This article was first published in 2012 on the amazing corset-making website www.foundationsrevealed.com Thank you to the lovely team at FR for allowing me to publish the full article here!
 |
| Tutorial - Embellishing a lace corset with Swarovski rhinestones and beads |
Embellishing a lace corset with Swarovski rhinstones & beads
By Flo Foxworthy - November 2012
This month i've been working on a
costume for a New Zealand-based burlesque performer named Leda Petit.
Leda is a stunning young woman with a
face and figure straight out of a black & white film from
Hollywood's golden age, and I always enjoy creating costumes for her
that are elegant and striking, while still remaining feminine and
pretty.
In this article, i'll be looking at
choosing the embellishments for her corset, and how I go about
attaching these delightful sparkly things to garments.
The main colour theme for this costume
was Navy lace on nude, to give the impression of lace against bare
skin - this is one of my favourite looks, and it can be really
effective when embellished with sparkling details.
Choosing the embellishments
When considering the embellishments for
this costume, I decided to use a selection of Swarovski rhinestones
and beads in various sizes and shapes to compliment the design of the
lace border.
Rather than use one single colour, I
chose to use two shades of blue and a lovely steely-grey as an
accent.
The variety in colour and shape helps
to add depth and interest to the overall design – the Dark Indigo
stones give flashes of deep blue/black, and the Meridian Blue stones
appear to be blue/turquoise from the front but reflect violet, red
and gold from different angles.
 |
| Swarovski rhinestones & beads for a burlesque costume |
I estimated what i'd need by looking at the floral design on the lace and counting how many times each feature was repeated.
The final list may seem excessive, but
from past experience i've found that it takes far more rhinestones
and beads to cover an area that you initially think!
Corset embellishments:
Round flat-back rhinestones (size ss20)
– Dark Indigo x 700 pieces
Round flat-back rhinestones (size ss20)
– Meridian Blue x 700 pieces
Round flat-back rhinestones (size ss34)
– Dark Indigo x 50 pieces
Round flat-back rhinestones (size ss30)
– Meridian Blue x 100 pieces
Bicone beads (4mm) – Dark Indigo x
700 pieces
Bicone beads (4mm) – Jet x 80 pieces
Rivoli sew-on rhinestone (10mm) –
Crystal Silver Night x 10 pieces
Teardrop sew-on rhinestone (12x7mm) –
Crystal Silver Night x 90 pieces
Bugle beads (not Swarovski) – Royal
blue and Steel blue
Total 2430 pieces (excluding bugle
beads)
Constructing the corset
To begin, I drafted an underbust corset
with four attached garters. Leda wanted the appearance of a dramatic
waist reduction, but still needed to be able to perform in the
garment, so I gave the corset eight panels per side and curved it up
around her ribcage to give her plenty of room to breathe.
The corset had four layers in total:
Nude satin (fused with a firm cotton
interfacing), lace overlay, white coutil, floating lining.
I used a combination of flat and spiral
steels, and because the panels were so narrow (around 3cm at the
waist), I used only one bone per seam.
 |
| Cutting the corset pieces |
I wanted to have as few visible seams
in the lace as possible, so instead of cutting the lace in panels to
match the corset pattern I chose to use pattern manipulation to
re-create the corset in as few pieces as possible.
 |
| Cutting the lace overlay pieces |
 |
| Placement of lace overlay on the corset front |
In the end I used three lace pieces per
side:
1: Centre front extending around the
side above the waist
2: Side front below the waist
3: Back
4: Filler piece for the back (this
piece was not needed after all)
The lace I used for this costume had
pretty floral sprays all over, so I was able to shape the lace pieces
around the curves of the corset by carefully trimming around the
edges of the sprays and overlapping instead of creating darts (this
helps to give the appearance of an almost seamless layer of lace
around the body).
I trimmed away the excess fabric, and
using tiny stitches I secured the lace to the corset while closing
the “seams” in the lace. The lace overlay needed to be secured
to the nude satin layer, so I used a clear nylon thread to stitch
through the layers with tiny stitches, catching the coutil layer
along the corset seam lines to prevent it from slipping around or
pulling and getting saggy.
 |
| Hand stitching lace to the front of the corset |
When stitching the layers together, I
kept the turn-of-cloth in mind so the layers won't pull in opposite
directions when the garment is worn. To do this, I never held the
garment flat when stitching - I used my free hand to support the
garment from the inside, allowing it to curve over my hand while I
stitched from the outside.
Beading the corset
My corsets are
mainly worn by performers, so the embellishments need to be as secure
as possible – I can't have them catching on other costume pieces,
or coming loose easily.
A bridal or
evening corset may be worn only once or twice, and you may need only
to stitch through each bead once to secure it to the garment.. but a
burlesque costume will be worn many times (especially if the
performer has invested in a serious piece), and may even be thrown
around on stage or piled into a suitcase, so all embellishment needs
to be as secure as possible.
Once the lace was all attached and
secured to the corset, I was ready to begin the beading.
I've found it's easier to do the
majority of the beading on a corset prior to finishing and binding
the edges, just to prevent any accidental stitches making their way
through the lining.
At this point, I tried to bead anywhere
that wouldn't get in the way of the binding etc, leaving about 2”
from the top and bottom edges so there was plenty of room for
stitching the binding on without catching any beads in the process.
These areas would be beaded once the binding was finished.
 |
| Beginning to bead the corset |
Note: remember to leave clearance room
around your busk loops so that you can open and close the busk
without catching on any beads or rhinestones!
 |
| Beading the front of the corset |
Once again, I used the clear nylon
thread (but it's entirely a matter of preference), doubled and
knotted. I began by taking a couple of small stitches in place to
secure the thread, then stitched through the bead and back through
the fabric.
I tried to keep my stitches as close to
the bead as possible, and I usually triple stitch each bead to ensure
that it is secured firmly. I also caught the coutil layer with at
least one of the three stitches in each bead if possible.
 |
| Attaching Swarovski rhinestones to the corset with invisible thread |
Another benefit of triple stitching is
that some beads have a tendency to cut through the threads,
particularly if they are able to move around and rub against the
thread due to loose stitching. If your bead is triple stitched then
it can't move around and is less likely to be cut.
I finished each bead by taking a small
tight stitch through the fabric underneath the bead ) rather than
making a knot), then continued to the next bead by taking a stitch
under the satin layer of the corset and bringing the needle out where
the next bead is to be placed.
It's a slow process, but the end result
is firm secure beading that doesn't move when you run your hands over
it (or wear another garment over it).
Finishing the corset
Once the majority of the beading was
done, I completed the corset by attaching the lining, inserting
bones, finishing the back, binding the top and bottom edge and
attaching the garters.
Once the binding was been finished, I
continued beading any areas that had been left out earlier and then
it was time to apply the rhinestones.
 |
| Beading the lace burlesque corset |
Applying rhinestones
When it comes to rhinestones, not all
are created equal.
Swarovski and Preciosa are probably the
most well-known brands, and they have their reputations for a reason.
Their stones are of excellent quality and are the most reliable when
adhered to a garment.
The most popular rhinestones to use on
garments are the round flat-back rhinestones. They come in a wide
range of colours and sizes, and even some shapes.
You can choose between hotfix or
non-hotfix stones. Hotfix stones have a heat-set glue on the back of
each stone and require a special tool that holds the stone and heats
it ready for application.
Non-hotfix stones need to be glued to
the garment using an appropriate adhesive such as E6000 or Gemtac.
There are many imitation stones
available, they may be labelled as DMC / Korean / acrylic etc. These
are absolutely fine for crafts or for a low budget costume, but the
quality isn't great so if you're working on a special piece then I
strongly suggest you purchase genuine Swarovski or Preciosa stones –
they aren't as expensive as you may think, and the vibrant sparkle is
totally worth it.
It's a great idea to lace your corset
onto a pillow prior to gluing, so that your corset is stretched out
smoothly and you have a rounded surface to work on.
To apply rhinestones to fabric using a
water-based glue like Gemtac, simply dab a small dot of glue directly
onto the fabric and place the stone in glue. You want to use just
enough glue that it surrounds the edge of the stone when it is put in
place – but not so much that you end up with a messy ring of glue
though!
To apply rhinestones using a stronger
glue like E6000 is a little trickier, but worth the effort.
I find it's best to pick up each stone
with tweezers and apply a little smear of glue to the back of the
stone before placing it on the fabric. Once again, you need just
enough glue to cover the back of the stone and slightly surround the
edges but not so much the you create a thick ring of glue.
Some people prefer to apply dots of the
glue to the fabric using a toothpick before placing the stones onto
the glue dots, but E6000 has a tendency to become stringy and you
risk leaving little trails of glue all over your fabric.
Be sure to let your glue dry completely
- most glues will be touch-dry within 20 mins, but it's best to let
the glue “cure” overnight before you try your corset on.
Gluing rhinestones takes a little
practise to perfect your technique, but once you get the hang of it
you'll want to stick them to everything in sight!
 |
| Gluing Swarovski rhinestones to the burlesque corset |
The finished corset
Once the glue was dry all that was left
was to do a thorough check for any loose beads or rhinestones that
hadn't adhered properly (I did this by running my hands over the
corset in all directions).
The final step was to stitch pieces of
velvet ribbon over the garter clips, this is a lovely finishing touch
that's easy and really completes the look.
To do this, just fold a piece of ribbon
in half and cut it to the correct length (just a touch longer than
your garter clip). Carefully seal the cut edge using a lighter to
prevent fraying, then thread it through the bar on the clip.
I then secure the ribbon by taking a
couple of small stitches on either side. It's simple and effective!
 |
| Garters on the lace burlesque corset |
Et Voila! A fully beaded and
rhinestoned corset fit for a burlesque queen.
 |
| Navy lace burlesque corset with Swarovski crystal rhinestones & beads |
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG "Rhinestone pasties by Flo Foxworthy")
.JPG "Rhinestone pasties by Flo Foxworthy")
.JPG "Rhinestone pasties by Flo Foxworthy")
