The Penelope Red Purple Floral Corset Dress

I added the Penelope Red Purple Floral Corset Dress to my etsy shop today.

I wanted to show you what goes into the inside of this dress, as the inside is just as important as the outside when it comes to a corset dress!



First, I make the corset. To see the making of one of my corsets, look at The Making Of a Penelope Red Corset blog posting. It is slightly different- as I don't need to decorate the outside of the corset for the dress, but otherwise as much care and time goes into it!

I make the corset out of a tan coloured fabric, as you don't want it to show through the white background.


I place an invisible zip, and a lovely pearl-like button at the centre back. All seams are matched!


The entire dress is fully lined with a white cotton/poly- I chose the cotton as this dress will be worn in the warmer months (no doubt), and I thought cotton would be the most comfortable to wear, and the poly blend would allow for less ironing needed!


The corset, with a lace-up back allows for you to tie at as tight or as loose as you want (within reason). It means that the corset will hold the dress in place, and there will be no need for adjusting the dress- you can wear this and be comfortable knowing the dress will stay where it is meant to!


It is always nice to see a few extra images of the photo shoot. These photos were taken in Sydney, at The Domain, by Anna Leschinskaya of Fotografika


The large purple floral design, on top of the white background really is an eye-catching print! The fabric is a cotton/elastane which means that it is quite durable, easy to clean and hardly creases. It has a soft, and slightly sheen feel to it.


I love the top photo, where the leaves are up in the air. We saw these beautiful autumn leaves, and we just had an idea and ran with it. It only took two shots to get that great photo!

The Purple Floral Corset Dress is available now in my etsy shop. If you have any questions, just email me at: designer@penelopered.com.au or start a conversation with me on etsy.

The Making of a Penelope Red Corset

I love wearing my Penelope Red corsets! They are so feminine, sexy and command attention- they make me feel like a million dollars!

Whenever I wear them out, many people ask me questions like: How long do they take to make? How do you make them? What do you make them out of?


(Above, me dancing at a club in Sydney, wearing the Pink Victorian Corset)

While I am not prepared to give away all of my secrets, I thought I would show you exactly the kind of work involved in making each one of these corsets...


First, I need to make the pattern. I use a standard size 10 block, then I create my own design using my unusual design lines- that everyone seems to love so much! Once I am happy, I then need to 'grade' each pattern piece to create the different sizes- all of this can take a couple of days.

I need to then cut out each layer- that's FOUR layers: Main fabric, interfacing, interlining (where the boning sits), and lining.


On the Pink Victorian Corset, I also have an extra layer on the side panels, which has been crazy patch-worked together; so I need to sew each seam, iron out the seams flat, then cut out these pieces again!




Once I have attached the interfacing to the main fabric, I can start sewing the pieces together.


I need to sew all of the pieces together for each layer: Main, interlining and lining.


After this, I need to then layer each seam, clip and trim; this means each seam will lie flat when pressing.


I then apply the boning to the interlining.


A line of pink lace is applied to each of the outer seams on the side panels of the corset.


Once I have prepared the ruffle, I attach this to the top edge, and I then sew through the Main layer and Interlining layer to attach the boning.



I like to make as secure as possible lacing loops, so I use a plaited cord and I zig-zag over the ends a few times.


The Penelope Red label must be added to the lining!


The lining is then attached to the other layers, then I must trim and clip again.



Once the corset is turned out, I then make a top-stitching line around the entire corset edge.


The corset is finished once I have laced it up!


As you can tell, there is A LOT of work involved in making these! As much as I sometimes get overwhelmed with the work, I can't deny how good they look on the women who wear them; and I am proud to say that they are a Penelope Red design!



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