Angela Friedman lives and works in New York City and is currently a Cutter/Draper at the New York City Ballet costume shop. She has been making corsets of all types since 2000 and has recently started her own specialist corsetmaking business.

Our intrepid interviewer Eleine grills Angela at length about the finer points of her technique, including number of panels, precision, fabrics, styles and general business advice.

How did you get started in corsetry? Where did you learn most of your techniques and skills?

My first ventures into corsetry began around 2000 when I became involved in historical costume. My work still reflects that, I think - I refer to vintage patterns and designs in all of my work, and though much of my client base is now in the fashion industry, I still do work with re-enactors. My very first corsets were for re-enacting events for Elizabethan court costumes and Civil War events. I started out with a couple of simple pieces for myself and then moved on to projects for friends to gain more experience. I also have studied theatrical corsetry techniques (at the UNC School of the Arts), which were a great basis for my current work. While I don't always use the same methods (for example, I always line my corsets, even though in the theater that is rarely done because it makes clothing more difficult to alter), the same principles of stress and hard wear apply. Actresses sometimes put as much stress on a corset in eight shows per week as an average wearer will put on a corset wearing it 24/7! In the end, though, the only way for me to really improve at corsetmaking has been by practicing and learning by trial and error. Different techniques work for everyone, and I have made up my own set of construction techniques based on what has worked for me in the past.

How many panels do you like to use in a corset?

For the actual construction of my corsets, there is again a lot of variance. For some very simple underbust ready-to-wear styles (which I am leaning away from more and more, but some clients really love these!), I'll only use eight panels for a very slim woman, or ten for a larger size. For the most complicated overbust styles (or for larger figures), I'll use up to sixteen panels. This has been a matter of trial and error - it's always painfully clear in a mock-up corset when another panel needs to be added! Likewise, if there are too many panels used without reason, there's a huge waste of time and fabric involved - and this either adds up to a waste of my client's money or a waste of my time, neither of which is a good thing.

How precise are you (especially in terms of measuring)? To the nearest quarter inch? Half inch?

My very favorite part of the process is patterning... I suppose I'm a bit of a geometry nut! I could spend all day at my drafting table with a ruler and a french curve... But I suppose that's very important that the patterning interests me so much - because all of the beautiful construction in the world can't make a corset look right if it doesn't fit the model.

I take very specific measurements for every piece, usually 15-25 depending on the style. Of course, a simple waist cincher won't require as many specific measurements as an overbust Victorian style with straps and garters! Whenever I have the pleasure of measuring someone myself, I sometimes take more. Otherwise, I ask my clients to have measurements taken by a professional seamstress, and if I get the measurement sheet back and anything looks a little "off", I ask them to retake them or have them redone by a second measurer. I ask for accuracy within a quarter of an inch.

I know that some corsetmakers, for simplicity's sake, only ask for horizontal measurements, or maybe only one or two vertical ones. For me, the most important parts are those vertical measurements! It's pretty easy to make a size 24" corset fit any average size woman... It is not easy to make one woman fit into a 9" busk or a 14" busk! Also, for long distance clients, I also ask for torso photos to help determine where the "squish" lies.

Can you give us a description of your usual techniques? How do you apply the lining? What fabric do you prefer for the strength layer? How do you space the grommets?

When I actually start construction, my standard methods are these: Mark and cut the strength layer of herringbone twill coutil (note that I stitch all seams by marked stitch lines instead of cutting by seam allowance and gauging it - I have found this to be a much more accurate method).

The fashion fabric is either fused to the coutil or flatlined (depending on the type of fabric and corset style) to a layer of cotton batiste and then the coutil.

The lining, always of cotton twill, is sometimes stitched in one with the coutil/fashion unit, creating boning casings inside of each seam. Or sometimes it is constructed separately and attached only at the top and bottom edges. I prefer to build it all in one, but for some styles it isn't actually possible, so I make do with the next best method.

The busk is inserted early in the process, and I always try to pattern my corsets to keep up with available busk sizes so that there is no gap above or below the busk. Since they come in even 2cm increments, it isn't too difficult to "make it work".

Upon client request, I do external boning casings for that decorative effect, but my standard is a combination between boning casings sandwiched inside of each vertical seam and applied boning casings in the middle of each panel. Usually there are two in the center of each panel - but this also depends on the size of the corset. An 18" corset just can't hold that many bones! I like to use a combination between spiral steels and flats with rigid steel (hoop steel) at each side of the grommets to keep any from pulling through the fabric. After all of the boning is cut and inserted (I usually cut and tip my own because I am very particular about lengths - I like to cut them to the 1/8" so that they fit just right), it is time to add the binding, which is usually at 3/8" finished width. I like to machine stitch it from the right side (having one bout of machine stitching makes it much more secure than my weak little hands ever could!), and then turn the binding to the wrong side and hand slipstitch it into place. Then I mark and pop in 2 piece grommets. I like to put them 1" apart except for the ones at the waist, which I place 1/2" apart for added pulling oomph at the waist! The last step is adding the modesty placket, which is a (usually boned) panel constructed much like the rest of the corset with a full lining and bound edges.

But those are just my standards... all of these ideas and techniques change so much depending on a client's wishes, and that's really the beauty of a custom business.

What types of fabric do you find yourself working with? Which types of fabric are the bee's knees, and which would you avoid?

Some clients want brushed cotton fabric, some want velvet, some want satin... Most seem to want silks, and I'm always more than pleased to work with the most decadent silk brocades. I could really spend hours pouring over them at B&J Fabrics here in NYC. What a great way to spend an afternoon! I'll admit I'm always a bit nervous when a client asks to provide her own fabric - sometimes they're great, but there are some fabrics that were never meant to be made into corsets! Chiffon, tricot, stretch flannel... I'm a stickler about that - if the fabric isn't appropriate, I just won't make it. If I had things my way, all of my corsets would be silks and coutils! But it can be fun to experiment with new types of fabrics, too, and that's part of the joy of working with such a wide range of clients. Burlesque performers look for a whole different style than reenactors do. I don't think I could ever get bored.

Your vest style corset is simply fabulous. Why do you offer so many different shapes and styles of corsets?

I particularly enjoy offering so many different corset styles. I could see becoming bored with producing just one "look" all the time - but I come up with new designs all the time, and I always offer a discount to the first purchaser of each style corset. My two most popular styles to date, the Rebecca and the Sasha started that way. (They are a high backed underbust with pointed front and an Edwardian style overbust with ruffles and flossing, respectively.) Sometimes a crazy idea pops into my head in the middle of the night, and the next thing I know I'm making 5 more of them for clients all over the world!

Your business appears to have grown exponentially since you first started--it has been very interesting to see your work develop. Do you have any tips for others who want to follow in your footsteps and achieve their own dreams of being professional corsetieres?

Looking back now, I almost can't believe how successful I've become in such a short time. I only began marketing my work seriously about 2 years ago, and now I'm producing at least one corset a week. It isn't a full time business for me (yet!) - I'm still keeping my "day job" of freelance costuming, but I'm working towards a full time goal.

My best advice for anyone interested in pursuing work like this seriously is to get to a big city. I moved to NYC four months ago, and I've done almost twenty corsets since then! There's something about the "big markets" like that that help immensely. Granted, I know many corsetmakers who live out in the country, but this move has made my life much easier. I actually stopped advertising actively once I moved here because I couldn't keep up with the demand.

Yes, it's a tough economy and not everyone can afford a $400 piece of clothing. But the clients do exist - sometimes you just have to be in the right place to find them. To give you a more solid example, in my four years living in North Carolina I didn't have a single in-state client. Now about half of my sales are in-state! Now that's a whole other mess with sales tax, but I won't get into that here.

Oh, and that's my other best piece of advice - get a CPA and keep VERY careful records of every expense. About half of my income currently goes right back into my business, and if I didn't record all of that, I'd be paying a whole lot of tax I didn't owe. Granted, a good part of that is the cost of living in New York - the studio space I rent for work is not cheap! But really, keeping good tabs on your income and expenses is what will help you keep your head above water and not go crazy in the meantime.

Thank you for the marvelous interview, Angela. It is very clear that you are dedicated to your work--and the work is truly fantastic!

Angela's web site can be found at http://www.angelafriedman.com/.

Do tell us what you thought of this interview in the "Comments" section below. Did we ask the right questions? Were Angela's answers useful? What questions should we ask next time, and who else would you like us to grill for the details?