Making the Comfiest & Curviest Victorian Corset (despite my mistakes)
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- I've been needing a good Victorian corset for about a year now, and I've finally gotten around to sewing myself a lovely, curvy, comfy corset that gives me a great waist reduction and helps amplify and create those gorgeous Victorian curves and proportions.
Corset making scares me if I'm being perfectly honest. It stresses me out because if something is wrong with the pattern - the damn thing can be terribly uncomfortable. Luckily, the corset pattern I'm using is from my friend Chrissy, and she is a genius at patterning corsets.
So in this video, I'm going to walk you through how I sewed my corset, the things I liked about my work, my mistakes (and there are a few, some of them are super dumb too if I'm being honest...), and testing out the finished product for the first time in front of you all.
If you want to buy a Victorian-style corset or make your own I highly recommend @RedthreadedCorsets ( redthreaded.com/ ) and Atelier Slyphe www.ateliersyl... for ready-made corsets or great corset patterns.
🖼Images Used:
Royal Worcester Corset, c. 1880, Met museum: www.metmuseum....
Corset, 1870s, V&A museum:
collections.vam...
www.antique-go...
gallica.bnf.fr...
Corset, 1870s, Met Museum, www.metmuseum....
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📚My books:
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I'm an opera singer, and we wear corsets on stage all the time. And we can still breathe and sing loud enough to fill a 5,000 person concert hall. So if actresses can't be heard 4 feet away from a camera, I don't think the corset is the problem.
Hahaha this had me laughing :P Yeah, they have a tendency to put actresses in corsets that are reeeeaaally not the right shape (for the era AND for the person) and then lace it extremely tight. I think/hope for you, they want to make sure it fits right and is comfortable. Poor movie-industry :(
👏👏👏👏
Yes! And, the actresses who complain the most are ones who didn't come up doing theatre at all. Their only experience is TV or movies where there are body mics, boom mics, and then ADR sessions to re-record any lines that were missed. They don't have the experience of filling a room with their "naked" voices.
Also, as someone who did theater in my youth (and got to do 3 workshops with Patsy Rodenberg!!) Isn't the only way to breathe "from your diaphragm"? I mean, if your diaphragm doesn't move, you aren't getting enough breath and that's worrisome, whatever you're doing.
Thank you! I judge high school thespian costume presentations and when the students justify design choices with corset myths, I always use opera singers as counter examples. Glad to hear it from the horse's mouth, so to speak ☺️
Me: “Omg I need this pattern.” Abby: “It’s not for sale.” Me goes and cries in the corner.
same, that made me sad
so much same, it's perfect
Is there any other similar corset pattern out there?
@@L1SSU1N if you're still looking, you should check Aranea Black Sylvia corset pattern
@eddydelapradera i can't find Aranea on RUclips anymore.
I wear corsets to my singing lessons (at my teacher’s recommendation), where I breathe from my diaphragm. And use a spirometer (device that measures lung capacity) in my singing lessons. My lung capacity doesn’t change with or without a corset (even when I reduce my waist 2 inches). I loosely lace for my singing lessons to build my muscles, the purpose of the corset being for me to feel the positioning of my rib cage.
Well, if this doesn’t answer my question in one. Thanks.
Amazing!!!
This is an excellent idea. I wish I had thought of that during college (voice major)
Interesting thing I just realized, medieval steel breastplates were very often very narrow at the natural waist & very convex in the chest & sometimes hip area. The waist had to be narrow to support the weight of the armor partially on your hips as opposed to your shoulders, especially if you had mail armor underneath. The tapering at the waist & widening elsewhere also allowed for better movement. Armor frequently had a roughly hourglass shape similar to corsets. Maximilian armour has one of the most exaggerated horseless shapes I’m aware of. The shape was there for entirely practical reasons as well as for fashion. People had to actually be able to fight for their life in said armor but also wanted to look fabulous & fashionable.
Idk. Just thought it was an interesting comparison I’ve never seen anyone mention before. 🤷♂️
👁👄👁 This. Is. Amazing.
🤯🤯🤯
I live for comments like this.
That's a fascinating observation
After reading that comment...I can almost imagine a husband watching his wife get out of her stays...and then the two of them having a conversation on how he could translate her "underwear" to his armor! LOL ...makes total sense!
I used to make corsets for stage actors and the diaphragm argument *literally never occured to me* because *stage actors* would wear our corsets while projecting to the back of the audience 😏
Also, I often use "I can make corsets" as a demonstration/meter of my sewing skills and everytime someone gets incredibly excited and asks me to teach them, I have flashbacks of cutting metal boning, needles breaking on boning, fiddling with bias tape, and fitting them so many times 😑I always try to impress upon people how much more work it is than they might think 😅
I have started my first corset a couple months ago, I dont have all that much sewing experience but I'm giving it a go... I haven't sewn for a couple weeks (cause I had to start school) but the mock up I'm working on is being so mean!!! It doesn't want to fit together correctly, and is kinda frustrating!
I always thought that corset would be super hard, and they are, but they are hard in ways that I was not expecting... like the sewing itself is fairly simple, but the pattern adjustments that I have had to make have been SUPER rough!
@@addiemiller9677 yep. It's also incredibly easy to lay the pieces out wrong, pin the pieces wrong, so one side upside down and the other side right side up--my best advice is to constantly triple check everything you do by laying the entire project out in front of you so you can see it all at once
Your corset is the exact type of corset that I want - just tight on the waist and the rest of it is just structure and padding. And voila! There you go - an hourglass shape! Teaches people that you really do not need to be unhappy about NOT having an hourglass body shape naturally, because you can fake it with a corset and dressing for that shape. No dieting or cosmetic surgery necessary. How neat is that?! The Victorian people and I assume people in even earlier eras were certainly smart.
This is what Abby made me understand in another video: that women in earlier times didn't need to 'shape' their bodies (not even by shaving their legs), because they made their clothes do the shaping for them.
Yes!!! It's sad how our own body became the "corset" and frankly I think there is freedom in wearing a corset.
@@fruzsimih7214 Women did shave their legs though all throughout history. Shaving for women isn't new.
@@peachesandcream8753 but wasn't it popularised in the early 20th century in order to widen the razor market and make more money?
@@PolarBear-rc4ks Widening the razor market does not mean women didn't shave before then. The safety razor was invented during the world wars for easy shaving for men but the straight razor was still used too. Women would have shaved with a straight razor, or using the edge of a shell, but there were also depilatory creams and waxes available too as well as just plucking the hairs out which was also a popular method. In the Victorian era there are many recipes for depilatory creams and the ideal was to look like a marble statue (i.e. free from all hair). Celtic Britons, as referenced from the Romans, were hairless from the neck down and there are many other cultures who did the same thing.
In the behind the scenes from Mary Shelley (2017) the actresses talk about how the stays (yes, they used the correct term!) weren't uncomfortable and how they helped their posture so they could embody the roles. It was refreshing.
Corset construction is so interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Re: actresses, I have to wonder how many of them are complaining because they were put in hastily-made, poorly-fitted corsets.
And not given the proper undergarments, but made to wear said ill-fitting corset against bare skin.
@@ragnkja That one we know happens!
I'm sure there is some publicity involved but I hate to outright dismiss what is, basically, people complaining about their working conditions. Maybe the problem is low quality, uncomfortable costuming and not the fact that people are speaking about it?
@@augustburning3045
Especially since it’s a screen-actress problem but not as much a stage-actress one (at least not at the professional level). Stage actresses obviously wear shifts under their corsets, since all skin-layer garments are washed after every show and the people who work in theatre wardrobe departments know that they’d much rather wash a shift than a corset. The corsets are also made specifically for the wearer (unless they happen to have a good fit on hand from a previous cast member) and end up being well-seasoned, probably before they even get to preview shows.
@@ragnkja what always bothers me is that these movie’s should have the budget to provide properly fitted corsets to their actresses. I can’t honestly believe it to be that much cheaper to not have properly fitted corsets.
I have a different theory about why they so often show them wearing their corsets on bare skin: it makes for a nice, sexy scene or two.
@@marthahawkinson-michau9611 but surely they could still wear a shift under for every other scene? I get that for the corset specific scenes they want it to look “sexy”, but for the scenes where they’re wearing clothes on top, they could still wear a shift.
And I agree- I also think they’re likely using cheap, modern corsets, and trying to get a Victorian shape simply by lacing down- which can’t happen because modern corsets just aren’t made that way. As Abby pointed out, a lot of them are just tubes with boning.
So they’re ill-made, poorly fitting, not the right shape, they’re likely not wearing a shift, they don’t get time to season, AND they’re right laced to within an inch of their lives.
Add that to the way actors like people to know of every way that they “suffered for their craft” in order to get as much credit as possible, and that’s how you end up with “uh, my organs shifted!”
Ah yes, the old (Quoting from Pirates of the Caribbean) "I can't breathe." *Sigh* I have two essentially fashion corsets of the type often sold at Renaissance Festivals. They are both underbust and have steel boning. Granted, they are not specifically made to my measurements. However, I would like the world to know that not only can I breathe in both, my posture is better, I feel secure and safe (as someone else mentioned), and I can still sing. In fact there are musicians at these festivals who wear corsets and not only sing, but are moving all over the stage and voila - not fainting right and left. If I had the financial wherewithal I would seriously consider trading in my 21st century bras (ick) for corsets to wear every day. I am a fairly "squishy" (oh heck - to be real - I'm a plus sized wench past her mid-fifties) specimen and honestly I love how a corset shapes and molds me into that lovely hourglass. After seeing this gorgeous corset Abby I only had one thought "I want one." If I can ever ditch my sewing machine phobia - who knows. Thanks for continuing to take the wind out of the myth of "evil corsets will ruin the female body."
I completely agree about trading out bras for corsets! I'm trying to get up the courage to make a regency short stays/corset to see if I can replace bras with it. With my back pain, I would trade to corsets if I had the money to either buy or make them.
Saaaaame I'm also working up the courage/skill to make something to replace my bras!
She was also tightlaced, which has been established. It's not a thing...
A few years ago, I got a good quality one from Orchard Corset that I really like wearing (granted, it's an underbust corset) for under $80. Also, there are some good, lower-priced, reputable sellers on Etsy that I've been looking into that sell overbusts for around the same price. (Plus a good corset, when properly cared for, will last a lot longer than a bra, so you don't have to cycle through them so much. This is another reason I'm hunting for a good overbust.)
I've made myself an 18th ct stays, and it really replaced my bras. Such great back support for work of any kind, and best boob support so far.
I really like my victorian corset, but I love! The stays
Like in Bridgerton when they somehow tightlaced a regency corset... which literally HOW. ALSO OMG THAT CORSET IS WONDERFUL GOALS YAAS.
I love all sewing that involves drills, mallets, and handy tools. For me it takes it from simply sewing to creation. It's alive and it looks great!
Thank you! 🥰
Shoe making too?
As an ~amateur~ opera singer, I like singing in a corset. The support to the abdomen makes it almost easier to breath deeply through the diaphragm and push out those big phrases and cadenzas. Anyone who says corsets make it harder to breath is either too tightly laced or wearing a really bad corset.
I have a theory that the other reason actresses will talk about how uncomfortable corsets are is because then even though they are very used to wearing corsets they can act like it was so much harder toomics there acting look that much better and more amazing and all of this and they can be like wow look how much she committed for the role and the sacrifice she made
I’m addition film actors are often on set for 12-16 hour days in costume. If you’re wearing a corset made by a costumer not proficient with corsetry (or made by a costumer forced to design a corset for silhouette over comfort) for 16 hours at a time also without seasoning... that’ll hurt.
@@babablacksheepdog actresses wear corsets all the time. Those gorgeous strapless dresses from high end designers usually need some corsetry involved and thats from a celeb stylist friend.
I do agree that im sure Many a bad corset and unseasoned corset has happened but I genuinely don't believe that that's the end all be all.
Its complicated bc actors often are afraid of being seen as divas and they will suffer if you let them but ime, us costumers will do a lot to protect our actors
@@babablacksheepdog I'm currently going to school for costuming and all my professors are people who have worked in film and theater, many of them as designers and have worked with well know actors. All of my teacher are trained in history and even the guest speakers we get have history knowledge so we are being taught to keep that historical look for when we graduate and work in film, its not the designers fault most of the time, its the director and higher ups who veto ideas. We are doing a production of Into the Woods and our designer for the show wants coreset as they go with the look he wants for the show but the director of the show has flat out told him no due to her not wanting to put strain on the actors when we all know if they get it early enough in rehearsal they will be fine. I do not think it is an after though of the designer, it might not be factored into budget so they have to get an off the rack on instead of making one. There might be a few cases here and there of designers not factoring it in but its's simply not the case a lot of the time and it's a sign of a bad designer if they do make these mistakes
They also usually don't wear anything under their corsets, which is like wearing stilettos you've not broken in and are a half size too small with no blister protection for 16 hrs
@@babablacksheepdog Its also worth noting that it is harder to make a corset fit a very thin person (which is the vast majority of Hollywood actresses as that's what every non-period role requires), if there isn't much to squish you're going to have to use padding to get the right silhouette but 1. most people don't know that corsets can and should be padded and 2. Even if the costume designer/costume maker knows about padding the obsession with thinness in contemporary culture may mean that anything that makes an actress look larger in any dimension could be rejected by any number of people higher up the chain including directors, the actress herself and/or her publicist (depending on how much star power she has) leaving the costume department with the only option left of trying to make the waist smaller when there's just not much to squish away.
Making the comfiest and curviest corset requires a drill and some engineering skills/intuition to create a structure (yes, a structure) that shapes but does not constrains. Corsets and other undergarments are products based on engineering fundamentals. Science. Some may joke and not take the science of undergarments seriously - others understand but can only write about it in a sarcastic way (see "A Stress Analysis of a Strapless Evening Gown" by Charles Seim (a structural engineer) Journal of Improbable Research). BTW, the dress has a built-in corset. Abby's video points out that a painful corset worn by an actor is either an ill-fitting garment or a marketing ploy. I do not understand why these actors allow marketing to turn them into memes to ridicule.
It is in the contract. To help permaote the movie,
When you mentioned one could do it in demin fabrics it just struck me that THIS is my upcycling project for all old jeans in my stash! Sturdy cotton is as made for structural garments as this (especially in a history bounding context).
Ooohhh!!!! I love it 😻. I have a stash of old jeans also. They used to be my husbands, but he’s really really good at ripping his pants. I should soooooo make a corset out of them. The lower legs on his pants never take the same heavy beating as the parts he always rips, so it should be usable fabric. Also, he’s definitely “big boned”, so it’s a lot of fabric sitting around. To quote Sir Mix A lot: I like big butts, and I cannot lie.
I made a set of stays from old jeans and covered it with a more attractive fabric. My only regret is not lining it to hide the denim. Just FYI.
This is a great idea. However, I saw this post and my brain said "jean corset? jorset."
Yes!
meamela during the beginning of quarantine in April, I wanted to make a pair of stays, but all the shops were closed. So I looked through my stash and closet, and cut up some old jeans, and voila! New pair of stays!
I've literally started wearing my old Victorian-inspired corset to the horse yard (meaning several hours of different types of strenuous physical activity). It's so much more comfortable than modern sport bras, AND gives better support. I can breathe in a perfectly normal manner (I was also taught breathing technique back when I did classical singing).
The vast majority of classical female vocal parts were written for singers wearing corsets or stays, so of course they’re singable while wearing a corset or pair of stays.
I find it easier to breathe when I have something to push against? Especially singing.
Exactly!
Almost every power opera singer I know would and do swear by their corsetry.
@@leechowning2712
That’s not all that surprising when you consider what the original performers of the “codifying works” of opera would be wearing. Operatic female singing was developed by and for women wearing stays or corsets.
Agreed! I find it so much easier to belt and to hold my notes when wearing a corset.
Also, my spine doesn’t work, like much at all, and a corset keeps me upright, which also helps rather a lot with singing. It’s much more difficult to sing lying down, let me tell you!
Agreed! Corsets are so comfortable & beneficial for singing. I don't perform as well without one.
I’m so glad Sir Mix-a-Lot made a brief, albeit necessary, appearance in this video. because all the people with back need to be represented!!
It felt good to finally have a chance to throw in some Sir Mix-a-lot, I didn't have that song memorized in college for nothing... 😂
@@AbbyCox The next CoCoVId needs to have a karaoke room...
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
I've worn corsets daily for years (they are AMAZING for chronic back issues). I'm more functional in one than without one.
Fun fact. I dress for comfort. I live in nightgowns and robes. I'm homebound due to unrelated health issues. I'd never wear a corset if it weren't truly VERY comfortable. Wearing one lessens my pain and that allows me to take less medications. THEY ARE AMAZING!
Well fitting corsets do not cause pain, breathing problems, or anything else.
I love the curve at the waist to hip area on this. I tend to go for underbusts though. Now I've got to find something like that without being an overbust. This is gorgeous!
I need a corset in my life! Let’s say it loud and clear they are more comfy than modern stupid bras!!! BRAS ARE STUPID!
Amen to that!
I have a 60 M bust and can't find a bra that fits & doesn't torture me. Thinking a corset might be the answer. And I do need to correct my posture.
@@gwendavis1623 yeah it very well might be. And it would really take the pressure off your back because the corset would support the girls in a really great way because it would involve your whole torso not just your back c: i suplort you
Yeah, I made a mock up of a corset the other day, the actual corset isnt done yet... but I found even the mock way more comfortable!
In order to be comfortable and not spend a ton of money, I have taken to getting stretchy tank tops that are 3 sizes too small. They work as a type of sports bra, and I can even sleep in them comfortably. But I'd still rather wear a corset like the one shown here when out in public, so I don't feel so sloppy.
Clickbait marketing has so much to answer for. Singing in a corset aids your projection by giving the diaphragm additional support. I was watching the movie/corset rant and had Dearest Bernadette yelling about shifts under corsets in my head the whole time. You two desperately need to do a dual corset rant and just flood the interwebs with all the tea!
I've been commenting links to Karolina, Bernadette, Abby and even Jessica Kellgren-Fozard on every "but corsets are evil" post I see.
Edna glasses! I live for them! And channelling Edna is a must for any sewists!
My grandmother had glasses just like that in the late 1970s. (Gotta love a classic frame!)
She also had a brunette bob haircut.
You brought back good memories, Abby. Thank you.
I absolutely lost it when Abby breathed from her diaphragm. 💙Yass, queen debunk the nonsensical corset myths.
If you can’t sing opera while wearing a corset or stays, it’s because you can’t sing opera. Anna Gottlieb and Josepha Hofer would have been wearing stays when they performed as Pamina and the Queen of the Night in the original production of _Die Zauberflöte,_ Fanny Salvini-Donatelli would have been wearing either a corset or stays as Violetta in _La Traviata_ (premiered in 1853, but set in around 1700 in the first productions), and so on.
I actually sing opera, and it's really common to wear corsets, even waist cinching ones, on stage
The actors not being able to breath in corest because of how they breathe is so silly to me, Opera singers wear corest and are able to act and sing extremely powerfully without dying.
Even when the libretto calls for them to "die"!
Yep! I'm an opera singer, I can sing in a corset and I never died...
@@catrinlewis939
Do you mean that the character they’re playing literally dies or do you mean the euphemistic sense? 😁
Either way, the corset clearly doesn’t negatively impact their ability to sing.
Consider what women typically wore when operatic singing was originally developed as a style. If you can’t sing the Queen of the Night’s second aria while wearing 1790s stays, it’s not because of the stays.
@@ragnkja By "literally" do you mean as part of tragic plot? In that case, yes, that. Singers of characters like Violetta in La Traviata or Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, who expire onstage and have to keep singing to the end. In stays or corsets. Bent over or lying down. They do it. All the time. Without griping to the press.
My first thought on seeing the hips on that corset, it is going to make some great support for those bustle skirts.
Ha you just made me realize I should shoot for a Victorian corset, already have the built in Victorian tummy pouch 🤣 one fear that kept me from attempting to make a corset - beside sewing skills - how it wouldn't fit me due to pouch. Glory hallelujah. Gorgeous curves can't wait to see what goes on top 🤩
i don't care what media says about corsets. i have always wanted one. pretty sure i would get way more support for these mountains on my chests.
also, that corset looks very nice! mad props to folks who can actually sew! (and even use a sewing machine lol)
„This is me breathing from my diaphragm“ yeah it’s an actual thing, now one has to suffer suffocation from a corset 👏
The corset/diaphragm speech was utterly amazing omg
1. It’s gorgeous and looks amazing!
2. Your fur babies are always fantastic entertainment. My doggo cannot allow me to do anything without attempting to “assist.” By assist, I mean sprawl on top of my lap or my project until I have lavished enough love and attention upon him to his satisfaction.
3. I can’t wait to see what’s coming!!! I may or may not have squeed like a little kid and done a happy dance at the *wink wink nudge nudge*. I also can’t resist a Monty Python reference.
4. Chrissy should sell her corset patterns as a side gig...Just saying. That, or sell her designs to a corset company. Could you imagine a collaboration with Red Threaded? I think we’d all go nuts for them. I practically drooled over her Madame X corset. I think she’d make a pretty penny! Obviously that’s just a suggestion based off my sheer admiration for her talent.
Lots of love to you and yours, and have a wonderful week!
1. Thank you!
2. The only reason I can really get any sewing done is because the dogs are *not* allowed in the sewing room (cause they're both stupid and will try to eat pins/needles...scraps of fabric...bits of fuzz...etc.) 😂😂
3. Yessss! 😎😎😎
4. We were chatting last night and I was like, "Are you ready to have people bug you for that pattern, cause it's going to happen." and she started to laugh. I think she's going to do an IG post on how she patterned the corset (it's based off of a 1878 patent) and the different versions she's made of it. So hopefully we'll have more information soon! 😍
We all need her patterns!!!!!
Totally with you on the reason why we don't hear actors talk about how comfy their corsets are. Honestly I think the whole "I couldn't breathe in my corset" clickbait actor thing is a symptom of a deeper problem, the idea that suffering for art makes it more valuable. Or that pain and overwork = dedication. Like, look at all the actors who get Oscars for starving themselves for roles.
One of my goals is to direct a short film (or feature) while wearing a corset to help put that myth to rest once for all.
A lot of them are poorly fitted though (look that way on screen) so could have been a bit uncomfortable. They're often not made custom, only to some measurements the agency provides for the models (often glamour measurements or things like cup size, but no actual numbers). Add to this that filming hours are very long, sets are notorious for not providing plenty of water or food options. Often the food is at a set time & you have to eat as much as you can quickly before filming resumes (whilst having people suggest it would be better if you didn't have anything), but in a corset its more comfortable to eat small regular portions not one big load. I can't remember who it was, but one actress was quoted commenting about them making her soup to eat as it was easier to eat quickly & didn't cause her any bloating issues and then the media went to town on the whole "actress forced to survive on liquid diet for corset role". When it was actually an example of them doing their best not being bad! So I think some of it is just the media twisting things from what the actresses say, and some of it could well be down to poor fitting items.
“The more that I wear this and the more I’m talking to you guys...”
I was so waiting for that sentence to continue “...the more it gets covered in dog hairs” 🙄😊
Thank you so much for this - especially showing how much space you have in your bust and hip. I started making a Symington corset this weekend and the first mock-up was a disaster. (Seriously. I couldn’t put my arms down because the top stuck out so much!) This helped me to see which parts really aren’t too big and where I can adjust the shape of the garment to better match the proportions of the era. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!
You're welcome! I tried a symington pattern, and without any alterations (so the initial mockup) the bust gussets were at my lower rib cage 😂 their patterns can be really tricky to work with.
Has anyone tried carrying a toddler while wearing a corset? OMG, game changer! It was like she was sitting in a saddle (and I was the horse, lol). She was able to grip better which kept her from slipping down, which kept me from putting too much strain on my arm and, of course, the corset absorbed her weight so my back didn't hurt and she felt much lighter!
As many children as women had back then, this would have been a HUGE advantage!
Cord hooks! Brilliant. I have always struggled with the extra cording, always end up shoving it under the corset.
The other day I noticed that my hip bones hurt from wearing jeans (belts make it worse). Imagine how much weight Victorian ladies had to carry around with all the layers of skirts they usually wore. Corsets do make a lot of sense, not only from an aesthetical point of view.
I would like to note that even in a modern waist-training corset, I can breathe from my diaphragm, and also my life-long asthma is improved. :)
Gee, media loves clickbait?! NEVER!!! (HUGE amounts of side eye). Love this video.
Serious Enda Mode vibes here... and that grommet pour make me snort because who doesn't do that?
A regency and victorian corset are on my 2021 list of to-dos and .... we shall see.
From my wife lady14bug: Abby Cox is my feminist corset icon!
I was getting my own flashbacks when you where doing the binding. Oh the joy of holding on to your seat while trying to make things work on a short time restraint. I use to do burlesque and often while traveling to a show I was always finishing new costume pieces (or fixing other people's costumes). Fun stuff
I love when I see other people talk to their dogs like they are little people who will actually answer them like I do.🤣🐕🐕🤣
When you said "And you know what the media loves?" my first thought was "Opressed women in the past."
The way a light was bouncing off the screen on my phone whilst watching your introduction appeared as if you were wearing a crown and, gotta say, it really looked great on you!! (Sentence length attributed to reading Victor Hugo of late...)
"Abby Do You Dob You Design & Make Revolutionary War Uniforms?"
The shape on this is GLORIOUS, and I live for your lil puppers so much good chaotic energy
Great video, Abby! I really loved your bit in the Pride and Prejudice video about actresses and their corsets, I was crying with laughter. Also, I loved the whole video, but the bit of myth busting at the end was great. As Bernadette has done videos on, corsets when fitted well can be super comfy and even used to help people with scoliosis so their backs feel better, and it makes me so annoyed when people are like, "But corsets made people faint." No. They. Did. Not. Also, loved, loved, lovvvvved all the footage of your dogs! What cuties!!!
Now I need one. Dangit. I want it because I haz the curves and I also sing opera. Now I need a gown based on the Sissie portrait (the one with the spangles, ya know). It's totally phantom of the opera meets la traviata but still. Narrow waist, big skirt, opera = life is fabulous!
Watching your videos is like talking to my sisters… I feel so engaged because you stop to talk to your animals just like most of us with animals would do… I love your style! Also, your depth of knowledge on historical fashion is wondrous and I am learning so much from you!
I’m obsessed 😍
I’m personally reaching corset myths and posture improvement. As a master’s student working on my thesis I find your content so important and informative I hope more people will get to understand the benefits and truth behind this amazing garment ❤️
And as a fashion designer, seamstress and pattern maker for the past 14 years I believe our clothing has a big impact on our lives, Heath and wellness.
Thank you for what you do, making historical fashion fun, funny and admirable
Watching this while working on a corset (and with that a corset video) myself. Love that!
I hope your corset making is going well, I can't wait to see it!
@@angelanice it is thank you! It's nearly done at this point c:
I genuinely appreciate the diaphragm demonstration because I was afraid of that part of corsetry
I have to crack up, because while my little live-in demons are cats, and not dogs, the moments I've been like "Hey! No zoomies on the bed! No zoomies on me! No zoomies through the computer wires! *ends up holding one of them while continuing to do whatever I was already doing*" in exactly the same tone.....well. It's very relatable!
I wear corsets and sometimes yes they are uncomfortable but most of the time they are so comfortable better than anything else that you would use to keep your stomach in and they’re so cute they have amazing style I love them so much
You nailed it!
Also, I put mine on today and did a bunch of side bends, twists, and bend all the way to the floor to touch my toes. If I wasn't so out of shape, I'd go do an obstacle course in it.
My observation about those who complain about corsets.... as long as it fits right... it because it’s causing them to stand up straight. And if you have spent your whole life sloughing then yes... yes it will be uncomfortable and hurt.
That would explain why singers don’t complain about corsets. In fact, it’s something I’ve heard singers say *in favour* of corsets.
sewing things, goofy pups, a history lesson and the justified rants of a fellow sass queen. I am here for all of it!! 😍❤️
Holy curvature, Batman!
I'm grateful you addressed the construction pitfalls you hit on the road to this lovely corset; reminds me that perfectionism is not the be all and end all.
Also. Dogs. So cute. So snuggly. So bad for film continuity. But so worth it.
Oh that dry Canadian humour. Love Schitt's Creek. Thanks for another lovely video showing the triumphs (and trials) of making. Take care.
Listening to you make your 1880s corset while I cut the first toile pattern pieces for Redthreaded 1880's pattern (first ever diy corset). You have no idea how much this helps me, while also reminding me to rein in my perfectionism with this project. Thank you for the tips and encouragement!
I love your dog who sits on your lap. He/she is adorable.
This was so fun to watch! I'm so happy the corset turned out well. The twill tape looks great with the fabric you chose. Can't wait to see what you have planned this year! :D
My sisters are both costumers - properly fitted corset and costume makes all the difference. One sister teaches costuming in a high school program. She tries to teach this too
i cAnT brEathE wIth mY dIaPhrAm! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Y'know professional opera singers wore corsets while performing, and mics didn't exist, right?
How do they think all the operatic roles written for women in the 17th and 18th centuries were originally performed?
Love this! The only time I have had issues breathing was with a very cheap very badly fitting corset that was too tightly laced and not broken in at all!!
I don't wear corsets, though I have certainly eyed some antique clothing, wishing to God that women still wore long dresses like that all the time -because I do, and right now I am a weirdo. If more people got on board I'd be less of "that old lady who wears the funny clothes" and MORE "she is sooooo cool." I am sewing again, making my own dresses, and I just love Abby's videos. I am reminded of a lot of TECHNIQUE I'd forgotten. Plus...she's fun. So, thanks, Abs! Great video.
Salty at Hollywood? Check.
Has cute doggies? Check.
Chaotic 'your drama teacher' energy? Also check.
No wonder her channel grew so fast.
the discomfort from corset discussion is so funny to me because of the amount of people I know who like wore one once and like instantly fell in love because of the amount of support. My best friend tried one for the first time yesterday and didn't want to take it off because it gave her so much relief from her chronic back pain. She literally said she felt like she could fall asleep standing up because she felt so good.
I am thinking that a corset or one similar to yours would work extremely well in a modern evening gown instead of a merry widow. I find wearing my stays easy and have no trouble running up and down stairs. I had to put on my 1776 gown recently and have put on my covid weight, so laced my stays down a bit to ensure a better fit of my gown--no problem. I also happen to have purchased 10 yards of coutil from Richard the Thread when he had a big sale a few years ago, so looks like a corset is in my future.
Just as aside it looks like your dogs may be much better behaved than mine. Little Ricky (yes Ricardo, because his doggie momma is Lucy) is 128 lbs at 18 months and loves to crawl up in my lap and snuggle like your sweet baby girl, sadly his shoulder and big "A.." head gets in the way of breathing, but hey who needs to breathe when you are loved?
I feel my dog is the same way!! When I am doing a virtual doctor visit I have to have my dog on my lap and then I just need to worry about her snoring!! Sometimes is really loud!! Live with COVID!!!!
While I agree to an extent about the click bateness of corset talk, I have to object a bit. If the corset is ill fitting and too tight is is difficult to breathe properly. I've had to wear fitting and too tight corsets while performing and the difference was very noticeable. So I would argue that less blame needs to go on the actresses, as many of them were actually quite uncomfortable, for the reasons you outlined. Open season on the producers though.
Producers and costumers definitely have to take the blame for this. Especially since the actresses don’t even seem to be allowed to wear the appropriate undergarments under their corsets. If some costume designer gave me an ensemble that had a corset but no shift, I’d tell them I’d either substitute my own modern equivalent (a T-shirt) or they’d have to give me the period-appropriate version.
You always make me smile and I needed that today. Thanks, Abby and furballs!
I loved this comedic finale. Very funny family.👏🏼🪡🧵💜
So I was watching one of your videos yesterday and my computer died while watching. Then I plugged in my PC and saw this video was posted - and in perfect timing, as I'm trying to plan out my first corset. This was really super helpful - thank you, Abby!
powerlifters also wear very tight garments around the waist - lifting belts. the tight leather belt makes them able to (safely) lift MORE. it gives them something to brace their abdominal muscles against. pretty sure people deadlifting three times their body weight can breathe just fine.
I actually started my sewing journey by attempting to make a corset. My first try wasn't too bad but the fit wasn't perfect, I've now completed and am currently wearing attempt #2. Very happy with it so far. So for beginners who want to make one. Do. try. expect to fail a bit and expect to pay for all the materials necessary. If you have a strong enough motivation you can get there!
You need Handi clips, They are specifically designed for quilting...we use them to clip the binding in place before sewing the binding on. Morgan called them Crabby, pincher things in her corset video. I have them in multiple colors and sizes. I store them in mason jars and they just look like decor, instead of the useful items they are!
Couldn’t you use those big winged paper clips?
@@saritshull3909 sure you could. I like the handi clips because they do not damage my quilts. They open up large enough to deal with the multiple layers I am generally working with. So I thought they would be useful in corsetry where you have bulky pieces, IE Busks, bones, fabric. Satin and silks often show pin marks, where as they are not damaged by the fabric clips.
This was so much more informative than the pictures of corsets I see in books! Now I can see how it shapes itself, how someone moves in it and egad! HOW YOU CAN STILL BREATHE WITHOUT FAINTING!
Thank you Abby, I had loads of fun and now I can dream about another pretty corset with loooots of room for snacking purposes :D
ref :14:01
Liked how you pushed the glasses up before continuing the explanation. :-)
I thought I was the only one who calls my dog a potato XD just had to comment before I've finished the video cuz I strongly relate to the dog choas vibes :)
I had to stop & show my Hubs because our (his) dog does that to him when he’s trying to work.
Your dogs are great , they are real characters. Loved the corset
If you're talking you're breathing! I love singing in my corsets, and baking, and moving big, heavy things around. Corsets definitely saved my back when I worked retail. The only thing that is uncomfortable in corsets is cars and that's cause car seats are made for uncorseted bodies.
In what way are car seats uncomfortable in a corset? Because I already think the way they tend to be slightly leaned back is uncomfortable _without_ a corset. I hate sitting with my back at that angle.
@@ragnkja The first adjustment i make in any car is to put the seat angle at 90 degrees. Otherwise i have to drive w/o touching the seat back. And I have never worn a corset.(I also wear progressive lenses...laying back I look thru the wrong edge of the lens.)
The shape is lovely! Please show us the final, final form of the corset some time (you know, with the padding and the flossing and and all that jazz).
I enjoy your videos so much. You make sewing fun. Not everybody has the ability to laugh at themselves the way you do. I have laughed myself to tears watching you & your dogs. Educational & entertaining as well, luv it!
Okay totally here for snuggle breaks!!!
Abby, Dude, as a service dog handler, I’m going offer an unsolicited insight. Your doggies get amped when you go to record because they don’t understand that your rants are mostly theatre. They’re trying to distract you and keep you from settling in to record because you had some rants in a row there. Give them a job to do, a ‘help’, and maybe your filming workload (subtle reference to subtle reference about accidents and zoomed) should get more streamlined. They are beautiful. You are all hilarious. And I love spending Sundays with you all.
Thanks for the advice, however I do want to remind you that what you are watching is edited and cut together in a way for the sake of comedy. You don't see the full picture, both on and off camera, and while I have more that I want to say, I'll just stop here.
@@AbbyCox no harm no foul, I do get that. Hence-unsolicited clarification. Not trying to be an ahole or make you feel bad OR convince you to do anything differently. Just making an observation in case you are actually feeling as overwhelmed as their behavior seems to indicate. I need a doggo to navigate these things on the regular, or I can’t leave my house, and see things a little different way/have a bizarre skill set most don’t. Not judging you. Did not mean to sound like that. And very appreciative of the comedy. My deepest apologies. Sorry for bothering you. Now my dog is alerting me, because I am crying. I’m very, very sorry I upset you.
@@molliejones4303 I don’t think you should be so hard on yourself! The video DOES make it seem as though Abby is overwhelmed by the dogs behaviour. I did not realize she did it on purpose. As a dog trainer, you were offering advice to remedy what you saw as being a stressful situation for both the human AND the canines. Just shows your compassion. Go easy on yourself.
@@AprilAiteen at the risk of making this 10 times worse for myself and Abby...I’m commenting one last time, in the hope it can make it better. Yes, Abby seems stressed. Making videos on a deadline ups anxiety, creates stress. It is hard. The doggos (as seen by the hilarious clips) are being pills-but it is a pretty standard dog behavior when they don’t know how to solve the problem you give them. They tend to run through all the behaviors they can think of one after another until they hit one that works. It is actually a training approach to teach problem solving. They have associated her stress with her filming set up, and will stop at nothing to keep her from doing that thing again-because it is stressful for her. Valiant Griff even got himself in such potential trouble he wee’d on the floor to try and help her-who knows what consequences that would have led to with his prior owners! They don’t know how to help her and are probably making her more stressed. And things are hard enough for everyone right now. What makes it better is teaching them how they can help-what ever that is for Abby (settling on a blanket, lying on her feet, sitting next to her, settling in the other room). Not teaching them will lead to them repeating the stuff that was most distracting or interrupted filming the best-because they think that helps her feel better in the present and don’t understand that long term well being means sometimes you have to steer into the stress.
@@molliejones4303 Please don't feel bad. I think your advice was sound. And you actually helped me with my cats. They are like therapy cats to me. They alert me when I get too stressed. And if I don't calm down at their gentle alerts they progress. I forget that sometimes and get annoyed with them. But when I recognize the initial behavior as an alert and thank them and tell them I'm okay now they calm down. I need to remember that they are reacting to me and are trying to help me. I appreciate the reminder from you that wasn't directed to me. See? You did help someone. Thank you. Hug.
I'm probably not going to making a corset soon, never know, but I did enjoy all the details you showed and talked about here. Garment construction has so many little details and tricks to learn. I've started making my own clothes and I'd like to incorporate some of the textures and flourishes from old-timey times with wearable tech like conductive thread, arduino, bluetooth speakers in the collar of a jacket for example. Victorian gentleman meets the Jetsons.
I’m planning on making my own corset too. I don’t have a lot of sewing experience but I downloaded a free pattern a while ago and my Aunty gave me her sewing machines because she doesn’t want them anymore (I didn’t ask for them, she has back problems so she wanted them gone). It will be my first big sewing project. Hopefully it turns out okay. I don’t have material etc yet. The good thing is my mum is a quilter so I can ask her for sewing advice and hopefully not feel like too much of an idiot. 😁
I binged schitts creek last fall and immediately turned into david for a week and a half. 😂😂
I can't wait for your reproductions :D I love Nicoles reproduction videos and everyone else's so can't wait for yours :D :D
My favourite kind of Sunday self-care is a cuppa and an Abby Cox video. Especially when there's a rant about "evil" corsets. 😂♥️👌🏻
Projectors are a huge game changer! A lot of times, of the length isn’t right but the width is, it’s an aspect ratio issue.
I did such a happy dance right when you did the "I AM NOW BREATHING FROM MY DIAPHRAM!" bit!!!! Loved it. Thank you!!
I also emulate David. I CANNOT help myself. I love him.
Tsubi knows she is the star. I would like a Tsubi and Griff vlog where they take us through their typical day. Cutest co-workers. 😍😍
I love your videos! People look at me funny when i tell them about how layering and things created the shapes of the past. ❤️
The reason the movies and etc. complain about corsets isn't just clickbait- it is also because of who used to be major shareholders of movie companies. Several of the 'golden age' production companies also owned clothing houses and - big surprise- women's underwear companies. Debbie Reynolds mentioned something about it in one of her shows in the 1990s (after she became much more 'free' with her commentary) when under contract to Warner Brothers she wore brand 'x' bras and then at MGM she wore only brand 'y'.
I click so fast whenever I see you post 😍 id LOVE to grow my own old timey meal and explore what women would have worn to farm through time. I thibk that would be so interesting
The fitting information and demo is so helpful! The corset hooks information was fantastic, especially. Costumers/reenactors have been padding corsets and dresses for several years now, and a few have talked about bending the bottom of the busk, but really appreciated this-is-how-it-works and here's why. Many thanks!
Hopping your luck will rub off on me and my 1780s stays project!