Effigy Corset with Reeds

When people hear the word corset the fist things that pop into their head are usually Gone with the Wind or Victoria's Secret. This project had nothing to do with either. This project is centered around one of the earliest forms of corset, although at the time it would have been called "a pair of bodies" or "stays."The Westminster corset or Elizabeth I's effigy corset is famous as late 16th to early 17th century example of corset. This example is made of a fabric called fustian, a weave of cotton and linen, and edged with thin leather (Leed). The extant garment was stiffened using whalebone. 

This is the extent effigy corset at Westminster Abby. 

Maestra Tatiana, an SCA contact, took my measurements and drafted me a pattern based on her own which only took moments. The pattern is considerably shorter in the front than the extent garment, but it will still create the silhouette for my clothing. We discussed her draft vs. the extent and basically concluded that the only reason you would need a corset that long would be for a bodice that dips to the bottom of the fingertips.  The other major difference between her draft and the extant garment was the use of hook and eyes over lacing. This developed our of a need to get dressed quickly. You certainly could still use eyelets and lace the garment up the front, and i probably will make one like that next to test the differences for myself. 

The Materials

• 1 yd linen canvas from Fabric-store.com (preshrink this)
• 1 yd white bridal silk from JoAnn's Fabrics and Crafts (the least slubby I could find)
• 1 1/4 yd (roughtly) light green drapery silk (left over from a previous project and in large pieces)
• regular and silk thread
• 1 lb of 2mm reeds (used about 1/3 of the roll)
• Awl
• Embroidery thread to bind 4 eyelets (less than 1/2 skein) 
• 11 large hook and eyes (3 packages from JoAnn's)
• Ruler
• Sharp sheers
• Hand sewing needle and tapestry needle
• pins
• Sewing Machine
• 1/2 yard cording for straps (satin ribbon will not stay tied, make or buy cording)

Construction

I first cut out all of my fabric: 1 layer of each silk and 2 layers of the linen canvas. Janet Arnold has a great section in Patterns of Fashion 3: The Cut and Construction of Clothes for Men and Women c1560-          1620 on 16th century stays made from silk and linen. I then used a basting stitch to join each of the silk pieces to a linen. The three sections of this corset are finished independently of each other. 

Corset pieces pinned and getting ready to be basted together.

I then pinned the corset together, linen to linen, and sewed my channels by machine using the presser foot (3/8ths of an inch) as my guide. The only channel I marked and stitched was the diagonal across the front pieces of the corset. i then proceeded to sew strait channels above and below it. Cutting the fabric, basting, and finally sewing the channels took the better part of a day. 

Cutting reeds to stiffen my channels.

The next step was stuffing those labor intensive channels with reeds. I chose reed over whalebone because it was also used in this time period to stiffen support garments, and it has a greater availability than whalebone. I have heard that there are synthetic substitutes out there if anyone else wants to tell me how they worked out for them. Along the diagonal front channels I used spring steel, which is both strong and apparently acts similar to whalebone. Putting the reeds into the channels was the most time consuming part of constructing this garment. i would suggest if you want to try it to get very sharp kitchen shears or craft scissors. Using blunt or even just dull shears will end with the reed tips splintering. These splinter with then catch on the slubs of your linen canvas, making it difficult to force the reed through. If you find this to be a problem, twirl the reed in the channel until the splinter is free and keep going. I promise you will not feel the splinter when you wear the corset. Be sure that the reeds are going between your layers of canvas and not between the linen and silk. They will poke a hole in your silk and be pushed out of the channel otherwise.

I next cut my binding. In the original they used leather, which has no real grain. I chose to cut the remaining 3/4 yd of light green silk on the bias and use it as a binding. But how to bind it? What style should I use on the corners? I asked around and studied the images of the original garment once more.I even made samples of the corset tabs and bound them with different styles. The conclusion I reached was that the corners were imperfectly mitered. I applied the binding with a machine first and then turned it under and finished by hand using silk thread. Silk thread is stronger that most cotton or polyester threads, but is still thin. It also does not snag or knot as much as normal threads.  

With each piece completed separately i whip stitched the pieces together on the bindings. Then I matched up the straps and used and awl, embroidery floss, and tapestry needle to make hand bound eyelets. One in each strap end, and one on each corset front at the armpit . 

Finally I stitched on the hook and eyes alternating which piece is on which side so they would not come unhooked all at once. Mine are space 1 1/4 inch for the center of one hook to the next eye. I needed to use 11 hooks, but depending on your spacing you may only need 8 or 9 hooks. I would still recommend purchasing a dozen to start with. I had to stop with just 3 sets left because I ran out after the store closed. 

My corset is now complete. I can tell that it is going to keep my straighter than my old one so i may need to get used to wearing it, but initially its very comfortable and lightweight. The reeds still shift a bit in their channels, but my research says they will eventually settle in. I will not be machine washing this garment because of the reeds. Hand wash and flat dry only I think. Adjust the cord ties connecting the straps for your comfort and to best hide the corset when you are wearing it under a gown. 

Bibliography
Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion 3: The Cut and Construction of Clothes for Men and Women      c1560-1620.  Hollywood: Quite Specific Media Group Ltd, 1985. Print
Leed, Drea. "Discovering the Effigy Corset." http://www.elizabethancostume.net/effigy.htm 08-09-2012.
Weaver, Lettice. "Reed Boned Effigy Corset" http://home.comcast.net/~garbfreak/effigy07.html 08-09-2012