Doll Corset - Structure and base

Blogger has been down for a few days, so just a quick posting of covering the base of the structure

corner

bottom

top - with pins to remember where the holes are.

and how it looks complete... At this point I hadn't sewn round the top to keep the dowels in, nor stitched the back opening closed. I am also gluing the dowels into the base.

This photo shows how the light shines out from underneath a bit like a lampshade.

Looks like it may find a permanent home in the end in my lounge as it goes very well with our new furniture!

Looking forward to seeing all the work tomorrow.

Doll Corset - Structure

I have finally been able to get to the structure of the large doll corset.I am using 6mm dowels in the main boning channels. This is sort of a reference to the reed boning used in one of the doll's corsets from the SLough Museum. The dowels are sticking out at the bottom and are stuck into a large piece of upholstry foam.

Here are views of how they will be stuck in.

I had to go back to the DIY shop for one more dowel to get enough to have the support I wanted. A few channels I had made a bit too narrow with the hand stitching, so I had to remove a bit of the stitch. So, I just have a few places where I need to go back in and sort it.

One good reason for using photos for your work is that it helps you step back, so to speak. I had it arranged in what I thought was a good shape, but when I looked at the first photo, I realised I really wanted it straight in front. So, I will use a few kebab sticks to push it forward.
More photos of the new arrangement.

And a photo of the detail of the support sticks, which I am quite pleased with. A surprising aspect of the support I hadn't considered.

I plan to cover the base with more of the cream muslin, but also some burlap mesh, which you can see laying next to the base.

Back to the Doll Corsets

I rather reached a stopping point with the piece I was doing for the Slough Museum Project. But now that the deadline is nearing, I just decided to get a start and see what happens.

One of the problems was that I had sprayed walnut ink on the lutrador base I was using. I thought it would give it a more aged look. then I left it to dry. I blotted the excess with a piece of white muslin. But, even after some weeks, it hadn't actually dried. If you touched it, it rubbed off on your hands.

So, I gave up eventually and ran it through a rinse in the washing machine. (I wasn't sure what even a quick wash would do to the lutrador.
here it is laying in the tree to photograph because I didn't want it to get on anything else in the house!)

The plus side of washing it was that it was at least more of an off white than a pure white, which suited me better. The white muslin was still stained after the rinse, too. It basically looked dirty not aged.

So, that was where I left it for sometime. Although I had ordered a range of natural/skin coloured viscose rayon embroidery threads.

At last I thought I better get on with it. I had meant to use white muslin to stitch through, but now hadn't enough of it. I did have enough cream muslin and found that would suit. And having decided that, I proceeded to tear strips and make patches to cover the lutrador. The lutrador could just be more like a support for the inside. It is still more of a fragile feel than interfacing would have been used in the same way. I also realised the stained white muslin wasn't as bad as I thought and would make a good backing.

And so now I am listening to audio books and doing the stitching. I like the raw edges of the patches peeking through the stitching. I may still add some frayed strips like I did with my sample, but I will see what it looks like when it is all stitched.

I had thought to use sticks through the 'boning' channels to make it into a 3D piece, but since there is already alot of 3D work being done, I may go ahead and make it to hang on the wall. I will see what it looks like.

Doll Corset

I have a bit of time this week, so I wanted to make some headway on my piece for this project.

I had already stitched up a sample of thread possiblilites and labeled it. Before Christmas, I tried doing a bit more stitching, but not really knowing where I was going, it didn't come to much.

One of the ideas I came away with after discussion at the last TVCQ meeting was about presentation. I didn't really want to do flat like a quilt, but I want to do Big. (Mind you, 'Big' in my perspective is probably not so big when it comes to the quilts some people make!) Someone suggested something which in my mind was translated to a sort of basket shape with the "corset" covering it. - well, not really a basket, but that is close to the image in my head at the minute.

As I have been thinking further,I like the scrips and scraps effect of the sample I made. Perhaps why the second piece I started didn't motivate me.

So, I came up with the idea of a Large corset with the stitched scrips and scraps adhered to it.

SO, in order to do that, I need the large corset shape. Yesterday I downloaded instructions from Drea Leeds site which has a Custom Corset generator. It is for a Tudor corset, but I have the photos of the dolls corsets to go by for shaping and for the boning areas. These doll corsets were not built with the hourglass shape, so the Tudor corset is a good start.
To use the custom corset generator, you have to type in measurements. I looked in my pattern drafting book (Winifred Aldrich - Metric Pattern Cutting) and used the largest size on the standard measurement chart. The corset generator uses inches, so I used my measuring tape to translate from metric to inches and filled in the form on the website which then was printed out to get the instructions for drafting it.

Today, I drafted the corset. I drew in "boning lines"...adding to what was on the dolls corset, as they needed less being small and also because they were only for shaping a cloth doll body. The placement and shape of the curve may change, but it gives me an idea.

So, now I have the pattern. It needs to be cut on the fold at the centre front, so this is half the pattern. I had thought to use organza for a bit of fragility, but the scrips and scraps will serve to give that idea. I think I will use calico because it will need that extra support.
I hope to use thick cording for the boning, but in reference to the reeds in one of the corsets, will use sticks for some parts which will then be used stuck into a base to mount the piece.

or at least those are the ideas at this stage - the whole of it might get even larger, but it is easier to make large when you have the shape to start with and if you are not actually worrying about fitting a human.

What I am excited about...

Thanks Jane!
It is good to hear that others are getting excited about the project with the Museum.
Here are a couple things I am thinking about...

The 2 doll corsets are in one of the handling cases we hope to borrow. The bit from a whale (can't remember what!) oh...mammoth tooth...kind of links, since whalebone was used for adult corsets and visually this artefact has that same line patterning happening to it.

Anyway, I have these photos on a cupboard door in my studio while I am thinking about them.