well I never use fancy stitches)!

Here are some 'notes' of my own on the benefits of sewing with vintage machines..

The 201K is reputed to be the 'best sewing machine ever made'. It's true! The mechanism is 'industrial' and they will sew through many many layers with perfect stitches every time. I have found that the same is true of the 99 - it's just a smaller machine.
The operation of a vintage Singer is smooth, so smooth! These machines were built to last and easy to maintain. They need cleaning and oiling regularly to keep them purring but they work hard and deliver fantastic results.
Vintage sewing machines don't need electric to work! OK .. you may have to convert back to manual operation, but most of them started off as hand crank or treadle machines. Treadle and hand crank machines are not only eco-friendly (recycled, use no electric), they are eerily silent!
Vintage machines are just a pleasure to use. Even though all of my girls only sew one type of stitch - straight - and some don't even reverse, I would still use any one of them over my modern Janome which is just clunky and clumsy in comparison.
Vintage machines smell nice - mechanical and oily but in a nice way .. a way that reminds you of your grandma's house, and also that they come from a time past when quality and longevity were the order of the day. The smell reminds me of all the stories in the machine, the beautiful things they have sewn in the past, who sewed on them, what did they sew?
Vintage machines and all their attachments are beautiful and sometimes surreal but more than that, they are fun!! Mr Marmalade says that it must be like motorbikes - the difference between a 'super bike' and a Harley .. Beauty over youth and reliability (except Harley's aren't reliable and Singers are, but I know what he means)..
These excellent machines are cheap as chips! Infact, they are not worth any money despite what you might see on ebay. Singer turned out millions and millions of these machines in their day and so they are always easy to get hold of (and very rarely 'rare' or 'collectable'). Your local sewing machine repair man will be able to pick them up for virtually nothing - they are regularly shipped off to Africa and other third world countries by the truck load - and so the price you pay if you buy one from a specialist, is the price of the time, work and maintenance they have put into the machine. Prices can therefore vary depending on where you get one, from £0 - £100+
If you do acquire a vintage machine of any sort, do have it serviced before even thinking about turning the wheel (or at the very least give it a good old oiling) Otherwise it may seize up before you get more than 10 stitches out of it. Also old electrics on these models can be very dodgy!
Once up and running, you get much more machine for your money than the modern equivalent which costs many hundreds of pounds! Ask a sewing machine mechanic, they would sell you a 201 over any modern straight stitch machine without even thinking twice about it.
Almost all parts of vintage machines are available to buy - even parts for really really old machines. It is therefore possible that any machine in any condition can be restored to nearly it's former glory by replacing parts as long as the mechanics are sound which they probably are!
Men like vintage machines - they have the same appreciation for the engineering of a good vintage (or industrial) machine, as they do for a car! Vintage machines can bring the mechanic out of even the most reluctant husband/other half!

I have a compulsion to name my machines and refer to them in person ... It doesn't happen with any other machinery .. as soon as one comes to me, a name pops into my head. It's bit strange .. Or is it me that is strange? I have not felt the same compulsion towards either of my Janome machines.

Here are some very useful online resources on how to care for and operate vintage sewing machines and their accessories:

Singer Serial Numbers - every vintage Singer has a serial number which is recorded here. You can find out where and when your machine was made and which model it is. You can also find instruction books for every Singer model ever made - some of them are free downloads.

RaindropKites - Odd name for a site dedicated to the care and maintenance of old sewing machines, but there we have it .. VERY handy UK based site for information on parts, and care of your vintage machine.

TreadleOn - Another site handy for info on how to overhaul your old (manual) sewing machine. This has more technical info and is US based.

Offspring - is a British blog with some very very handy information, tutorials and reviews on old Singer accessories.

The Sewing Forum - UK based sewing forum with special area dedicated to vintage machines. LOTS of info and discussion here. Ask and ye shall be told!

ID Singer Machines - Got an old Singer and don't know what model it is? Look here. Fabulous site with lots of pictures, which will tell you all about your machine.

Sewing Machine Shoppe - Very expensive, US based machine and parts online shop, but excellent resource if you have unidentified parts! I'd look on e-bay first if you want to buy any of them though.

Male Pattern Boldness - Peter also has a vintage machine obsession, and I just noticed that he's been making Western Style shirts too!

The future ..

2011-01-12T09:00:00.009Z

I kind of forgot to draw the winner of my giveaway on Sunday night, hence the rushed winners post on Monday morning.

I wanted to say Thank You for entering the giveaway, thank you for your very lovely and positive comments, and thank you for reading! I also wanted to make a few comments on some of the things mentioned...

Melissa (who won) said that she'd like to see some bra making ... this is definitely in my plans this year. I have bought a pattern for this (see left), but I am also a subscriber to a website called "Foundations Revealed". Its an information resource put together by top corsetiers and costumiers with all sorts of amazing information including a very good series on professional bra making and drafting. If you want to start making corsets or bras or both, or if you already do then you can't go wrong with a subscription to FR ... I thought that nearly £10 a month was a little expensive, but I'm still paying! It's a great site AND it has free articles including one on how to draft your own corset pattern. Regarding bra making, I have seen lots of people buying this book which is apparently THE book to use:

available online - search for the best price it ranges from $5.00 to £70!!

Bekibutton says that she too likes corsetry posts and wishes to know more on how to put them together.

Well as you can see, I have re-arranged the furniture here a little and now have some tabs at the top, one of which is labelled "corsetry" .. This is where relevant 'tutorials' and tips will go. In there at the moment is "a quick guide to making a corset" which might be useful for those starting out.

Belissima mentions cup corsets - yes! me too .. a corset with cups is called a "Merry Widow". Perhaps I will work on this for my party outfit next xmas! It would certainly be the best support for a strapless dress.

you might never need one of these again!

Helen X mentioned my skirt block tutorial. I had hoped to continue this series last year, but life got in the way as usual. I do hope to continue with a few variations on the skirt block this year. Once you get the basics you can make any skirt you like!

Tutorials were mentioned by most people, and so I have added tabs at the top of the blog for ease of reference as follows:

Dressmaking tutorials

for all dressmaking related tutorials, including the skirt block series

Craft tutorials

for the crafting tutorials I have written - things like making customised towels, flowers, and toe separators

Corsetry

-as mentioned, for all corset related tutorials

Quick tips

for little snippets of info that aren't really a tutorial but just as handy to know

I was quite surprised at how few tutorials there are! I hope to be adding to them soon.

The left sidebar now contains pictures of patterns that I own and have selected for my future wardrobe. I will be endeavour to make them up and will link to each project from the picture as we go. I read Erica B's "old year/new year" post a week or so ago and was astounded at what she'd achieved in the year.. Well if she can do it, I am going to have a damn good try myself!

And then there was lovely Jenny who is getting married this year .. regular readers will know that a long held desire of mine is to make a wedding dress, and I have lots of silk! I think I might be stretching my 2011 aspirations a bit too far with this one, but I can still dream!

Shirt Making

2011-01-10T11:37:00.001Z

One of the things I have really enjoyed making recently is a shirt for Mr Marmalade.

Is the cigarette absolutely necessary do you think?

It's from a vintage pattern I bought a few years ago (which was then too big!) - the only 'western style' shirt I could find anywhere on the interweb at the time - the picture on the front isn't exactly compelling is it? But I didn't buy this pattern because Mr M. is into line dancing or Country music. I had to look past the illustration with my own vision, because a Western style shirt can easily be made to look like a Rockabilly shirt, which is the look we're aiming for.

back yoke and top stitching detail

Because I was ill over the entire festive season, I couldn't get out to buy something - we only ever buy a 'token' for eachother, because we like to go to the sales in new year to treat ourselves to something 'luxury' for the house, like a new TV - .. anyway .. I couldn't get out, so I made this shirt, but because I was lacking energy and short on time and because there was no opportunity for a fitting, I didn't make it with all the detail given - this wasn't a problem because the yokes are separate pieces added on top of the basic shirt design!

So I made a 'simple' version with a view to customising further versions once I am used to this pattern, how it goes together, and how it 'fits' Mr. M.

To get a good idea of how the shirt would fit (and indeed IF it would fit!) I smuggled Mr M's favourite shirt into my sewing room, and measured first the pattern against the shirt, and then the actual shirt pieces as I went, just to make doubly sure. When it was more or less together, I did a 'test fitting' on Jimmy - he is as tall but not as wide as Mr M these days! Here he is wearing one of his dad's old suits and the aforementioned smuggled shirt..

he's only 15!!

Actually, the new shirt fits both of them too! On Mr M. it's a 'fitted' look - which is what he likes, and on Jimmy it's a more 'tailored' look, which is what he likes!

Madge is modelling this shirt - she's still wearing my bra!

The shirt is made from a lovely black cotton/viscose dotty shirting fabric with one way stretch. I added quirky details with some left over silk (from the party dress) and red top stitching. I wanted to add at least one pocket but I spent nearly a whole day trying to work out the pattern instructions to no avail, so I made one up and stuck it on the left breast -

Inside with red spotty silk on the collar and back yoke

The most difficult parts to attach were the cuffs... I'm sure there's an easier way than the method presented in the instructions which say that the sleeve is sewn up before the cuff is put on - VERY FIDDLY (and as yet unfinished) ... I am sure this step could be done before the shirt sleeve is sewn together.

In summary, I enjoyed making this shirt because:

There are no curves to negotiate which is a welcome change for me and makes things much easier! I could cut this out in a morning, and have most of it sewn up in a day.
I love topstitching
The creative scope from just one pattern, is quite infinite! There is an obvious 'formula' to making a man's shirt and so this pattern - now that I know it fits perfectly - can be customised over and over and over with different details. I can combine different fabrics, add piping, make different shaped yokes, different style pockets, add embroidery or transfers, make the sleeves shorter, change the cuffs, use buttons or poppers and many other details.

Here are some inspirational pictures which I shall be using for future manifestations ....

Click to enlarge

And the winner ...

2011-01-10T10:15:00.000Z

... is Melissa!

Melissa has been sewing her own clothes since 2001 and last year she even made her own wedding dress from the dress her grandmother wore in 1949. There is more inspiration than you can shake a needle at over there, plus many tutorials. Go and have a peek but make sure you make a cuppa first.

Sew Resolved ..

2011-01-08T18:57:00.000Z

One of the things I have failed to do for the last two years, is to make myself a decent wardrobe of clothes and so this year, I have resolved to be organised.

My problem is focus... I am so easily distracted and I have so much 'going on' most of the time, that I need to forumlate a plan which includes a much more focussed approach to the things I love to do.

I have therefore cancelled commitments that I do not feel I have time for anymore, and made my own creativity a priority. Call me selfish, but it's what I have been lacking (and what this blog has been lacking too!).

I am making lists. Lots of lists, I have books, and journals, and computer files to help me .. and piles .. lots of piles of stuff to sort.

The first list/pile to organise is:

a list of clothes I need
a list of clothes I want to try to make
a pile of fabric I already have
patterns I have or have bought ..

Clothes I need (and that have been on my 'to do list' for two years now):

A summer dress or two (or three) for wearing out and about - smart/casual

A few light tops for every day / work, and which 'go' with skirts and trousers I already have

A light jacket or two for when the weather is chilly but not cold

A couple of dresses for 'work' which are compatible with boot wearing for winter/spring use

Some long loose tops suitable for wearing with leggins, for house/gardening wear

An outfit for an event in May - this will have a fetish theme

A party dress for next Christmas

An every day corset

A bra

Knickers

All the above must be "layerable" - the climate here in the UK is so unpredictable, I find that it is easiest to have clothes which go "trans-season" - they can be worn with other garments under or over, with or without tights, and are both boot and shoe compatible. It's a bit of a tall order but I am not a fussy dresser, I like things to be plain, smart, attractive, flattering, functional, and comfortable.

List of clothes I want to try to make:

Tailored jacket

Coat

More shirts for Mr Marmalade

List of clothes I want to make for 'creative' purposes

Corsets - too many to list, but some of them at least with rhinestones!

Corset for Mr M.

In my fabric stash I have wools, suitings, knits, silks, cottons, linens, blends, saris, nettings and plenty of trimmings and other interesting bits and bobs to use. I'm going to be busy this year aren't I??

I also have all the patterns I need, and most of the fabric. Many of the patterns are vintage. I will show them to you when I've organised them!!

I have no excuse to procrastinate!

New Year, New Giveaway

2011-01-06T11:58:00.000Z

Well perhaps not a new giveaway as there seem to be lots of these in the blogosphere...

All of us contributors were sent two copies of this lovely calendar and here is mine to giveaway.

I am "Miss 10th June" with my Toe Separators tutorial which is featured on this blog via the link down there on the left. There are lots of 'famous' bloggy names in this calendar and trillions of good ideas!

To win just leave a comment on this blog telling me what you like to read about in a sewing blog and / or what you would like to see here over the next year. One of my new year resolutions is to be a more frequent blogger!

I will pick the winner on Sunday evening..

Corsetry - My Journey

2011-01-04T18:50:00.007Z

Over the last few months, I've been doing some very deep research into corset making because as some of you may know, I am writing an e-book on the process for Rainbow Disks and I want to make sure that I document the best way to do things with information taken from a wide source. Although I have been making and wearing corsets for years, I've developed my own methods of doing so - I am entirely self taught and up until now, I haven't really paid much attention to the ways other people do it.

When I started in corsetry, it was for 'costume' purposes - think "Moulin Rouge"- inspired by burlesque, theatre, sparkle and beauty, I set about making fancy corsets for myself to wear at parties and clubs. I discovered that corsetry as an artistic medium was a very varied subject indeed, full of creative possibilities and I soon became totally hooked.

this one is made with silver rubber!

With each new corset I made, inspiration would flood into my mind for the next and then the next and so on. It seems that for me - and for lots of other people - corsetry provides a very deep well of artistic inspiration and expression but it wasn't until I started getting much deeper into the subject, after first starting up my business and then joining other online communities specifically for corsetheads, that I began to pay more attention to the history of corsetry and the historical methods of construction specifically in relation to the archetypal shape of the Victorian corset.

This in turn lead me to frequently ponder the purpose of corsetry both in a historical and a modern context, from the most ancient manifestations which took the form of thick leather belts to suppress the waist, to the most modern lycra 'tubes' which claim to suck you in by as much as 2 sizes!

There has been alot of negative press about corsetry, especially since Victorian times and also there is alot of misconception and prejudice about the effects of corsetry on women both physically and mentally.

image from here

During the periods when heavily boned, waist reducing corsets were worn routinely, women were much smaller than we are now, and therefore a 20" waist was nothing out of the ordinary for a young woman - girls wore corsets from a very young age and their skeletons reflected this.

Yes, a corset can and will squash your insides - if you lace it too tight! If you tie a scarf too tightly around your neck you run the risk of suffocation! As with everything, when a corset is worn responsibly, in any century, it's purpose is to shape and smooth the body into whichever fashion silhouette is desirable for that time, and to make the wearer feel good. Nothing more, nothing less.

Corsets these days are worn by many different people for many different reasons. I do not subscribe to the view that corsets are (or ever were), 'anti-feminist' and 'opressive' to women nor to the opposite veiw that they are empowering and totally feminine - unless that is what the wearer wants them to be.

In my opinion, the purpose and effect of corsetry in any time and for any gender, boils down to two things

1) A corset is and always has been a fashion item.

2) Using a corset to enhance or shape one's 'assets' is no more dangerous or oppressive, or uncomfortable, than wearing a pair of high heeled shoes.

Interestingly, Gertie has been talking about corsetry recently and today has struck upon something which I have been thinking for a while myself - and which has inspired this very post. Gertie quoted from the latest V&A book (which I have reviewed here, and here) a quote from Ereli Lynn, the writer:

"It is only since the 1960s that women have been expected to embody the fashionable ideal by way of diet and exercise and without the aid of foundation garments."

Read here what Gertie has to say on this - she writes about it very eloquently.

The reason I've been thinking about corsets as foundations (as opposed to outer party wear) is that it's my 42nd birthday next week and up until this year, during which I seem to have expanded considerably from a small size 8 to a large size 10 (possibly 12 if i'm brutally honest), my body image has never been a problem for me ... However, middle age spread does seem to be taking it's toll in that I don't eat anything different, and yet the effects of food upon my body are very different!

Right now, we are possibly talking the difference between Kylie Minogue and Christina Hendricks, although I dont mind my new shape, what I don't like is the lack of control I seem to have over it!

Excess weight has never been a problem for me and being a firm believer in the Joan Collins philosophy that exercise is bad for you (unless picking up diamonds from the floor), if I am to take matters into hand, then foundations are the way to go. To the gym I say No No NO!

See what I mean? this year and last

And so I have been playing with ideas and fabrics and developing a corset pattern for myself, which I can wear underneath my everyday clothes. This is the first toile .. more details next time!

For more corsetry material, follow these exciting links:

Livejournal Corsetmakers Community

corset eye-candy, disccusions, and construction techniques

Foundations Revealed

Subscription site with all sorts of 'insider' info but also some free articles

Antique Corset Gallery

Pics and information on different corset shapes through the ages

Sew Curvy Corsetry

Supplies, tutorials and other interesting info!

Inside the Red Dress

2011-01-03T19:37:00.000Z

Here's the inside story on the red dress. Try to stay with me while I tell you about the number of parts it is made of:

First, there were the outer fabric pieces - bodice front, sides, back, skirt front and back, midriff front and back, and facing - 11 pieces.

Then there were all the corresponding lining pieces - another 10.

Then the bodice stay which goes between the outer dress fabric and the lining. That was INGENIOUS! - 5 pieces.

Then the foundation - I made this from 5 sections of coutil, and 5 sections of lining, but the pattern required 10 lining sections (2x5) plus 5 interfacing sections - 15 pieces but I saved 5.

And as if that isn't enough, there was the midriff interfacing - another 3 pieces.

44 bits altogether according to the original pattern!

Although I pre-shrunk my silk by steaming thoroughly, it still shrunk while I was pressing each section after sewing. Very annoying, but not drastic.

After cutting all the parts out - and then sectioning them off into piles to be worked on in order, I thread traced all the pleats on the outer dress with silk thread because I didn't want to risk permanently marking the silk with chalk or carbon. I then tacked the pleats into place so that they wouldn't move during construction.

The absolute ingenious part of this dress was the bodice stay. When trying on the toile, I was quite concerned at how the pleats would fall apart at the bust area - they refused to stay in place without pins in strategic places. I wondered how to get round this without compromising the perfect fit. I needn't have worried - the bodice stay fixed it. It was made of interfacing (I used polycotton as it is sturdy yet light, but if I'd had some, I would have used silk organza), and was a 'flat' unpleated version of the bodice, staystitced to the wrong side of the bodice on all sides to keep the pleats from being interfered with from beneath the dress.

The foundation was not there to support any bodily parts, it was there to support the dress (it was therefore necessary for me to wear a strapless bra) and was made of coutil which is a very tightly woven, strong (yet light) corsetry fabric. I sewed the peices together as per the instructions - note the dart at the bust to give shape - then made boning chanels by pressing the seam allowances to one side and stitching them down. I therefore have a 'nice' side to go against the lining of the dress, and a not so nice side which is lined at a later stage to hide the rough edges...

So here we have the inside of the finished dress. You have layers as follows from the outside in:

Outer dress fabric

Bodice stay

Lining

Foundation (lined)

Facing

Its a lot of layers, and alot of pieces, but the construction as I have said is genius - those pleats did not budge when worn!

The foundation I was sceptical about from the start because it is so short - it stops at the waist. I guess if I had used the suggested sew through boning between layers of lining and interfacing, and perhaps had gone for the 'straighter' shape of the pattern - I took the waist in a little - or lengthened the foundation, the dress would have been much more comfortable, but I did not want to change the pattern because I wanted to see if and how it worked.

(I made a longer foundation in last years dress, and it worked perfectly - see here and here)

Overall, I am thrilled with this dress! I am not sure I would make this particular style again, but I will most definitely use the construction techniques I've learned here to get really polished and professional results in the future.

The Black and Red Party Dress

2010-12-30T22:49:00.001Z

Well .. I finished the dress, and nearly finished myself off in the process! I was still sewing the finishing touches 2 hours before the "do" it was made for, but the results worked quite well, and here I am wearing it - on the left.

It is, I think, the most uncomfortable dress in the entire universe - hence the pained expression but the look, according to my friends, was "very Jessica Rabbit". Or perhaps that was a kind way of saying "oh my god! you've put on a ton of weight since last year!"

The reason it was uncomfortable is because the boned foundation inside the dress finishes at the waist. It therefore digs right in where the waist springs out to the hip. If I was to make this again, or if I was to give anyone a tip about making it, it would be to make the foundation longer.

The dress was made of red and black shot silk which was an ideal fabric for the style of dress - it showed the beautiful pleating up magnificently with all the colours changing in the folds of the fabric and the evening light. The pic shows the effect quite well.

I did change the pattern a little in that I used stiff coutil for the foundation rather than the two or three layers of lining and interfacing given in the instructions, and I made the coutil foundation in the same way I would make a corset by using the seam allowances pressed to one side as bone channels.

All said and done, despite the ridiculous number of pattern pieces (even though I omitted a good few!), the time it took to put together due to said number of bits, and the fact that Vogue patterns do not agree with my shape one little bit and therefore required lots of alteration, I LOVED the method of construction of this dress. The inside of it (pics to follow), looks very polished and professional, and it is much easier to put on than a dress with separately closing foundation.

Unfortunately, since that night which was 2 weeks ago, I've been struck down with the vile flu bug that's been going around the UK. Today was my first day 'up and about'. I couldn't get out before Christmas to do my last minute shopping so I had to make a pressie for Mr Marmalade. More on that next time!

Threads of life

2010-12-07T21:16:00.002Z

Another busy week - WHERE does the time go? I spend a considerable amount of time - while i'm doing other stuff - wondering how people have time to make so many things, even if they have full time day jobs ... I have a part time day job which takes up most of 3 days a week - the other 4 days I can more or less spend doing what I like, but there is so much to do! I left full time work 3 years ago for various reasons, and I really don't know how I would manage to fit a full time job in these days. I have known people who say "I have to work full time otherwise I would be bored" .. How can this be? There is just too much to do in life .. how could a person ever be bored?

Much of my 'spare' time is spent on Sew Curvy - the website/advertising/admin and ofcourse packing and sending orders. The rest of my time is spent in various amounts attending to the garden, my 4 lovely hens, the allotment, my son now in his GCSE years, cooking - no processed food in this house, Mr Marmalade, dog, home/housework, soap making, and sewing, not necessarily in that order.

Sometimes I have coffee/drinks/cake/social time with friends. And I also like to fit in some 'craft networking' by way of blogging, tweeting, and workshops/demo's at local sewing related establishments.

I have always been creative, but when I stopped full time work and took a year out, I had time to delve deeper into my creativity than I have ever had a chance to do .. In hindsight, there were so many opportunities open to me, that I am not really sure why I returned to 'the office' - I suppose if I didn't 'get out' by going to work, I would quite easily and happily stay indoors sewing all day, every day .... I think 'work' is good for me such as it is.

BUT ... All I want to do is stay indoors, sewing all day! A day in my ideal life, might go something like:

get up early
take dog on long walk through woods and fields
return from dog walk via allotment to tend/harvest for a while
on return from walk, have breakfast, do housework/domestic duties etc.,
from 12.00 midday, sew, create, design. Things on my making list : ongoing creation of my own stylish wardrobe, 'green'/alternative wedding dresses, corsets.
finish around 5 (but more realistically 6), cook tea, relax...

As far as my work with Sew Curvy goes, if possible, I would like to branch out into bra kits. I like encouraging people to be creative, to explore. That is my motivation behind Sew Curvy. To be honest, the suppliers are 'difficult' and sometimes I wonder if it's worth it, but then I get lovely comments from my customers, and it does seem more than worthwhile.

But really ... I want to make things. That's what I want to do. And Sew Curvy takes up alot of my 'making time'.

Last weekend, I was at a shop in Oxford doing corsetry demonstrations. I do workshops there too - dressmaking, corsetry, pattern cutting. It's exhausting, but ultimately extremely satisfying and so interesting to meet all the different crafty people. While doing my demo's I met a lady who makes lace - also doing demo's. AMAZING! No wonder it is so expensive! Maybe one day, I will commission some hand made lace, for a special hand made corset ... ahhhh dreams!

So many bobbins to shuffle with the two main 'workers' which keep the weave together and define the pattern. So many variables to choose from, and yet such order required to get it right. It reminded me of life. We have our anchors, and around them we arrange our threads, shuffling them with the constants, the ones which keep it all together, and and we weave the fabric of our lives...

I am really interested to know how other people fit in their creative time? Is your creativity a compulsion? If you don't do it, do you get bad tempered and/or depressed? How do you make sure your life is balanced?

New room, new dress

2010-11-25T19:58:00.000Z

So! Here's my new sewing room, with new machine, and ....

... new view ...

And here's my new project, with my new fabric ....

And compared to this time last year, I am a brand new size. I think it might be something to do with the fudge making frenzy I had back in April ... or perhaps it's just middle age spread (I'm plumping for the former - pardon the pun) .. but I am a whole 4 inches bigger this Christmas, than last.

This is a red silk with black pin dots. It's quite heavy without the 'rustly' factor that dupion has, and with a nice drape. Perfect for the pleats on this dress. The lining is a soft peachskin type silk. I have two parties to wear it to!

I was inspired to make this dress by the very talented Erica Bunker who made it earlier this year and it looked so fabulous on her, that I thought i'd give it a try and have been holding the idea in my mind ever since I read about it on her blog. I also - as mentioned before - like the fact that it has a foundation because not many dress patterns have one. I'm interested to see how this method works.

SO ... from the sizing chart given by Vogue, I figured I'd be a size 14. I thought i'd try a new way of doing things, by folding and pining the pattern to see if the dimensions matched mine. They didnt, and not being familiar with this type of cut - there appears to be no 'curves' but I am assuming they are hidden somewhere in the pattern. I thought i'd better make a toile after all, because I need to know where it can be altered and where I can put curves (if necessary) where there are none.

I could see from doing this paper excersise however, that I liked the way the dress was moulded and the fall of the pleats and the skirt.

OK... So I thought i'd washed my bundle of polycotton that I use for toiles - it's a devil material which shrinks by alot at the mere sight of a hot iron, never mind a whiff of steam, so I got on with cutting the pattern this morning, sewed it all together and tried it on ... it was too big, by a LONG WAY, and to cut an even LONGER and more tedious story short, the facts of the matter are:

Pattern too big

Fabric too small - it shrunk by approx 0.5cm on each piece

Dress way to big on the bust but fits from the waist down.

I figured the only way to get round the problem without having to start all over again from scratch was to resort to the measuring tape. This is where knowing how to cut patterns comes into it's own. Commercial patterns are an unknown quantity, but knowing where it is safe to take seams in and out, in general pattern construction, helps. I took the side seams in by 2cm on each side (1cm each seam) down to the waist, to make the width of each piece match my measurements. PHEW! It fits like a glove.

Now I've got to work out what size the foundation should be, though I am toying with the idea of drafting a new foundation, and inserting it according to the instructions given in the pattern.

Psst!...

2010-11-24T10:16:00.002Z

Did you know that currently there's 50% off Vogue patterns? Not sure how long the offer will last but I've got mine ... Get them at Jaycotts if you're in the UK or Europe or direct from Vogue Patterns if you're in the US. I am posting this without pattern reference numbers, but aim to correct this later today!

I'll be making this one first - I need a party dress in time for 17 December! I have some lovely red and black pindot silk to make it from. I bought this because it has a foundation. I've made dress foundations before, but you can never learn too many new things when it comes to sewing and I want to know how Badgley Mischka does hers..

I bought this for technical know how ... I might never wear it, but I need to know how to make it!

I have already bought the boots to go with this .. I think this might suit a Liberty Tana Lawn fabric.

This is an easy make with lots of options. I like it for the roll collar. Work dresses I think, and I have some nice knits for this.

In the dress section, this is the one that got away - I like it! I've got a nice red crepe which would suit it too.

I bought some 'tailoring' projects too, first of all ...

I like the shape of the jacket here. I think it would make a nice 'summer' jacket to wear with jeans or skirts or dresses. I will make it in black waffle weave wool with a leopard print lining - similar to the McCalls Coat I made last summer. I also like the dress in this pattern.

It's not very clear from the picture here, but this jacket has some lovely design details in the cut, and it's Claire Shaeffer! MUCH to learn from this pattern I think.

And in the suiting section, here's the one that got away .. I LOVE those pointy bits! I think i'm going shopping again!

Say Hello ... Wave Goodbye

2010-11-19T16:49:00.005Z

I have good news and I have bad news ... And I have very mixed feelings ...

Although it's not quite as bad as standing at the door of the Pink Flamingo crying in the rain, I'll give you the bad news first .. Despite my naming competition, and loving attention towards Maisie in the first few heady weeks of her living here, her arrival was a step too far for Mr Marmalade, and frankly, there wasn't room in his life - or his conservatory - for both of us .. So, as much as it pained me to make the necessary 'arrangements', Maisie is leaving The House of Marmalade tomorrow. :(

To make up for her loss, I had to find myself a new companion, and I had heard say of a veritable "wonder machine" on corsetmaker forums and communities. I went forth to search for this sewing wonder, and my journey took me to the Sewing Machine shop in town. I asked the resident expert about these fabled machines which caused him to break into an enthusiastic skip towards the back of his workshop practically singing "Oh Yesssss! I've got one of those - BEST machine ever made, you'll never beat them" ... He then proceeded to compare this wonder machine to the biggest and best of the modern machines in his shop, running them down in 'her' favour and softly coo'ing over the purr of her mechanisms ... Sigh ..

How could I leave without her?

Her name is Sabrina the StitchWitch, she was born on 15 December 1953 - the importance of that year marked on her body by a blue ring around the trademark badge - in Scotland, and she is a Singer 201K who lives with me now - in my new sewing room upstairs, and I love her even more than I loved Maisie .. which is alot! She is the BEST machine I have ever operated. Stitch perfect, so smooth, and also the first machine I have ever referred to as "she" and meant it! If you have an old Singer, you can look up it's origins on the Singer database of serial numbers HERE. Apparently, this type of Singer machine has an 'industrial' mechanism - seems very technical to me, i just can't see how that would work without the huge engine, but nevertheless, apparently this model is favoured by tailors and corsetiers alike, for that reason.

ps: Sarah - your mag is on the way - I was a bit delayed posting it what with all the "trauma" of moving rooms! Sorry! Maisie is forever immortalised as I have told the new owner her name :)

If Only I could Make ...

2010-11-10T12:00:00.007Z

... This incredible piece of art and artistry ..

I'm thinking 'Wedding ensemble' (in appropriate colours ofcourse), with the final "reaveal" after the party .. unless the bride was used to taking her clothes off in public that is ....