Introduction: Kimono Corset
The kimono that I so desperately wanted at 18 has been living in my closet for a few years now. Every time I found it, I couldn't help but admire the fabric and the hand stitching- even though I didn't display it any more, I couldn't see parting with it. I finally plucked up the courage to cut off the beautiful bottom portion off the kimono and turn it into a corset. To keep costs low, I used left over heavy duty cable ties as boning. This project was all about recycling something old (yet beautiful) and dusty into something a little more fun and actually wearable.
I drafted the pattern based on an awesome tutorial . I hadn't done much in the way of pattern matching before (solids FTW!), so it took a night of trial and error to get to the point of cutting into my beautiful but extremely limited supply of fabric. I ended up drawing each pattern piece on tracing paper, adding seam allowances, and then cutting two of each piece. I knew I wanted a crane at the center front, and I happened to have a crane that spanned two pieces of fabric. I made that seam line my center front opening and traced the main elements of the kimono's pattern onto each of my two center front pattern pieces so that I would know where to lay them out when cutting the fabric. Even though I wasn't necessarily matching the rest of the pieces to each other the way I matched the center front, I still used the tracing paper method with the rest of the corset. I wanted the center back to match up the same way the front did, and I wanted the side panels to be exactly the same as each other, with the side front and side back panels at least closely relating to the front and back pieces.
I might have gotten a little frustrated by the end of the process and not ended up with perfect matches or symmetry, but I hope the finished product will inspire others to recycle old pieces into fresh, wearable art.
Finalist in the
BurdaStyle Fashion Challenge
18 Comments
9 years ago
Beautiful and glad others are recycling amazing fabrics. Great job. Will be trying the zip ties in my next corset. Binning has gotten too expensive.
10 years ago on Introduction
Spectacular. So very beautiful.
11 years ago on Introduction
This is so beautiful and shows your creativity and vision! Thank you.
12 years ago on Introduction
Beautiful! I love how well the panels display the image, five stars.
12 years ago on Introduction
Voted. :-)
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Thank you!
12 years ago on Introduction
Lovely!
12 years ago on Introduction
Voted :) Came from the Jaxofalltrades FB page.
12 years ago on Introduction
You can use heavy duty zip ties for boning. It's more comfortable than the steel I use in most of my ren wear, but will still give you sleek lines and allow you to pull your corset tight. I make corsets in four layers. Two inner layers of a heavy material that holds the boning and a layer next to my skin, with the final layer of the fabric I want on the outside. It's not as high temp in summer, as it sounds and the fit is perfect.
You can get the large zip ties at Home Depot, K-Mart, Lowes, etc.
The corset rocks. It's fabu and you look amazing in it.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Yup! Those heavy duty zip ties are what I used, actually. I discovered them back in high school when I was dead set on making an Elizabethan corset and had no way to get steel bones. I love them!
12 years ago on Introduction
Love how it is recycled and "green"! Looks amazing!
12 years ago on Introduction
Very nice!
12 years ago on Introduction
Clever, gorgeous, and (if you don't mind me saying) wicked hot.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Thank you for the kind words! ^_^
12 years ago on Introduction
Simply stunning! Beautiful work!
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Thank you!
12 years ago on Introduction
This is Gorgeous!!! I've always wanted to try making a corset, but i'm too a) broke to buy a pattern, and b) didn't know to find the boning locally. Thanks so much for the link, too, definitely going to try this!
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Thanks! I discovered cable ties back in high school when I wanted to make an Elizabethan corset but didn't have access to (or funds for) steel boning.