Bodice Advice

[amy]

Gem is the corded and hemp corset girl here!  Really has made some amazing pieces that way

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Since my kidney transplant, I have no muscle tone in my abdomen, and I am not allowed to do crunches or sit-ups or any type of ab work.  So I have what I call my "pouf" in the front.  The Moresca Pirate Bodice is cut longer in the front and does wonders for keeping the belly from pouffing out  from underneath the bottom and making a tire at the top of your skirt.




It was comfortable without squishing, but unfortunately, the bottom sat right over my donated, transplanted kidney, and I was worried about it being affected when I laced it, so I sold it.  In the picture, I didn't lace it all the way closed because of that.  It is just a style that won't work for me because of my health condition, but it is slenderizing and does a great job of not making the stomach  bulge out from underneath.

[FortuneRose]

Ooo, Lady Renee!!  You look very nice in that bodice!  You're right, if you have any squish, it certainly isn't showing it.  It seems to only be showing fluff in the "right" places    THANK YOU for sharing that photo!  That gives me an idea of what it would look like with a longer cut bodice.

[gem]

Gem is the corded and hemp corset girl here!  Really has made some amazing pieces that way

Not me! I just talk a lot.  

The coral colored Italian gown I posted earlier has a corded bodice (the one with the cartridge pleats all round), so it doesn't require any additional underpinnings.

I've also made a corded version of the pink Simplicity corset, but it's currently a UFO (still needs binding and eyelets, and also I have nothing to wear *with* it, and unlike my pink linen one, is decidedly inner wear ONLY).

It's really no more difficult, skill-wise, than any other boning method. If you find a pattern that you like (and, really, Simplicity 2621* might be a great start--it's long in front like Lady R and I recommended, and has a really good fit overall), you can just adapt it for cording by how closely you space the boning channels. That, for me, was the most difficult part to master--getting the channels narrow enough for the proper support, but not so narrow I couldn't get the cord through. A combination of Jen's floral-wire-with-a-loop-at-the-end and Mythrin's discarded windshield wiper blade tools worked perfectly for me.

Cording will give you a curvier fit than rigid boning, but if you follow the links on Jen's site, you can see how versatile it is. People have used it for everything from contemporary bridal bodices (Anea!  ) to Elizabethan effigy bodies. But it is THE PERFECT answer for the beautiful soft, lifted curves of the earlier Italian looks.

(*More about Simplicity 2621--I love this pattern so much, I made a whole dress out of it! That's a fully-boned [cable ties] bodice, with a skirt attached. The hem is stiffened with 2" cotton belting. I even made some tie-on sleeves. My point is that if you got a good fit with it, it can be so much more than just a corset! Use gorgeous fabric, add trim and tabs and ruffles/peplums, and you can get a totally custom fancy bodice look. Um, which I now want to do, after writing that! LOL!!)

[FortuneRose]

I actually started that simplicity corset, oh goodness, something like 2 years ago!  I got nearly to the point of putting the boning in and for whatever reason one night it got put down and never picked back up!  I should pull it out and see if I can work it so that it has the channels for the hemp cord and not the original intended cable ties.  If not, I still have the pattern and can start a new one.  

[operafantomet]

Anea, when I was spending most of yesterday searching the web for inspiration your pictures came up so much!  In your own blog, on featured websites...  you are an Italian gown star!   

Or I just had a period where I was waaaaay too active on the internet... 

[Wickedvox]

Gem is the corded and hemp corset girl here!  Really has made some amazing pieces that way

Not me! I just talk a lot.  

The coral colored Italian gown I posted earlier has a corded bodice (the one with the cartridge pleats all round), so it doesn't require any additional underpinnings.

I've also made a corded version of the pink Simplicity corset, but it's currently a UFO (still needs binding and eyelets, and also I have nothing to wear *with* it, and unlike my pink linen one, is decidedly inner wear ONLY).

It's really no more difficult, skill-wise, than any other boning method. If you find a pattern that you like (and, really, Simplicity 2621* might be a great start--it's long in front like Lady R and I recommended, and has a really good fit overall), you can just adapt it for cording by how closely you space the boning channels. That, for me, was the most difficult part to master--getting the channels narrow enough for the proper support, but not so narrow I couldn't get the cord through. A combination of Jen's floral-wire-with-a-loop-at-the-end and Mythrin's discarded windshield wiper blade tools worked perfectly for me.

Cording will give you a curvier fit than rigid boning, but if you follow the links on Jen's site, you can see how versatile it is. People have used it for everything from contemporary bridal bodices (Anea!  ) to Elizabethan effigy bodies. But it is THE PERFECT answer for the beautiful soft, lifted curves of the earlier Italian looks.

(*More about Simplicity 2621--I love this pattern so much, I made a whole dress out of it! That's a fully-boned [cable ties] bodice, with a skirt attached. The hem is stiffened with 2" cotton belting. I even made some tie-on sleeves. My point is that if you got a good fit with it, it can be so much more than just a corset! Use gorgeous fabric, add trim and tabs and ruffles/peplums, and you can get a totally custom fancy bodice look. Um, which I now want to do, after writing that! LOL!!)

Gem--how is it you made your Simplicity bodice look so smooth on the outside if you corded it?? I'm going to be making the Margo Anderson plain front bodice with back side lacing and I want it to be smooth. I was going to wear my Simplicity corset underneath it for support, but should I bone it?? And if so, do I only bone the inside so it doesn't show? I bow to your wisdom*bow.* 

[gem]

Waves to Wicked! 

Two things:

1.) I didn't post pictures of my hemp-corded Simplicity corset. It's not Internet worthy, although it works just fine. LOL

2.) The purple dress is boned with cable ties, but I do have a hemp-corded gown, and you can see that the bodice on that is nice and smooth, too. In contrast, check out the pink Simplicity corset, where the boning channels are totally visible.

So what's the "secret?" Boned flatlining! Here's the innards of the purple dress:



And the corded dress:



...And here they are again, now with the fashion fabric applied:

 

Voila! All those pesky boning channels vanish. 

The corded one is medium weight linen, and in this photo you can see some texture of the cording visible through the fashion fabric. To prevent that, you can add a layer of wool felt between the flatlining and the fashion fabric, but it's really not that much of an issue once it's worn.

The Margo bodice definitely calls for some strategic boning *and* it's meant to be worn over a corset. I made the purple kirtle so I'd have something that was as supportive as a corset but just one layer (of clothing; it's actually four layers of fabric--lining, 2 layers of canvas, and fashion fabric). The boning in the Margo bodice is to keep the garment smooth as you wear it. But even with a fully-boned bodice, I still had issues with the fashion fabric on my purple kirtle developing a honkin' ugly crease right across the front (sob!!). Milord (and everyone on Pattern Review) says that nobody notices except me, but still. IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT! And I still don't know why it did.

If you use cording, overall you'll end up with a curvier shape, but a *large* part of the curviness of my corded dress comes from the curved-front opening, which you can see really well in the picture above. You can still achieve a more proper Elizabethan silhouette using cording, although you'll want to experiment with where you place it and the angles you use, etc.

Did that help, or just confuse the issue more?

[gem]

One more thing! I'd do this now, but I don't have time. Try doing a Google search for "corded Margo bodice" (or gown) and see if anything comes up. You never know--someone might have tried this already!

[Rowan MacD]

Gem--how is it you made your Simplicity bodice look so smooth on the outside if you corded it?? I'm going to be making the Margo Anderson plain front bodice with back side lacing and I want it to be smooth. I was going to wear my Simplicity corset underneath it for support, but should I bone it?? And if so, do I only bone the inside so it doesn't show? I bow to your wisdom*bow.* 

I just finished my first MA bodice-in fact, the same one you are making with the same side/back lacing option.
    Like Gem said: The MA bodice is designed to have a lightly boned interlining-you will end up with three layers-to help it lie flat over the corset with no pulling, creasing or anything else that will ruin the smooth 'line' of the bodice. 
    If you have problems with the interlining boning or corset boning showing through (like I did) add a layer of felt or a heavy interfacing over that section and under the fashion fabric. 
    I learned a lot making this bodice, good luck!
 

[Wickedvox]

Gem and Rowan both: thank you thank you thank you! That's exactly the information I need. I re-read the instructions last night (I read them a hundred times before I start a new project) and thought, "Hmm, if I have to fit the tissue over a corset, then I probably have to *wear* it over a corset." Which is why I chose the side-back-lacing option b/c I don't want the back lacing from the corset to show (otherwise I'll have to put in a privacy panel for the back-lacing option). And Gem, no body ever notices our "mistakes" but us...I *love* that dress of yours. I wish I lived closer to all of you so I could see you at faire...*sigh* someday I'll get to travel to everyone *else's* faires. Thanks again ladies!