Blackwork Corset

Blackwork Corset

This corset was done a few years back as a departure from the "boring old white" method of corsetry that predominates among costumers these days. A very small handfull of us actually attempt to keep every aspect of our costumes interesting, underwear included. After all, enough evidence exisists to suggest that Elizabethan women enjoyed pretty undergarments just as much as modern women enjoy them.

The corset is made of bleached linen and machine embroidered in black. The design owes itself to the pair-of-bodies worn by Pfasgraffen Dorthea in Janet Arnold's Patterns Of Fashion II, minus the shoulder pieces. It is boned with metal strapping, pilfered from Home Depot for free and bound with black cotton velvet. This corset is not washable, therefore not practical for regular use (I made it as a show piece more than anything, meant to be "shown" under an Italian style doublet).

Shown with the corset is a small bumroll, about half the size of a standard bumroll. It is worn over a cotton farthingale.

Detail of the machine embroidery "blackwork" pattern. This design was a accomplished by combining two different stitches.