Chosen

The winner of the lace with me giveaway had been chosen, thank you for all your entries they were fabulous. The winner has been contacted via email and will receive their prize very soon. Thank you! 

Last call

Now I have to announce that there is only one week left of the lace with me giveaway! Get those entries in!

Collections

In this mini series of posts I'm going to catalog some of my corsets. These are ones I own and wear or have worn. Each post will describe the main features, measurements, photos and a video of the corset in question. Now that I have dropped most of my postpartum weight I can show the corsets worn and on mannequin. 

Keep an eye on this blog. I would also love to see any corsets you readers own! Corset love all round

Lace with me giveaway

To celebrate my fourth year performing burlesque, the birth of Ophelia and numerous other happy things; I have decided to run a corset giveaway.

This will be a custom corset made to your measurements with some embellishing of your choice. Each corset is tightlace suitable and can be made to waist training specifications to. 

Not only this but the winner will have a feature post in this blog, a photoshoot and videolog to show off their corset. I will require feedback from wear etc when you receive your pretty.

So how do you enter? 

All you have to do is email me why you would love to win the corset and what corsets mean to you. 

Very easy, anyone can enter even if you haven't ever worn a corset before. 

Email; orton 408 @ btinternet(dot) com

Remove the spaces etc. 

Enjoy

Postpartum progress

So far so good. Mostly, I have found that I am already (as of this date it's 11 weeks and two days since Ophelia was born) down to 1inch above my natural waist and hip measurements pre pregancy, my abdomen is flattening also and I have been eating more than I used to due to breastfeeding. 

Not sure how much contributes to waist training but I'm very happy about it.

Sadly I've had to take it easy again and wear my corsets a little looser as I have had on and off bleeding for the past 5 weeks (not related to wearing corsets) I have a doctors appointment to make sure it isn't any retained uterine material. The doctors doing our 6 weeks postpartum check didn't actually check me over so in pretty annoyed about it. Apart from that everything is going really well.

Postpartum diary

There isn't much I can really say in comparison so it's somewhat void as a guide or advice but I will say corsetry has really helped me.

I am currently 7 weeks after the birth of our little madam and wanted to give a brief update. 

 I had a corset on less than a week after the birth, I've actually made a corset to help deal with the swift changing postpartum figure. So far it's helped loads, my waist is very close to what it naturally was and the belly getting close to being what it was again.

I didn't have any stitches or a c-section so I could lace very comfortably. So far no problems and the healing is going well. To be honest I believe that corseting again helped prevent me from slipping into depression. Over the next week or so I will properly outline my experience.  

Until next time.

Postpartum

I have decided to do an intense study on postpartum corsetry. The information on this subject is rather sparce and I personally do not like the belly bands you can get. They do not offer back support that a corset would.

Belly binding is popular in many cultures so it makes sense to me that perhaps - in a culture where corsets were a staple part of the clothing, much like bras are now - there were at one time corsets designed for the postpartum lady.

Over the next month or so I will be doing research and when the bump is born testing out various types of corset and seeing if corseting can help retain and repair the damaged muscles which occur through pregnancy. 

Maternity corset

If you guys didn't know I've had to take a break from tightlacing and wearing corsets. I'm sure I have mentioned it before but I'm not going into much detail. 

I brought off a good friend of mine a real antique maternity corset (to study not to wear... It's much too old and pretty for that) 

So I made a study of this corset and it's so very interesting. I will post a video of this.

I have noticed that over the past few months I have had some back problems which are not related to the pregnancy. I do go to physio for this but it's not being alleviated. So I wonder if it could be due to not having the back support I am used to normally as I can no longer wear my corsets. I will be able to again in a few weeks time so yay or that. I will bring it up at my next appointment.

I am going to be doing a study of postpartum corsetry as it's not something I have seen much of. 

If you're wondering why I haven't been posting much recently, I have been super busy making corsets and costumes for customers. These have been posted in a different blog so I can use this one for my own corsetry experiences on a more personal level.

Dress diary - the trio

I have decided to actually document the work I'm doing on the current commission. 

Firstly I made the pattern myself and decided what techniques I am going to use.

The commission consists of three corsets and a hairpiece. Two overbusts and an underbust. I don't want to spoil the surprise too much.

The pattern has gussets and gores. Which I have now got pretty good at inserting.

In the end I decided to also make a lining for each one as I hadn't made floating liners before. 

I will post pictures of each of the three as I make them.

Silver for a star

Another order from a returning customer, when I say returning this lovely lady has ordered about 6 corsets to date. I enjoy working with her. Anyway it was a lovely silver corset this time in silver satin and it's just a yummy colour. The photos do it no justice

Sparkles in fuchsia

Wow I've been so busy lately. This corset I actually made a month ago but there you have it. There was a red one I made for the same customer at the same time with silver swing hooks but alas I couldn't get a photo of it ( I was finishing it off when they arrived to try on the pink one)

Anyway the pink corset is a long line underbust which is covered in over 18000 rhinestones in a decorative paisley pattern. 

Yes it was embellished completely by hand and took a while to make but well worth it!

PVC repair

This is a rather short blog. I was given a corset by a male friend of mine to fix.

I must say that it was a PVC corset. And whilst there were real steel bones throughout the materials were not great. The lining/strength layer seemed to be very light weight twill and there was only one bone in the back by the grommets.

This is what I had to work with 

In this case I removed the entire back panel and replaced it with special corsetry PVC and two layers of corsetry cotton. I added two sturdy steel bones either side of the grommets and added more grommets. Much better. I also added the modesty panel back on.

 

Dreamy Red

One of my regular customers returned and asked for something a little different. I was told to make a plunge overbust with a zip front.

The corset is made out of coutil, heavy bridal quality satin and dream red delicate lace. It also has 27 steel bones throughout the corset.

So I did some extra work, found a super heavy duty zip, made it a hidden zip with a cover as well as a heavy boned plaket/modesty panel under the zip to hold the stomach flat and support the zip. 

Overall I'm happy with it and can't wait to see it on the customer.

Stripes and Feathers

Remember a while back I posted up two sneak previews of an order I was working on? Well I finished those months ago but I was waiting for the client to debut them in an act. Anyway without further ado here are my pretty creations

For both of them I was given creative license and a very vague description.

The first one was something 'Foxy' as in actual foxes as well as vaudeville inspired and swing hooks were a must on both.
 I'm also in the middle of making a larger sized mannequin so I can show off some of the curvier/larger corsets better.

The second corset I was given the brief 'Mad max/diesel punk' inspired. And I was acted to use feathers, fur, anything to make it look dystopian. So I used real game bird feathers, peacock feather, real leather and yes that is a real bone, I found it in the garden, (we have wild foxes here so I think they must of dragged it in or dug it up as we don't have a dog) which I cleaned and disinfected rigorously before attaching it.  

I have loads more orders coming from this client so I think she's happy with them.
There are more updates to come as I am a busy corsetiere right now

Blue and black

Two more recent commissions on my new mannequin (which I made myself) she's vintage Victorian shaped which is nice. Not the exact shape for these corsets as the mannequin is actually a different curve and smaller at the waist than the corsets but its better than my normal mannequin and pillows.

Sneaky show off

I have been very busy recently. Lots of orders and things to make. I thought I would put up some sneak photos of my latest two orders. The customer hasn't debuted them on the stage yet but when they are I will put up full photos as these really don't show anything off.

Red and Lacey

I was given another commission, the only words given to work on were the sizing, underbust, gothic, red and Lacey.
So I can up with this rather curvy number. She looks rather stunning on the mannequin but it simply does not show the curves off so I will be getting a photo from the owner when it arrives.

So here she is,18" corset in red and black shot dupion silk. Hand finished with hand made lace appliqués.

Hopefully it will be much loved.

Something old and something blue

In the last few months I have received a number of commissions, the following corsets are some of them. I do have three others in the making and a couple of corsets for myself.

But anyway. Here is the pink corset from previous posts as well as a newer commission from the same lady.


They are both tightlace and sadly the photos don't show the curve off properly so I will update when I get photos of her wearing them.

Alterations finished

This has actually been completed for a good while but as I now have a bit of time off I decided to get round to outing the post up.

I was given a vollers 28" cream corset to work with.

The commission was unusual.
So the original images are in a previous post.

Initially I had to take 2" off the bust and hips and then a further 4" off the waist. So I did that first.

The client wanted a locking corset.

So the finished corset has a lacing cover which locks at the waist to stop loosening the laces. It also boasts a front locking busk cover. Two heavy D rings at the front for attaching extra pieces.

It also has a locking shoulder brace.
In all it was interesting project and its now completed.