Corset Development

After finishing the tutu, I moved on to creating the corset. I purchased a white satin corset with the intention of placing my appliqués on top. However, putting the corset next to my tutu showed that the two pieces din't sit well as a pair, due to the cream, 'vintage' look of the tutu next to the stark whiteness of the corset. I decided to cover the panels of the corset to allow the two items to sit well together. I wanted to bring the calico colour into the corset, so I decided to do an acrylic transfer onto calico, to be created into panels for the corset. I started by creating a pattern for the six different panels on the corset, both left and right. The images I chose for the panels were of my favourite dancers, such as Adam Cooper and Misty Copeland. I feel this adds to the personal story behind this garment. 

I transferred the six images onto calico using an acrylic transfer method, to give a vintage, worn away look to match the tutu. I decided to add slight bits of stitch and beading to enhance the images and give a bit more texture and interest. I feel this process really enhanced the corset and made it a piece of art in its own right, as well as being part of the costume along with the tutu. 

Once the base of the corset was done I moved on to the creation of the appliqués. I found images of four generations of my family; my great nan, my grandma, my mum and myself. I drew these out onto calico and added shards of fabric to the hair and clothing to add some colour and texture. I then stitched them using various shades of brown thread for the hair and black thread for the features and details. They were then cut out and stitched onto the corset, two on the back and two on the front. To finish off the corset, and to bring in more details from the tutu, I added a pleated ruffle of sheet music to the neckline of the corset. I feel this helped to link the two pieces together as one garment.

I am very pleased with the outcome of my corset. I feel it links in well with the tutu, with the calico panels and paper ruffle. This is also a very wearable garment, which illustrates my personal story of life through the figures in my family. I feel this was a successful addition to my tutu and overall final piece.