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The Witch of Aiaia
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Outline the story …
I have chosen to create a set of underpinnings for the character of Circe from "Circe" by Madeline Miller. Circe is the black sheep of her family, a goddess of witchcraft, and this retelling of the myth explores the joy and hardship of independence and female power. I chose to make a pair of combinations and a corset this character. I have chosen to make these garments in black rather than white as this Circe is a character who values practicality, and white garments are so easily stained, particularly when working with plants and animals. I chose styles and patterns from different parts of the 19th century as Circe is a goddess, who is immortal, and so I imagined her in 1900, wearing clothes that she liked from recent periods she had lived through, keeping the garments she loved regardless of what others deemed fashionable. Circe is isolated on her island, so I tried to use materials she would have at her disposal, plain black cotton cloth that she could weave herself, cotton crochet lace, and shell buttons. I love the feminine energy of this character and wanted to capture this in the design, along with her strength and pragmatism. The combinations are based on the famous linen and silk pair in the Met collection, and I used Agnes Walker’s manual of needlework to draft my own pattern. The corset uses a 1876 pattern from the De Gracieuse archives that I adjusted to fit my larger waist and bust.
Outline the construction…
The combinations are sewn entirely by hand after drafting the pattern, The insertion lace was carefully basted, then whipped onto the fabric before folding back the fabric beneath and felling it in place. The seams are all sewn with a backstitch and then felled to encase the raw edges The hems are also felled. I chose to use shell buttons, as they were delicate enough for the style of the garment but also practical and a nice representation of her island. The corset is made from two layers of coutil with the same black cotton broadcloth as the fashion fabric, synthetic whalebone boning and has flossing that matches the lace on the combinations. I chose this pattern as it offers support and shape whilst being practical. I raised the upper back and the bust line of the corset to add more support and lowered the start of the bust gussets to fit my fuller bust. It took a few mockups to get the fit of the corset right but for my first corset I think it worked well. The gussets were inserted first by folding back the seam allowance of the main panel matching this edge to the seam line on the gusset and then basting and sewing in place. I decided to make and inner and outer layer to sandwich the bones inbetween, which worked well! I was constantly referring to creators like Bernadette Banner, Morgan Donner and Lee-am for guidance as well as manuals on archive.org
I love that book! Why didn’t I think of doing Circe?! You got the fitting just right and I’m so impressed by all your hand sewing. Your underpinnings look amazing – you should be proud.
Thank you so much! I’m so happy with them!
Lace insert can be tricky. The result is great, congratulation
Thank you very much! I definitely under estimated how long it would take but I’m very pleased!
The fit on both the combinations and corset looks great, and wonderful job on the handstitching!
Thank you! I love hand stitching, though working black on black was not the best for my eyes haha
The fit of this corset is so great! Looks very flattering on you. Good job❤
Thank you! I am so proud, especially for my first corset! It’s so comfy I’m wearing it almost daily!
The black and white combo is so beautifully dramatic and your costume fits you so well !
Love the combinations in black!