Most of the intricate flossing that we see in antique corsets is comprised of several elements, using fairly simple motifs together to create more complex designs. This article will look at the most basic flossing technique - Xs or crossovers, which are found extensively on antique corsets, and explain in detail a motif from the corset flossing sampler in the Symington collection. The next article in the series will look at fans, chevrons, and other motifs from the same sampler. To help you get inspired by the possibilities, I've gone through high resolution photos and pulled out flossing samples that use the same basic elements.

There are some tutorials floating around the internet for flossing, including C. Claridge's The Basics of Flossing here on Foundations Revealed and Sidney Eileen's comprehensive tutorial on basic stitches. This article is not intended to supplant or reiterate information that is already out there, but to provide insight into my process and the steps that I take before picking up the corset to floss it.

Flossing is not difficult to learn, it just takes time to do. For some of us, time is a scarce commodity, so we never pick up the needle and thread for anything other than finishing off the bias edging on our corsets! Until only 18 months ago, I'd always thought that flossing was very complicated and required advanced embroidery skills. When I actually started trying though, I quickly learned that if you can hand sew, you can floss!

A working knowledge of embroidery is helpful but is not required to start playing with these delightful couture details. The basic stitches are only a step or two away from hand sewing bias trim on a corset -- the main difference is that we want flossing stitches to be seen!

Some antique flossing was done by machine over boning, while other work was done by hand. The main purposes of flossing in period garments was to secure the bone in the channel, and to prevent wear and tear at the end of the channel that would allow the boning to poke through the fashion fabric. As with most creative techniques that grow out of function, a significant amount of decorative examples emerged!

Although it sometimes seems like every single corset has different flossing, some trends do appear. The most common flossing consists of Xs, Vs (chevrons), and a fan of stitches across the end of the bone. Many antique corsets will have heavily decorative embroidery and flossing on every channel at the front of a corset, while the back has simple Xs, or even no flossing at all in some cases. So don't feel that if you floss a few channels, you are committing to doing every single one in the same ornate style. You can leave some channels blank or use a simplified stitch on channels that won't be as prominently displayed.

Many of these decorative and functional stitches are shown on the exquisite sampler in the Leicestershire Museums (Symington) collection.  These designs are intimidating in their complexity – but looking closely, they are all comprised of simple stitches put together. This article will break the pieces down to help you learn how to complete them.

Materials

• Sharp needles, as long as possible without sacrificing fineness. Embroidery sharps or all purpose sharps will work fine, size 6-8
• Needle threader
• Thimble
• Adjustable hem gauge (optional, but it handy for measuring motif lengths)
• Thread

 

Threads

I've listed some of the varieties of thread that I have enjoyed working with, with some pros and cons. Don't let this list limit you! Many corsetmakers use other threads, such as buttonhole, conventional machine thread, wool floss, and others, with great success.

Cotton perle (assorted weights): This tends to give strong and striking lines that stand out from the fabric, and fewer stitches may be needed to fill the same space. This thread is not made to be separated, so you don't have the option of the using only two or three strands of the floss as you do with embroidery flosses.

Regular embroidery floss (available in cotton, rayon, and other fibres): This floss is fairly loosely spun, so it's not as sturdy as some options, but it comes in a wide array of colours to tantalize your design taste buds. The main thread is composed of six smaller strands plied together, so you can use any number of them to adjust how striking the design appears. DMC, one of the most widely sold brands, is also fairly colour consistent in my experience, so it's much easier to pick up additional skeins later if you run out, and they're likely to match.

Silk floss: This is my default option for flossing, so I've listed it separately so I can sing its praises. Silk floss is a dream to work with. Silk is incredibly strong, the thread has an amazing lustre, pulls through fabric with less drag than cotton, and doesn't fray like cotton can as you pull it through the coutil and fashion fabric. If you don't want to order floss online, you may be able to get silk finished polyester sewing machine thread, or 100% silk thread at your local fabric store (Mettler makes this variety). Unless noted otherwise, my samples in this article are sewn with three strands of six strand silk floss from www.hand-dyedfibers.com.

Self fabric thread: this isn't a possibility with many fabrics, but I've used strands of the weft of silk dupioni in samplers. This can be particularly striking when the silk is shot two toned, as the colour of the weft thread looks different than the main fabric, but still matches. This can't be done with fabric with heavy slubs, but it's worth a try to take a few strands to test it out!

Variegated threads provide an interesting dimension to flossing that is not commonly seen. They are available in many fibres, so play around! Just be sure to test it out – some variegated threads shift colours so quickly that it may end up looking like you've just used different threads, as the transition may end up on the inside of the corset.  The colours used may be extremely similar, or quite sharp (such as the red/orange/yellow floss). Some floss companies will indicate what colourways variegated floss is comprised of, so you can often get solid floss to match the variegated, giving you additional design options.

Test your floss in water before using, to confirm that it is colour fast -- you don't want your hard work to turn into stains if the person perspires or if the corset is washed! Consider only using colour-fast threads, even if you normally dry-clean corsets, as you never know when someone will spill water down the front of a corset, or will resort to hand-washing as a last ditch stain removal option.

Overall though, you can use any type of thread that you want, so long as it meets your purpose and design aesthetic, and works with your materials. Different types of thread will give different effects and it's important to test out what supplies you want to use. This is a step that bogs many people down, but it's like doing a test swatch before knitting or crocheting an entire sweater. A few minutes invested in playing with thread and fabric will ensure that you are satisfied with the designs and colours that you've chosen.

Samplers and Design Planning

When I am planning a corset that I want to include flossing on, I start by looking at antique and modern corsets for inspiration, noting motifs that I like and want to test out. I'm careful to note the provenance of any photos that I save for future reference -- online services like Wist and Pinterest are extremely helpful for this, as you can also tag them with your own notes ("modern", "Xs", "wheat", etc) while having a thumbnail visual reference. The Victoria & Albert Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lara's Antique Corsets Collection, and many other museum websites are good starting points for high resolution images of antique corsets. You can also look at Cathy's close-up images of the Symington sampler, and also look at Foundations Revealed's flickr page for examples of the flossing on real antique corsets.

Once I've gathered lots of motifs that I like, I do a sampler of the designs. I suggest using whatever channel method you'll use on the corset, whether that's channels in the fabric or exterior boning channels. This will give you the best idea of how the motif will look on the boning channels.

If you use different widths of boning in your corsets (ie standard busk is ½" wide, ¼" boning all around, with ½" boning at the back lacing channel), make sure to have a few channels to test out the finalist motifs on these wider channels. You may want to pretend that the ½" wide channels are two ¼" channels, or you may want to alter the motif to blend in when it's widened. In the photo to the right, the busk motif has an extra crossover, and the wheat shaft is slightly wider and longer than in the ¼" boning channels.

The sampler process allows you to:

1) Experiment with colour and thread, testing out matching and contrasting colours, and seeing what looks best with the fashion fabric (and possible any hardware or accompanying garments). Make sure to look at the colours in natural, synthetic, and low light (and any other expected corset viewing light conditions!)

2) Experiment with design in a medium that is more forgiving to needle mis-pokes than a taffeta fashion fabric. I also switch out the colours as I do the motifs, to see how the different colours change the design.

3) Know now much space the motif will take up at the ends of the boning, so that the boning can be cut shorter if needed.

4) Get a rough approximation of how much thread you'll need. This is particularly important if I'm mail ordering floss, so that I can order enough the first time around from the same dye lot, and it can ship while I construct the actual corset. When doing a sampler, I measure the thread in 40cm (18") lengths and measure how much I have left after completing each motif and "tying off." Multiply this by the number of each motif, and add another few yards for good measure, if not an extra skein. It's better to have extra than too little!

5) Figure out how to do the stitches, before you start on the final corset! This is especially helpful if you want to try a motif that is more ornate or for which there aren't tutorials available online. There's no pressure when you do a sampler, so you have the freedom to practice the motif as many times as you need to get comfortable before you start on the finished corset.

6) Estimate  how long each motif takes to create. This allows you to budget your time and plan the design accordingly. Your time will improve as you repeat a motif, but this will give you a ballpark estimate. This is when I calculate how many boning channels the corset will have, and decide how many channels will get the ornate 20-minute motif, and which will get the quicker 5 minute motif. A corset with mixed motifs can look really striking (right).

Below left is the sampler for a recent underbust that I made. The corset is made with fairly smooth silk dupioni fashion fabric, and appears lavender when looking straight at it. However, the fabric is woven of turquoise and mauve threads.

I tested several different colours, exploring how darker or lighter coloured threads would affect how the colour of the fabric appeared to the eye. I also tried several flossing motifs, to get a feel for how the designs I'd gathered would look in the width of the boning channel for the ¼" steels.

I finally settled on the legless X, with a wheat shaft in the centre, as you can see in the finished corset, right . The variegated mauve at the base of the motif blends in with the fashion fabric, while the turquoise colour pops slightly more for the final cross-over and wheat.

 

 

When and Where to Stitch?

I normally use the welt seam method of corset making. This means that I always have two layers and can hide the backs of my stitches. This can make it difficult to stitch between those layers of the corset when the panels are narrow. If you normally make your corsets with this method (or any other method that creates a limited space to manoeuvre between layers), it's a good idea to do a row of stay stitching along the bottom and top of your pattern pieces, so that they don't stretch out when your fingers are manipulating the needle between the layers of fabric! I haven't had coutil stretch out on me, but I have had a silk fashion fabric and cotton lining that needed to be eased when I applied the binding, before I stay stitched. A quick row of short machine stitches at the top and bottom, inside the corset finishing's seam allowance, will keep the fabric from stretching, and also minimize fraying when it's being handled so much.

When I'm adding flossing to a corset during construction, I start in the binding seam allowance. I prefer to not use knots when flossing, to avoid any bumps. I pull the thread back and forth through the coutil several times close together – this causes the thread to not pull through. I then guide the flossing between the fabric layers to the end of the bone, or wherever I will start the motif, and push the needle through the fashion layer to the top. Between each boning channel, I usually run the thread back to the seam allowance, and do a few tight stitches to secure the thread before moving to the next channel. This minimizes the amount of flossing that you might have to repair in the future as if one motif is damaged, you won't have to pull out everything done with that thread. This has definitely saved me repair work.

 

The Basic X

This stitch is the most common, and the variations are almost endless. The most common type is a simple crossover, starting at the centre of the base of the bone, and crossing over itself across the bone, as shown below, left.

Make the first stitch a bit to the left of the middle of the channel just below the bone, and cross the thread over to the right side, pulling the thread to the back of the corset. Crossing the back of the channel on the wrong side, bring the thread through to the fashion fabric at the same height on the left side.

Cross the thread to the bottom of the bone, just to the right of the initial stitch – this should be slightly to the right of the centre of the channel. Pull the thread out on the left of the left bottom stitch.

Repeat this pattern, growing wider across the bottom, and travelling vertically up the boning channel. I generally space each crossover one machine stitch up for each successive crossover (keep in mind that machine stitches on each side of the channel may not line up, even if they're the same machine size – pick one side and use your needle to obtain a right angle directly across). You can see how this crossover on the wrong side will work (right).

 Variations on the Basic X

The basic X is quick to complete, and multiple variations can be done with the same amount of stitches. Here are two short Xs (height starting at five machine stitches from the base). The left side shows the threads woven as they're crossed back and forth over the bone. The right side shows them naturally laying as they're crossed over. The left variation widens the boning channel, the right one streamlines it.

 Left, here are the same number of threads crossed over (four from each side, totalling eight), but the cross starts ten machine stitches up from the base. Right, shows the Xs with a five stitch gap between each crossover. (These samples are done with variegated floss, and the colour changing was not planned specifically).

 

 

Another quick variation is to cross over several times with one colour, then do one final crossover with an accent colour. This is shown on the left, with the top layer woven in, and on the right with the top layer laying on top. Both create different effects. Similar techniques can be seen on the Symington sampler, middle, that shows the legs of the X extending across two channels. Right, another Symington sampler variation using multiple colours, outling the base colour in a slightly darker tone. (Photos of the sampler © Leicestershire County Council Museums Service, used with permission.)

 Multiple Bone Designs

Here (below left) is a variation that can be used when three bones meet up. The photo is one I took of an 1880's corset in the Melanie Talkington collection. The motif expands the base of the X, so that the legs are not immediately next to each other.  

I started bringing the thread up in the middle of the left channel, crossing over to the right side of the middle channel ten stitches up from the base. The thread crosses behind and comes out on the far left of the left side at the same height, crossing down to the centre of the middle channel just below the bone. Complete this X by growing to the outsides of the base stitches, crossing over for three-four crossovers. The second X starts by pulling the thread out from the bottom centre left of the middle channel. Cross over to the right side of the right channel, lining up the stitch with the first crossovers in the first X (approximately ten machine stitches high) (below, right).

 

 Continue crossing over to complete the second X with the same number of crossovers as the first. This completes the motif.

 Woven Three Channel X

The next X motif can be used for a wide single channel or crossing over two narrower channels. Start by pulling the needle from beneath to the fashion side at the left of centre of the right channel. Cross to the right of the right channel, completing the stitch three machine stitches up from the base of the stitch. Pull the needle from beneath to the fashion side on the right side of the right channel, crossing over to the far left of the left channel, six machine stitches up.
On the left channel, pull the needle from beneath the fashion fabric on the far right third of the left channel, crossing to the left side to complete the stitch three machine stitches up. Pull the needle from beneath to the fashion side on the left side of the left channel, crossing over to the far right side of the right channel, completing the stitch six machine stitches up.
While you're on the far right side, pull the needle from beneath the fashion fabric two machine stitches up from the base. Cross over to the far left side, completing the stitch eight machine stitches from the base. Pull the needle through two stitches up from the base on the far left, crossing over to the far right to complete the stitch eight machine stitches from the base.

  

 Playing with Scale

When playing with Xs, play with scale. Try one motif, lengthened along a boning channel. This sample (right) shows the same X variation, at different heights. Create a V at the base, with two Xs immediately above, crossing over the top of the X below.

In the sample (right) the right motif uses Vs and Xs that measure four machine stitches tall, overlapping one stitch. The middle sample uses Vs and Xs that measure five machine stitches tall, overlapping down one stitch. The left sample uses Vs and Xs that measure six machine stitches tall, overlapping down one stitch. With these samples next to each other, you can easily see how a simple motif can create several looks. Here, below, is the detailed construction of this motif.

 

Crossover Variation from the Symington Sampler 

Here is a crossover variation found on the Symington sampler.
This motif starts with a simple V, two machine stitches high, at the base of the bone.
In the original Symington motif, a small fan comprised of seven stitches opens below the bone, three machine stitches long. To copy this, I created a centre stitch straight down the middle of the channel. The side stitches all start at the base of the bone, with each stitch moving slightly closer to the side of the channel, and slightly "up" in the channel, closer to the bone tip. Continue the side stitches, mirroring the right and left of the centre stitch, until the width of the channel is covered (the original used seven stitches for this, while I used five as this number filled the channel)
The original shows the legs of the X all meeting at the same point at the sides of the channel, and fanning to cross the channel five machine stitches from the base, and fanning up for four stitches, each a machine stitch apart.
I copied this placing, doing the right side completely before doing the left side.
Once both fans had been completed to create the X, I created two small Vs that both measure two machine stitches high. The base of the lower V is one machine stitch below the highest X stitches, while the second is 2-3 machine stitches over the first small V.
Next, either choose a contrast colour (as in my version and the original), or continue on with the same colour if you like. Bring the thread through to the front at the base of the bone, at the base of the first V, and bring it over the X, to the bottom of the first small V. Use a running stitch to bring the thread to the base of the second V, then above the second V, and then two larger stitches above that (these last stitches should measure half the width of the boning channel). These last two stitches are the start of the square flower.
Stitch from each side to the centre creating the cross, then stitch from each corner to the centre to create the diagonals.
The original Symington sampler appears to use the same weight of threads to divide the square into sixteenths, but I thought it was getting a bit crowded in the flower. I took the thread to the back of the channel, and removed one strand of the three I'd been using. I tied off the single strand, doing several stitches over each other to secure. I then used the remaining two strands for the much smaller stitches that divide the star into 1/16th segments. The ability to drop threads to minimize bulk and get more detail is a clear advantage of using floss that uses several strands.
Tie off the thread at the back, and this motif is done! This motif is excellent to use on a corset, as it has many adaptations that could be used for smaller or less visible boning channels. You could do the bottom V and the fan below it, or simply the cross over, saving the ornate pattern for the front of the corset.

 

Final Notes to Consider

When designing your corset, it's important to remember that flossing combines form and function. Some antique corsets, such as the black corset with blue flossing in Jill Salen's Corsets: Historical Patterns and Techniques (p 74-77), have intricate flossing covering the ends of the cording. This application is purely decorative -- the wearer wouldn't have been concerned with the cords poking through! Keep this in mind when you're planning your flossing designs, particularly if you're planning contrast flossing. You don't have to stitch the flossing at the end of the bone – you have the leeway to move it up or down a half inch (or more) to match the flow of the design. This isn't cutting corners – it's a technique that I've seen first-hand in a local corset shop that is world renowned for quality. (You may want to do a few stitches at the end of the bone in a thread matching the fashion fabric, but that's up to you!)

If you want to add flossing to a corset that you already own, or you are making a one-layered corset, you won't have the luxury of hiding the backs of your stitches. Here, right, is the back of the facing of my recent lilac corset. The starting stitches are hidden below the bias tape, but for a ready-made corset, you can use the several stitches on top of each other method to secure the thread while minimizing the thread showing.

Placing the starting and ending tight stitches below the boning tip (and pushing the needle through the channel to the starting point to minimize the amount of thread showing) will minimize the wear and tear on these securing stitches, and also minimize any small bumps pushing into your skin while wearing the corset.

In the photo, you can see the slight specks of turquoise from where I pushed the needle through to the back as usual, and then stitched into the back of the channel as close as possible to the first stitch. The thread passes along the back of the bone, hidden in the fabric. Push the needle through the fabric straight across, coming out again on the back.

Again, make as small a stitch as possible, pushing the thread to the front side of the fabric, where it needs to come out for the next stitch in the motif. Avoid passing the thread across the front of the channel – this can create small bumps from the thread. If you're creating a single layer corset, consider securing each channel individually – this is extra work, but creates a much cleaner interior of the corset.

To avoid straining your hands, don't place the boning in all of the channels when you start flossing. I cut the bones to size, then insert the bone for each channel when I work that channel, removing it when i move to the next one. I will floss all of the top or bottom of the corset, taking the bones in and out as I go. Only add the bones as you complete the flossing at the other end of each bone. This minimizes the weight that you're carrying in your hands.

If you're a professional corsetmaker who is looking to add flossing to your repertoire and offer it to clients, make sure that you price accurately according to the time it takes to do the motif, while not charging clients for your learning curve.

Always make sure to put some floss aside for future repairs, so that you don't loose the skein/spool or use it all up on another project. I put at least a yard (or more if the corset is heavily flossed) in a zipper-closing bag. I label the top with marker, stating my nickname for the corset, the wearer/client, and the date. If you're flossing a corset for a client, it's a nice addition to include this with their piece (much like standard garments come with an extra button or a few beads for future repairs).

The Next Article

This concludes the first instalment of articles on flossing, looking at the Symington sampler. Now that the intro information is complete, the next article will be much more focused on step-by-step instructions and photos of how to re-create the motifs. If you would like to see any specific motifs explained, please request it in the comments below!!

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