This corset is a combination of several influences, chiefly the ‘geometry’ theme from FR, my desire to work with embroidery as surface embellishment and my lovely model, Bianca, a longstanding friend, muse and artistic partner in crime.

The focus of this corset was always going to be the ornamentation and initially I wanted to try my hand at some elaborate flossing on a heavily boned or corded corset. But that sort of regimented design didn’t feel suitable for Bianca. After much deliberation and many Pinterest binges I chose to work with a roll of gold kimono embroidery thread which had been gleaming seductively on my shelf for several months.

I found a soft, mossy green upholstery velvet which felt appropriate for Bianca’s love of the natural world and for the verdant and mountainous landscape of the Cape. Not 100% natural fibres, but I love the way the pile sits at odd angles and reflects the light.

I used the Draft Your Own Corset tutorial for my pattern, and made two toiles. Bianca has a curvy figure but has never corseted, so I didn’t build in a very big waist reduction. But most of my time went into the embroidery, which is my main reference to the geometry and fractals theme of this year’s competition. I used feather stitch, which has always had a kind of fractal, branching feeling to me, and used it in multiple layers to build up a dense, tangled, vegetative texture. I added Swarovskis because I wanted to add more depth.

The strength layer is coutil and I used the seam allowances to form boning channels. Five panels per side, with 6mm spiral steels at each seam, except for 6mm flats on either sides of the eyelits and conical busk.

The corset is vaguely Victorian in its shape, but I’m not very focused on historical accuracy so they are not meant to be replicas.

The most fiddly part of this project was working with the gold thread. The thread is a thin strip of 18 carrat gold coiled around a few stronger fibres and flattens when pulling it through cloth, which makes the thread curly and difficult to manage. The thread also breaks easily. I learnt quickly to work with short lengths of thread.

All corset-specific materials come from Sew Curvy.

I bustled up at the last minute (it is just pinned together) using the principles described in the free Your Wardrobe Unlocked "Three Simple Secrets" tutorial.