Designing Cards: Miss Thi's Corset Card

A corset card designed for my friend Loralee in Massachusetts.  Made of black vinyl paper with red rosettes, red heart-shaped gem stones as the garter snaps, and red satin ribbon, the card's laces can be undone in the back and the card opens upon unlacing.

                         

 

                      

 

Lee adores corsets, and there is a whole culture around the wearing of them:             

            Long Island Staylace Association-Laced Corsetry & Stays Site

        How to properly lace a corset

There are several different ways to lace your corset. Some entail one, two, three, even four separate laces. Below are steps on our preferred way to lace your corset. This method uses just one very long lace (Our longer model corsets use two or more) and also creates less friction and stress on the corset by transferring the pull of the laces to the eyelets and not the fabric. There are several advantages to this method of lacing.

The biggest benefit of this type of lacing is that the corset can be laced fully closed without the laces getting in the way. If the corset is not completely closed, and if a lacing protector is not used, the tender skin of your back will get pinched and this can get pretty painful. If the corset is laced the way tennis shoes are generally laced, then the laces get in the way of closure of the back (depending on the bulk of the laces). This method can leave as much as a one-inch gap in the back of the corset. Closing the corset completely in the back is easier on the garment and your body not to mention the satisfaction of finally being able to close a corset knowing that your waist is some 4" smaller now! In addition it is easier to close the corset, this is especially helpful for those of us that do not have much upper-body strength or do not have someone to help us get dressed. Having help getting dressed is by far the preferred method for several reasons that should be very clear to you .

Now it may seem a little obsessive but this is the preferred way to lace our corsets.

Now, on with the lacing!

First, study one side of the back of the corset. Count the number of eyelets from the top to the center-waist. If the number of eyelets is odd, start the lace from the underside. If the number is even, start from the outside. The steps below show lacing of odd number of eyelets. (If your corset has an even number, begin at step 1, do step 3, then step 2.) This may be a bit confusing, but we hope this helps.

These diagrams are drawn as if you are looking at the outside of the corset.

Step 1. Place the corset flat on a table. On this corset, we have an odd number of eyelets, so we will start the lace from the inside. Slip it through the top eyelets of the corset. Pull the lace through so that the horizontal lace is on the inside of the corset. Also, please make sure the two ends of the lace are even.

Step 2. Next, take the lace on the left side and cross it over to the right. Slip it into the eyelet. Make sure that the lace that crosses over forms a line that stays outside of the corset. Repeat this on the right lace. Notice that the strings are now on the inside of the corset. The secret is to form an "X" with the laces on the same side that the lace originated from.         Step 3. Now the laces are on the inside of the corset. Take the lace on the right side and cross it over to the left side. Pull the lace through the eyelet. Repeat on the left lace. This will form an "X" on the inside. Notice that the laces are on the outside now.

Step 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you reach the waistline of the corset. This is where the puller-loop is created. The puller-loop is the loop of lace that you pull on to draw in the corset. Please note that the puller-loop MUST be on the outside.         Step 5. Take the left lace and slip it through the next eyelet down on the left side. This creates a loop on the outside of the corset. The remaining lace should now be on the inside. Now for the right side, take the right lace and slip it through the next eyelet down on the right side. The remaining lace should be on the inside.

Step 6. Now slip the left lace through the next eyelet on the right side. (Just like you did in step 3). Take the right lace and cross it over to the left side. This will form an "X" on the inside of the corset. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you reach the bottom. Adjust the slack in the laces so that you have around four to five inches of slack between the two sides.         Step 7. Tie off the bottom lace like you would your shoe. If you pull on the puller loops, the back of the corset should resemble the drawing on the right. See the "X's"? Notice that the corset is completely closed with no gaps between the sides. Now your corset laces are ready for tight lacing! Just make sure that there is about four to five inches of slack between the laces before you try it on to make it easier to get in.

Incorrect Method To the left is a drawing of what we called the "tennis shoe" method. Notice that the laces prevent the corset from completely closing. Also it takes much more strength to pull in the laces. That is because of the friction caused by the overlapping of laces. It does look pretty though.