Sewing a Tapesty Corset for the Ren Fair

A quick project on ye old sewing machine

Over the last week, I got back behind my sewing machine and made myself a corset for the Renaissance Festival. I have been threatening to check out the Colorado Renaissance Festival for what feels like years, and have also been looking for a fairly straightforward reentry into sewing.

Corsets — at least, how we think of them today — gained their popularity during the 1500s and 1600s. They've also been gaining new interest in modern fashion, and are kind of synonymous with ren faire styling, so I thought I'd try my hand at making my own.

Pattern, fabric, and inspo sourcing

I'm by no means a skilled garment maker, and my self-drafting knowledge is limited to silhouettes that resemble loose-fitting t-shirts, so I started by scouring the internet for a reasonable beginner/advanced-beginner pattern. I committed to this one (which, after using it, I would definitely recommend) and was hopeful I'd find a suitable fabric for the project at either a local fabric shop or Joann's.

I love Kristin Mallison's work of taking old fabric salvaged from upholstery and other antiques and making them into modern wearables, but wasn't sure I'd have any luck finding similar textiles in the timeframe or budget I had, so I was willing to settle for a brocade or jacquard with an intricate pattern. However, I wound up being lucky in the end with a singular visit to Allyn's Fabric & Bridal Supply, a local shop filled to the brim with fabrics and all manner of sewing notions.

Despite the shop being so chock-full of fabric, there wasn't much in the way of tapestries save for what I wound up with and a remnant of a Christmas-themed design that didn't fit the bill. I walked away with a tapestry clad in wild, galloping horses and a few notions like zippers, some matching thread, and a yard of piping — all of which I was able to purchase via an older woman employee equipped with a basic calculator, pencil, and an old-school 2-part receipt book (I'm pretty sure I'm too young to pull a reminiscent "back in my day" on this one).

Project notes

So, I did a terrible job actually documenting the process of sewing this thing, but here are some of the experiences and adjustments I made to this project:

• There was enough fabric for me to work with, so I got to be choosy with how I wanted to frame things up. I definitely made a few bad cuts along the way, though. Just something for future me to consider before grabbing the scissors.
• While it wasn't noted in the pattern directions, I wound up finishing the corset with French seams to ensure I didn't wind up with fraying ends anywhere. I hadn't planned for it initially, though, so it was a squeeze with the original seam allowance. Always plan ahead, people!
• Again, not called for in the pattern, I added boning to the front panels of the corset just to give it more structure. I'd never done this before, but it actually wasn't too difficult to do!
• Invisible zippers have always been intimidating to me for some reason, and this was the first time I used it (somewhat) successfully on something other than a test or practice project.
• Adding the grommets was the most satisfying part, imo. Nothing makes a project feel more put together than those final finishing touches.
• Finally, as with most sewing projects, some of the notions you pick just don't wind up working in the end. This wound up being the case with the piping I bought at Allyn's, which I planned to use as the ties. I ultimately went with sage-y green ribbons purchased from Amazon—where I also snagged the boning and grommets/grommet punch.

The end product

All said and done, I ended up with a cute garment. The back image of the horse doesn't perfectly line up, but for a first try at something like this, I think I got it pretty close! For the rest of the outfit, I used things I already owned, like a linen mini dress and an old brown pair of Dr. Martens boots — very period accurate. I figured wearing things that were light enough for the heat and capable of trotting around some dusty outcrop would be a wise choice.

Honestly, I love what I ended up with. Would I have loved to be a bit tidier or to have better planned out this garment as a whole? Sure. But I'll earmark those learnings for a future make. Overall, this was a fun and quick project. I got to learn and work with a few new things and made an outfit out of the finished product. Wins all around. 👏🏼

Lesson(s) of the story: Get into your hobbies when they actually sound fun to you. If you can dress up for the thing, do. Being dressed the part, no matter how deep into the theme you're able to get, makes the whole experience more fun. And, despite not getting into it here, a note for my future self: The Colorado Renaissance Festival is and will be inevitably hot. Plan accordingly!!