After my last adventure with a leather corset I decided to continue my exploration of the ‘difficult materials’ field. In this article I will describe my ups and downs while using fake leather. I will describe the advantages and disadvantages of this particular material and share some of my observations with you. To add to the fun I chose a completely new (to me) pattern and had to adjust it beforehand. So let us start!

The Choice of Pattern

This one was quick and easy. Although I truly adore all of the corsets described by Jill Salen in her book, Corsets: Historical Patterns and Techniques,  I wanted to try something I hadn't had a chance to sew before. I chose the khaki corded corset, page 62-65, firstly because I had never tried cording, and secondly because I was really curious about the shape and support it might give. As the corset consists of only two main pieces, the rest being just gores, it looked very different from all my previous projects.

The Choice of Fabric

This one was easy as well. In fact, it influenced my choice of pattern. I once promised myself never to try fake leather again (I will explain why later). Yet when I entered the shop and saw this bright red fake leather I knew exactly what it soon would become. The image of corded leather that appeared in my mind brought images of bikers’ jackets. The decision was made!

I chose fake leather and I had to take into consideration all of its features, both positive and negative. Below is my list of pros and cons divided into two parts, but some features are hard to classify. You will have to decide for yourself whether to use fake leather in future or not.

Pros and Cons of Fake Leather

Note that I am considering the fake leather that is sold by the meter in most fabric shops, not the one used for making upholstery!

+ It’s thinner and lighter that genuine leather*

+ You can find it in variety of colours

+ You can buy it in most fabric shops

+ It’s much cheaper than genuine leather

+ It’s sold by the meter (not by square meter like genuine leather), so it is easier to decide how
  much you will need for your project.

+ It’s easy to cut (even two layers at one time)

+ It will not ruin your sewing machine *

+ It looks like real leather

+ The hue does not vary, as it might in the case of genuine leather (see photo, right)

- It is thinner and lighter than genuine leather*

- It stretches

- It’s impossible to interface it with an iron as the external layer is ‘gum-like’ and may melt

- It’s less resistant to scratching or rubbing (you will see this in the photos later on)

- Your sewing machine may skip some stitches, which makes it more difficult to sew

- Like genuine leather, it does not accept mistakes or basting

Starred Comments

I deliberately noted the fact that fake leather is lighter and thinner than genuine leather as an advantage and a flaw. The fact that it is thinner makes it easier to work with in terms of cutting and sewing, yet at the same time you will find it hard to interface it, and you will end up with really flexible and stretchy pieces of material. I think we are more used to working with sturdy pieces that will not ‘wiggle’. I had some problems while sewing the pieces because of that. Moreover, you should not pin fake leather in visible places, which makes it more difficult to secure them before sewing.

As for problems with the sewing machine, I had a chance to work with a thicker type of fake leather (it was probably upholstery leather). My machine gave up and I had to have it serviced. I suppose the machine failure was not only due to sewing with the thick fake leather, but also due to all the genuine leather projects in general. You should thus be careful and check if your machine will manage.

The lighter kind of fake leather can cause a different kind of a problem: skipping stitches. My own machine managed this really well, but when I tried to use a different one it simply did not stitch two pieces together, although I used a Teflon foot. What I ended up was two pierced but not stitched pieces. It is therefore really important that you test your machine capabilities on a scrap before you actually start sewing.

 

Very Briefly - Things to Remember

For those of you who have read my previous article, Leather Corset Making,  it is enough to say that most of the rules about how to cope with leather apply to fake leather as well. However, if you haven’t read it I will just revise a few key principles:

• It’s best to use a ballpoint pen to trace the pattern
• Do not pin the pieces together in visible places (the holes are permanent)
• Always use a Teflon foot and the right type of thread (check the thread on a scrap beforehand)

The Pattern

Here I am – all the rules in my head, book in my hands, I just need to scale the patterns. There is a wonderful article on FR on how to do that, which you can check, but I used a shortcut: I just had the pattern enlarged. I think you should use whatever works best for you.   I once chose all the patterns I am going to try in future, had them copied and enlarged, and I keep them prepared in a folder. I personally find it really helpful to keep them in one place to have easy access to them, especially when I adjust patterns to my measurements and cut them out. It’s easier to keep all of them with visible labels in one place so that the patterns do not mix.

My Struggle, Step by Step

To begin, I have enlarged copies, transparent paper, pens, rulers and scotch tape [sticky tape] prepared. First I traced the pattern on transparent paper, and then traced it onto heavier carton paper right away. I find it much easier to work this way as a sudden blow of wind is unlikely to mix the pieces. Moreover, it’s easier for me to trace the lines on the fabric as carton is firm and with the help of weights I can quickly do the job.
I cut out the mockup and sewed all of the pieces. I paid extra attention to the gores to make the fitting as accurate as possible.
Looking at the pattern in the book I could already tell that the corset would not fit my long torso, but I decided to sew the mockup according to the original measurements provided. I thought it would give me a better idea of what the corset should look like. I boned the mockup and the right fitting began. As you can clearly see in the picture my torso is ‘slightly’ too long for the corset.
I also didn’t like the hip-line. I prefer corsets with a more defined waist. Although this one (according to the description I found in the book) was not supposed to be worn for tight lacing, I decided to give it a bit more of a curved line. Apart from my own preferences I also have quite curvy hips and my natural waist-hip difference is quite notable, so the change was necessary. In order to provide my hips with more space, I widened the back hip gores.
I also decided to change the shape of the main pieces, but before that I had to adjust the length. In the photo it’s clearly noticeable that the bust gores start too low-just where my ribcage begins.
I had to add a few centimeters to the length. In order to do so I put the main pieces together and found the place where the waist should be. Then I cut them in half at the supposed waistline (it is not defined in the pattern, but I assumed it should be just above the hip gores). Then I added a strap of paper to lengthen them. As you can see – the edges did not meet then.
I decided to trim it in the lower part, just above the front gore.
I assumed it would enhance the curves of the corset. Yet this change triggered another one. I had to adjust the front gore, which got too wide for the corset. Instead of trimming it evenly, I decided to make the angle a bit sharper-thus buying my hips a little more space.

Cording

Making the corded gores was the most pleasant part. First I chose the right cording and adjusted the space between each stitch. Then I followed the lines till I prepared all the channels. In order to insert the cording, I used my version of the device described by Mark Garbarczyk in his article, Corsetmaking Tips & Techniques. I am not a very skilful repair woman and I am afraid of the soldering iron (I got used to pliers, chisels and hammers because of corsets, but that’s my limit when it comes to tools I am willing to use!), so I decided to use a piece of wire twice as long as the one I needed. I folded it in half, made a loop at the end and twisted the rest a few times. I used some duct tape to secure the end. I wanted to prevent it from piercing the fabrics and make it slide smoothly. I must say this device is really useful and saves a lot of time. To secure the loose ends of the cording I stitched the gore around as close to the edges as possible.

Inserting the Busk

I made the corset using two layers - the external fake leather one, and the internal layer made from coutil. I will comment on that construction issue later on, now I will focus on inserting the busk.

I did not want to use the usual method as it requires multiple stitching to make sure that the busk is secure. If you lockstitch materials like leather or fake leather it will only make it weaker and prone to tearing (I discussed that issue in detail in my previous article). I needed to apply another technique in this situation.

The usual method of inserting the busk in leather corsets is to cut holes for the loops and slide them through. I decided to use the same method and first attached the loop side of the busk to the coutil lining. I marked and cut the holes for the loops and slid the busk in. I folded the fabric towards the inside of the corset to make it look neat. I stitched around to secure the busk and then did the same with the leather shell. I found this solution a satisfactory one - the inside looks neat, nothing frays, and I can be sure that leather will not tear.

Finally Finished – Comments

Here is the finished corset. I was quite happy with it. Actually, I was happy before I tried it on. There are a few things that I hadn’t taken into consideration while sewing the mockup, however. The first and the most visible one is the number of bones. There are too few of them for this type of material, and the corset creases. The corded gores at the front are not boned – the bone ends just above them, which causes yet more creases if you want to tighten the corset. There is also little abdomen support, partially because I used the flexible busk instead of a heavy duty one, as in the original corset. I should have used additional 10mm flat steel bones on each side of the busk to get better support. The busk is also too short for this project and the cleavage area splays. If I had used the bones to support this area it would look much better.

Another flaw of the finished corset is the fact that I used fake leather. Why? First of all, because this material is really prone to scratching and damaging. I tried the corset on a few times and noticed that the leather got damaged at the back next to the grommets; the laces scratched it. Also, as I mentioned before, fake leather stretches. I used only one layer of coutil to strengthen it, which was a big mistake. I feel that the corset is not as sturdy as it should be, and together with too few bones, it can only serve as a nice garment, but it is certainly not meant to give much support or reduction.

I also had a hard time inserting gores because the fake leather ‘wiggled’. I couldn’t iron or pin it to make it keep the shape I needed before sewing in the gores. I ended up freehanding it, which led to some creases. It really frustrated me!

Yet there are a few positive sides of the whole process. First of all, the material is soft and, thanks to the fact that it stretches, binding is a pleasure. What is more, it does not fray, so you don’t have to fold it under on the inside part of the corset. In fact, it’s better not to, otherwise the bulk will be too big and it will not look neat. I also liked the cording in this project. It looks much different than on other corded corsets made of regular fabrics. All in all, the corset serves as a really nice garment and a lovely addition to a party outfit.

What I have learned…

Each project teaches me something, so this time I will also finish with a few golden thoughts. Some of the mistakes that I made embarrass me (the too-short busk and only one layer of coutil, to name but two), yet I decided to share my observations honestly. So here they are - my newly formed golden rules!

1. Choose the fabrics carefully and test their strength and resistance to scratching;
2. Make sure you add enough bones for support;
3. Stiffen the corset with enough layers of coutil;
4. Check the stitches on a scrap of fake leather before you start your project;
5. Have fun!

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