![]() |
| chemise |
![]() |
| pin tuck detail of chemise |
![]() |
| farthingale before hoop steel was inserted |
![]() |
| interior side detail of farthingale |
![]() |
| exterior side detail of farthingale |
![]() |
| interior back detail of corset, notice my seaming boo-boo on the tab? |
![]() |
| grommet detail on corset |
![]() |
| bum roll |
![]() |
| chemise and bum roll with Victorian chemise on the right |
![]() |
| underarm gusset |
![]() |
| before corset was placed on dress form |
![]() |
| wooden busk for Elizabethan corset on top with Victorian corset busk on bottom |
![]() |
| side view |
![]() |
| rear view |
![]() |
| front of corset, I ran out of lacing and had to resort to hemp twine for the busk until I can get more lacing. |
![]() |
| rear view of corset |
My Elizabethan underwear ensemble is finished. I chose not to make drawers (at this point) but have everything else; chemise, corset, bum roll and farthingale. The chemise and bum roll were not difficult to make at all. Anything you see made in white is muslin, thank Joann's fabric for their 50% off coupons.
I am not sure the pin tucking on the front and back is period but it was necessary to make the thing fit. The underarm gusset was an interesting detail that I had not encountered in my sewing before now but I found that I like it and the room it affords for movement.
The farthingale was not particularly difficult to put together, it just requires a mixture of technical skill and jerry rigging to get the hoop steel put in and secured. I skimped on the finishing crimps and used electrical tape, which you may be able to see showing through the fabric in the pictures. The fabric was still damp from removing tailoring marks.
The corset was not difficult to make at all, contrary to popular belief it does require patience and a fair amount of handwork. Black linen and green duck were used for the body of the corset. Boning is done in zip ties and I used metal grommets, then finished them by hand to lend a more authentic look. The busk is a piece of pine that I picked up for free out of a scrap pile from one of the local hardware shops. This being my first run at a corset, I don't feel too bad about the effort but there is a lot of room for improvement on any future works. It does not fit as snugly as I would like but that is on my list of things to keep in mind for the next one. Yes, there will be a next one, a Victorian era corset to be specific, that will include metal boning and coutil and a real busk!
The bum roll is not placed correctly in the pictures, I was so excited to have it all finished I just kinda threw it on the dummy and started snapping. Yesterday's post may have a better shot.
ELIZABETHAN UNDERWEAR!
