More Corsets!

I’ve mentioned before that I love corsets. Well for Into the Woods I got to make 3! One for each of Cinderella’s stepsisters and the stepmother. I was so excited! These corsets also went together differently than the last one that I made so that too was exciting because I always like to learn something new. I still worked on the production as a whole in my usual supervisory capacity but these corsets were my own special project.

These corsets are cut from commercial patterns though they are constructed completely different than the instructions.. They are double layer coutil with a wide piece of twill stitched into the waist for extra stability there. Since the coutil is doubled I was able to put the seams in between the layers so that they finished nicely. The layers are stitched in the ditch on each seam to keep them together.

Setting up one layer of the corset with the twill tape before attaching the second corset layer.

Using the double layers also meant that I didn’t need bone casings. I just stitched channels through the coutil for the bones. We used featherweight boning which is the plastic boning that comes on a roll because this show is a musical with singing and dancing. We wanted to provide some shape and structure without inhibiting their ability to move and breathe.

The two layers of coutil stitched together with bones added..

The costume designer, Tracy Oleincik, didn’t want to see the bone channel stitching on the outside of the corsets so the satin covers were made separately and then stitched onto the coutil. The seamlines are emphasized with contrasting ribbon stitched over them. The top and bottom edges are bias bound in the contrast color.

The third corset didn’t fit any of the dress forms very well. The pouches that you see on the backs of the corsets were added for mic packs. The girls are in just their undergarments for one scene and there isn’t a good way to put a mic pack under a corset so we made matching pouches for them.

Here are (from left to right) Mallory Hammond as the stepmother and Mallory Porter and Kylee Wofford as the stepstisters (with Elizabeth Ard as Cinderella).

And for fun, here they are in their ballgowns with the corsets underneath.