I found this kicking around my documents files earlier today and I thought I'd post it up in case anyone's interested. As one of my other 'hats' I'm a corsetiere and having done many a search on corset making I know there's not a lot online about it. So I thought I'd document what steps I use when I make mine.

This corset is for my niece and the slightly straighter line of this corset will suit her better as the standard corset I made for her had to be pinned up rather a LOT. It's an adaption of this corset..

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I'm making it in pink silk over coutil and lined with baby pink cotton. The side panels are going to be quilted because I think that's going to give a lovely effect with the colour of the silk and I am intending to do some cording on the front (just cause I like doing it!!) but I may have to adapt it slightly as I'm making the corset closed front (ie - without a busk in it).

So.... starting with the quilting. I've cut all my materials out in a large enough rectangle that I can later on pin my pattern piece on the top and cut it out. (for this corset that's about 8" width by 17" height). Now I have a few layers to consider.....

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We have a top fabric layer of the pink silk, which has been backed with WOVEN iron on interfacing stuff / fabric. This is to stop the top fabric ripping away under the casings. These things come under lots of pressure when they're worn so it's a step I don't skip on.

Next layer is the coutil layer. Coutil is the traditional corsetry fabric that provides the strength in a corset. It's very densely woven and usually has a sort of herringbone weave in it. It's expensive yes (anything from around £8 a metre upwards.) but it's not worth skimping on. Coutil is THE fabric to do this with, even if you're using a fashion fabric over the top!! It's the only thing that has the strength to hold up through multiple wearings and personally I wouldn't want to put the time and effort into a corset only to have the seams giving out on me after a couple of wearings!

Under the coutil we have a layer of volume fleece. Don't worry, this is only for the quilted panel, not all of the corset, so it's not going to end up bulky.

Under the volume fleece we have a layer of corset lining fabric. This only comes in the off-white / cream colour and although I'm lining the rest of the corset in pink cotton, I decided to use up a scrap of this I have left because it's so nice to work with.

Ok moving on, I've stacked all my fabrics on top of one another with Lining fabric at the bottom, then volume fleece above it, then coutil, then finally top fabric and then pinned them all together ready for quilting.

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At this point any real quilters reading this are probably wincing in pain. Sorry, I'm not a quilter and this way works for me! ;)

So, now I need to start quilting. I'm going to use a fairly traditional quilting design in corsetry with vertical lines crossed by diagonals. So first I need to work out my diagonal line. I do this by folding down a corner of my top and coutil fabrics like so....

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... and making a crease. It's easier if you fold BOTH top fabric and coutil down together as coutil takes the crease well. Then, I just run a line of stitching down the crease in the fabric as so...

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Now.... here comes the snazzy bit! Move your fabric along a bit until the line of stitching you just made sits at the right side of the presser foot like so...

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... And stitch another line!! Basically keep going until you've filled your fabric with lines. Obviously when you're done you're gonna need to turn your fabric around and just do a few lines to fill that top triangle as well. Fun huh?

Now, it should be noted here that I'm actually using a modern machine to do this. Usually I favour older Singer Machines and when I say older I MEAN older, pre 1950's. Most of my corsets are done on an old Singer 201k heavy duty machine.

I did start making corsets on a modern domestic machine but be warned corsetry EATS machines... I had to replace two before I got my 201. So unless you wanna fork out lots of cash (probably about £400 minimum for a machine that's up to standard) I'd have a look on ebay for an older singer or something.

In my experience the 201k's are fantastic (and you can even get those with electric ;) ) or possibly the slightly smaller 185k or even 99k. Dunno, they're cheap enough to pick up and metal geared so heavy enough to cope. You may find you get on with them and if so, you saved yourself 400 quid. But BE warned, these machines are straight stitch machines. No jig-jag, nothing fancy, some don't even do back-stitch (well 201's do, mine does anyway).

Anyway I digress, the REASON I'm using a modern machine here is because I'm using the width of the presser foot to measure my quilting lines. Modern machines seem to have wider presser feet than the old singers and although I DO have a quilting guide for the 201... well, it's of the impression equal distance between each line is an optional extra. Which is cute, gives the machine character but not so good when doing quilting. Since I'm only dealing with one layer of coutil here, I'm ok with using the modern machine as it shouldn't get eaten with just one layer. I hope.

So, one I've filled my rectangle with diagonal lines, I do the straight lines down the fabric....

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.. now I would have carried on but my bobbin ran out at this point, the baby was shouting for dinner and my hubby was snoring on the sofa so the chances of HIM getting up and doing it were like a cat in Crufts. (Bless him, he's ill atm so I forgive him) But yeah, that's the reason for only four lines there ... but it's enough to give an indication!

I have no idea who this is but the whole photo just does it for me. The sexy peek over the pillow, wrist strap watch and the half sleeve tattoo there. Someone said it sort of looks like Gerard Butler which it does in a way, but I'm not sure it is.

Anyway, it's the tattoo that has my attention. I admit it, I'm a fan of ink. After seven tattoos of my own I can't not be really.

I think there's something very beautiful and individual about tattoos. Don't get me wrong, I HATE generic flash tat's (those are the same pictures you find in every tattoo parlour the planet over), if you're going to put needle to skin in my opinion you need to think about it. Decide what you want, whether you can live with the design for the rest of your life. Because these babies don't come off!

Most of my tat's are custom designs, most of them I drew myself. I'm lucky that I'm an artistic sort, I can 'see' what I want and get it down on paper. Yeah, I'm lazy these days, I use a graphics tablet and photoshop then print the designs out to trundle on down to get them done.

All my tattoo's mean something. My first one was a star and moon design on my left shoulderblade. I had skin cancer when I was a teenager and I wanted something prominent to display and take attention away from the scars on my back (when I was younger aka skinnier, I liked wearing halter neck tops so they could be see a lot) that one's since been redone (it faded badly) with a banner across it and my daughter's name in elvish script.

On my foot I have a small filigree design, I had it done the day my little girl cut her first tooth. It hurt, believe me, if you're thinking about a tat, do NOT get one on your foot first!! I have a high pain threshold, especially for tattoo's. My last one I sat so still my tattoo artist thought I'd gone to sleep!! We got finished in half the time he quoted originally. But anyway, feet. Feet HURT! I was calling him names several times (don't worry about this, they're used to it ;) I think it's part of the training to get used to being called names!)

Anyway, I digress. I have tat's, I like tat's but I'm particular. Tattoo's are personal, they're an expression of self for me. If you ever see my tattoo's you're highly honoured as I rarely display them (I actually worked one place for two years before anyone realised I had them).

I like to see tattoo's on a guy but not flash, perhaps a nice custom design. Something that's personal, something that thought has been put into. They're art, an expression of the individual's nature / personality and the artist's skill. I'm one of those people who are in awe of a good tattoo artist, someone that can take a picture and ink it onto skin. Whilst someone's flinching and calling them names, to me that's skill. Sure I can draw (rarely do but I can) but that's on a flat piece of paper that doesn't squeak at me, I can move it around, turn it upside down if I want, tape it to a window to use it as a lightbox (yes, I do look weird doing this. My family are used to it, they know I'm mad) and I can rub things out when I go wrong. A tattoist can't. To me, enough said.

As I said before, I don't like flash. I like custom designs. On a guy, I like to see arm sleeves like this half sleeve on Mr. Come to bed there. Tattoo's like that are another distinct choice to me. They're beautiful and say something about the man.

LOL I've waffled again, so if you're still with me, well done. So, what are your opinions on tattoo's. Love 'em or loathe 'em? Why? What does it, or doesn't do it for you?

I’m delighted to announce that Lyrical Press have offered a contract for the second of my contemporary romances, Playing with Fyre!! Here’s a little bit more on the story…

“You could try, but be careful who and what you threaten,” he advised, “Because you try to play games with me Raelyn, you’re going to need a shit-hot lawyer or you’ll get burnt.”

“Haha.Fyre, burnt. Cute,” she replied, picking up the pun and making fun of it. That was her problem, backed into a corner she got sassy. “Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.”

Lawyer Logan Fyre is as ruthless as they come. Raelyn Borne is desperate to save her home. Desperate enough to play dangerous games with Logan.

Trouble is, if you play with Fyre, you get burnt…

*goes away to do the tigger dance again*

They’re having a holiday sale over at Once Upon a Bookstore. There's a massve 20% off some titles, including my book, Moon Madness!! So wander on by and grab yourself a bargain!!!

Moon Madness $3.50 $2.80 Save: 20% off	Unholy Night $3.50 $2.80 Save: 20% off	Frozen $6.50 $5.20 Save: 20% off
One Ring to Rule $2.50 $2.00 Save: 20% off	Mistress of Tiethla $3.50 $2.80 Save: 20% off	Djinn $3.50 $2.80 Save: 20% off

Woah, have I been a busy little bunny this last couple of weeks! I've been busy with edits for both Rockstar and Feral, written and edited the free read 'Secret Santa', finally finished and sent off 'Playing with Fyre' and started writing a contracted story for Noble Romance Publishing 'Grace'! *wipes brow* when written down it seems manic!!

Rockstar has now gone over for line edits :D so my editor Charlotte and I are in having a digital party (mainly involving non fattening alcoholic desserts of the digital kind!) but I iz a mean author. No sooner than she mailed me to say Rockstar had gone over, I sent her Playing with Fyre, the second of my contemporary erotic(ish) romances. Muahahaha!! I'm sure I had a whip around here someplace...

Secret Santa is now up and available for download (http://mina-carter.com/?page_id=820). It's a really quite sweet christmas story set in an A&E department, well I think it's sweet anyway. Have a read and let me know what you all think!

Grace. Woah... Grace. Let me tell you about this story. Think... vampire, think... Johnathon Rhys Meyers as a vampire! Because this is the guy I see when I think of the hero, Jaron Conrad. The long haired one when he was 'younger' so to speak and the second now, when the story is set.



Jaron is an old vampire, a vampire Lord. Unlike some vampires, he's somewhat of a loner so he stays out of vampire society for the most part. He's powerful so the locals leave him be and hope he pretty much doesn't notice them.

But all powerful men have their weaknesses and Grace, a former ballerina, is Jaron's. He'll stop at nothing to make her his. But there's the catch. He could make her his with just a click of his fingers. But that's not what he wants... he wants Grace to make the decision to belong to him; heart, body and soul.

Damn, just talking about it makes my fingers itch to go write more!

Guess what? Crossposty goodness!!

Come check it out!! http://lyricalpress.blogspot.com/2008/12/making-deal-with-devil.html

I was pottering around this morning to see what's what. Usually I start the morning off with checking my emails, inhaling coffee and generally trying to get myself fettled and awake for the day (Can't you guess I'm not a morning person here?).

Then I found a new link coming into the site here and it looks like Vixen is now available from All Romance Ebooks!! I'm really impressed, it's still very new for me to see my books out there so I spent a little while drinking (more) coffee and admiring the page. :D

http://allromanceebooks.com/product-vixen-13256-140.html

Today I intend to start actually writing 'Grace' the novella I have contracted for Noble Romance Publishing (they have a contest running at the moment if you want to go check it out at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NobleRomancePublishing/). I've done my outline, I've dragged out my regency source books (I luves regency romances, they're my secret vice. Along with chocolate.. no wait, that one's no secret!). Although this story ISN'T a regency (don't panic, I don't know nearly enough about the history to do a full regency romance nor would I try) there is one scene that delves into the hero Jaron's history which is set in the Regency period.

So, we're sitting down to start writing today (I say we're because this is always a joint effort with Brat and I. I write, she keeps me company). I love this part where you flex your fingers over the keyboard and start getting that story hammered out.

Talking of Christmas contests, don't forget that the 'Presents Under the eTree' contest is still running at http://mina-carter.com/?page_id=736. Six free ebooks, the drawing is on Christmas eve so hurry and get your entry in for a chance to get a free ebook for Xmas!!

Woohoo! I finally got around to setting this one up! Now to add stuff!