Friday 10 February 2012

Eco lingerie

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I have looked into eco lingerie because if something can be made that will in long term help the environment then I think its something that should be supported and noticed. I have found some sites that only sell eco friendly lingerie.

Saumarez Lingerie is a boutique that sell only eco friendly lingerie. Their moto is:

At Saumarez we believe women deserve to wear beautiful, luxurious lingerie with a clear conscience. That's why our lingerie is made by designers who care about people and the environment. Principles such as fair trade, organic growing, respecting the environment and caring for workers are at the heart of Saumarez.
Saumarez is sexy, confident, elegant and sophisticated. Who said being good can't be fun!

Here are some of the designs below:

Rebecca High Waisted Knickers
 A beautiful organic silk pair of high waisted knickers trimmed with delicate vintage blue net and cream satin bows. Organic lingerie by Ayten Gasson.

Scilla Babydoll
A handmade floral cotton babydoll with a silky elasticated bust made from spun wood pulp viscose trimmed with small cream covered buttons. Beautifully crafted remnant fabric lingerie by Luva Huva.

I also found a website called The Daily Green which had an article on green lingerie. They put together a slide show of 30 companies or designers that made eco lingerie. The link below will take you to the slideshow.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-lingerie-organic#fbIndex30

The article below has to be one of my favourites. Not only does it explain what "green" means when using fabrics, but it also explain that not all "eco friendly" garments are actually completely friendly such as if they have used a polluting dye house to dye the fabric. I have highlighted statements that I found most interesting.

My Underwear is Green: How to Buy Eco-Fashionable Lingerie

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Next Friday, April 22nd, is Earth Day, but since it’s also Bettie Page’s birthday, we’ll be celebrating Pin-up Week instead. However, there’s been a lot of interest in eco-friendly and ethically-produced lingerie lately, and I wanted to make sure we talked about it on the blog. So I asked Josh Verleun, environmental lawyer and co-founder of Between the Sheets to share his expertise with us here. He and Layla are also appearing on Sundance channel’s “All on the Line” tomorrow night so be sure to check them out!
____________________________________________________________________________________
They say “green” is the new black. The world is changing and more and more companies are introducing “eco-friendly” products into their lineups. Although the thought of environmentally friendly apparel may evoke nightmares of scratchy hemp and drab colors, this perception couldn’t be further from the truth. Thankfully some of the softest most comfortable, luxurious fabrics are eco-friendly, and many eco-lines have a vibrant color palate.
With so many companies jumping on the green bandwagon and throwing around terms like “sustainable”, “eco-friendly”, and “green” in a seemingly interchangeable manner it can be almost impossible to sort out what it all means. The fashion and lingerie worlds are no different with new eco-lines introduced every season.
With so many terms floating out there I think it is important to start the conversation about “eco-fashion” from a baseline understanding of what these terms mean. It’s also true that no matter how “green” a new line may be, there are always tradeoffs and environmental costs of some sort. For example a line of “eco” undies could be made from organic cotton or modal, but use spandex or other non-sustainable stretch fibers in their fabric. Even though spandex may not make you think of saving the planet, using a fabric with high spandex content makes the garment last longer and wear better, keeping it in your drawer and out of the garbage.
Apparel companies who set out to create eco-friendly lines must make countless numbers of these types of decisions and have to decide where their fabrics, trims, and other materials are sourced, as well as where the line is manufactured. This makes it very important for companies to be transparent with their customers about these decisions.
What does “green” mean?
It can be a challenge to sort out what each “green” term means, and figure out which terms have real meaning and are more than just marketing buzzwords. For example “Certified Organic” products are regulated by the US Department of Agriculture and must follow certain standards, Fair Trade Certified apparel (which recently was introduced to the US) is certified by several affiliated not-for-profit organizations around the world and works to guarantee fair wages and labor conditions. On the other hand products that call themselves “green” or “sustainable” are using vague and poorly defined terms that could mean a whole range of things.
Even if a garment is made of organic or another eco-material it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is environmentally friendly. This is why transparency from a company is so important. For example—a shirt could be made of organic cotton, but be dyed in a polluting dye-house in China , or could be sewn in a factory that does not pay a living wage. This same organic cotton could come from China, be cut in Mexico, and sewn, in India—adding up to a large carbon footprint.
How to tell “real green” from “greenish”
Even though many lines call themselves green because they use “sustainable” materials, not all “green” is created equal.
Bamboo: Fabrics made of bamboo have been touted as natural, green, and environmentally friendly, but are produced using a non-natural chemical process that leads to air and water pollution. The bamboo plants are broken down to be spun into fibers using acetate (not so different from nail polish remover). These deceptive eco-claims led the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to crack down on companies who were “Bamboozaling” consumers by falsely marketing their clothing made of bamboo fabrics using terms such as natural, and environmentally friendly-when the fabric was in fact Rayon.
Cotton: Other fibers used in fabrics can be more environmentally friendly—although there are still eco-pluses and minuses. Cotton is considered the world’s ‘dirtiest’ crop-even though it covers 2.5% of the world’s cultivated land traditional cotton production uses 16% of the world’s insecticides, more than any other single major crop. Organic cotton is grown in a manner that doesn’t use harmful pesticides, thus sharply reducing the environmental impact. Despite these huge reductions in impact, like all cotton, organic cotton uses an enormous amount of water to grow, which in and of itself is an environmental impact.
Modal: Another eco-friendly fiber is modal. Made from sustainably harvested beech trees-the wood is broken down using chemicals in a “closed-loop” process that reuses much of the chemicals. The fibers are then spun and knit into fabric. Although similar, this process is far more environmentally friendly than the process that turns bamboo into fiber as the chemicals are reused and not discarded.
Polyester: It may surprise you, but Polyester is now emerging as an “eco friendly” fabric. With advancements in production and recyclability, polyester’s environmental star is on the rise, even though it is made from a non-renewable resource.
Environmentally friendly and affordable:
Even though the desire is often there to buy products and support companies who help protect the planet, cost can sometimes get in the way. As more and more companies introduce environmentally friendly lines the price points for these offerings has started to broaden from basic to contemporary to luxury. Although you don’t often find eco-friendly lingerie at bargain basements prices there are lines that hit price points from $15-20 for bottoms and $30-$50 for bras. At most price points the added benefit is often that the lines are produced in the US, supporting our local economy and keeping jobs from vanishing overseas.
It’s Easy to Go Green:
With so many companies offering “green” or “eco-friendly” intimates and other fashion, going green is not so hard or expensive. All that it takes is a little time to become an educated consumer on the things to look for and a dedication to buy from companies who are transparent and market “eco friendly” products real information and not just vague ill-defined buzzwords.
Bio: Josh Verleun lives and works in New York City as an environmental lawyer and business advisor. He currently holds the position of Staff Attorney at Riverkeeper, a not for profit tasked with protecting the waters of New York and serving as a global model for watershed stewardship and protection.
Josh is also the Vice President of Between the Sheets, a designer Loungewear and Intimate apparel manufacturer. In his role at BTS Josh provides legal counsel and contributes expertise in environmental and sustainable business practices. You can learn more about Josh at

Todays lingerie

Todays lingerie is more of a fashion statement then a necessity. Although lines like Victoria's Secret sold a reported $2,822 million across 1,009 stores in 2003 of standard lingereie, they try to make more of an impact with their fashion shows. The fashion show are about making more of an impact, almost telling stories by using their lingerie as a prop.



Thursday 2 February 2012

Corsets

In a desperate attempt to achieve the ideal, some women had their lower ribs surgically removed.
"Corset diseases" such as fainting, hemorrhoids, coughing,
and palpitations plagued many fashionable women. 
Corsets could displace internal organs and cause pulmonary
disease, and occasionally led to miscarriages. They were
eventually replaced in the 1930s by less constricting, but still
 reshaping, girdles.


Wearing corsets while your pregnant:

http://pinterest.com/corsetra/maternity-and-nursing-corsets-through-history/



Pregnancy:
Culturally, pregnancy during the victorian era was a taboo,
essentially confining a woman to home during the time she
 was "showing" . As a consequence, tightlacing was sometimes
used to extend the period of time that expecting mothers
were able to present themselves socially or for work This
 was or is safe because, during the first two trimesters the
fetus is very small and well protected by the amniotic fluid
 from the higher intra abdominal pressures. Although a
pregnancy was often unintentionally concealed well past
the 1st trimester due to regular tightlacing, women who were aware used this to
 their advantage to conceal their pregnant state. By continuing tightlacing, they
could be five to six months pregnant without showing a noticeable expansion,
 allowing them to continue their activities outside the home. During the last trimester
 the maternity corset (right) would be relaxed, accommodating the growing abdomen,
while supporting it. For pre-marital expecting mothers, the corset offered and still
does a safe solution to conceal the first few months, avoiding embarrassing questions
during the wedding. For the remainder of the pregnancy, modern (left) maternity
corsets are recommended as they provide valuable upward support and greatly reduce
 fatigue.




In the classic maternity corset, additional lacing adjustments allowed for the abdominal
 expansion, without forgoing the upper body training . In particular young women,
 who had invested considerable time and effort in training, were unwilling to forgo
all this during pregnancy, and remained tightly corseted as long as they could tolerate.
  Once expansion would start, the lacing would gradually be relaxed to retain a
reasonable comfort level. It was not uncommon to deliver with the corset still laced-on,
 but then it was only to support and limit the discomfort from over extending the ribs.
 Another reason for extending corset wear was to avoid stretch marks. Women who
 laced through the 6th month showed considerably fewer marks than those lacing
 3 months or less.

(Surgery, Gynecology & Obstetrics By The American College of Surgeons,

Franklin H. Martin Memorial Foundation - 1913)

Reducing "time-off" for maternity leave, by means of corseting is practiced
again today by a number of actresses, e.g. Helena Bonham Carter concealed her
condition allowing her to continue to play her role in Anne Boleyn in the historical
TV drama Henry VIII. Other modern actresses have (and are) doing the same.
In Indonesia women have and still do practice very tight body binding immediately after

delivery in order to restore the body to it's natural shape. These bindings are as tight as a corset.

Tuesday 31 January 2012

Smallest waist in recorded history

Ethal Granger is the world record holder for the smallest waist recorded in history. At the age of 23 Ethal had around a 22 inch waist which was thought to be her natural waist line more or less.

Ethals husband William Granger was the reason she started to shrink her waist by using corsets. He found it wonderful to be able to put his arms all the way around her wasit when he hugged her. William did all he could to interest Ethal into wearing a corset.

By wearing a corset all day Ethal shrunk her waist to 19 inches, after asking her husband is that was small enough, he suggested wearing it 24hours. She was then made to wear a 17.5 inch corset. To stop Ethal from loosening the corset while her husband wasnt home he created a steel belt which he fastened around her while he was away.

In 10 years Ethal got her waist size from 22 inches to 13 inches.











http://www.ethelgranger.com/summary-biography/chapter-9/index.html

Smallest Waist of a living woman

Cathie Jung holds the world record for the smallest waist in the world. Her waist is only 15 inches, only as big as the diameter of CD. She holds the Guinness World of Record for the smallest waist in the world.
She is devoted to corset training, or what she also calls Tightlacing. She is wearing her corset every hour of the day since 1983.
Smallest Waist 1
Smallest Waist 2
Smallest Waist 3
Smallest Waist 4
Smallest Waist 5
Smallest Waist 6


source : Damn Cool Pics


Monday 30 January 2012

Vintage patterns

I would love to have tried making some vintage patterns, however, I don't have to money to spend on them. I have found the odd free pattern that I have printed off and would like to try to make at some point. One of them being these bloomers:....

Monday 9 January 2012

Awsome websites!!

After spending forever looking through sites I stumbled apon some of these which are pretty awsome!

http://www.thelingerieaddict.com/

I also found a girl called Clare Bare who started making lingerie in school.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg_s9i8k9o0

After watching the video I googled her to see if she had made it any further. I found her blog which also has her website which she now sells her lingerie. I have looked through her collections and absolutly love them, they are a mix between vintage style and modern and are even enviromentally friendly!!!

http://clarebareunderwear.blogspot.com/

Lingerie

Found this website that helps explain what materials are used and what the fabrics are which is very useful when thinking about how to construct lingerie...
http://www.frenchlingerieshop.com/index.php?target=pages&page_id=Learn_about_your_lingerie

Fabrics used for lingerie

Lace

is a lightweight, openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was not made until the late 15th and early 16th centuries. A true lace is created when a thread is looped, twisted or braided to other threads independently from a backing fabric.
Originally linen, silk, gold, or silver threads were used. Now lace is often made with cotton thread. Manufactured lace may be made of synthetic fiber. A few modern artists make lace with a fine copper or silver wire instead of thread.
There are many types of lace, defined by how they are made. These include:
    *Needle lace: made using a needle and thread. This is the most flexible of the lace-making arts.
    *Cutwork, or whitework; lace constructed by removing threads from a woven background, and the remaining threads wrapped or filled with embroidery.
    *Bobbin Lace: as the name suggests, made with bobbins and a pillow.
    *Tape lace: makes the tape in the lace as it is worked, or uses a machine- or hand-made textile strip formed into a design, then joined and embellished with needle or bobbin lace.
    *Knotted lace: including Macramé and Tatting.
    *Crocheted lace: including Irish crochet, pineapple crochet, and filet crochet.
    *Knitted lace: including Shetland lace, such as the "wedding ring shawl", a lace shawl so fine that it can be pulled through a wedding ring.
    *Machine-made: any style of lace created or replicated using mechanical means. The machine is used to tie up the 'M' point together.

Muslin

is most typically a closely-woven unbleached or white cloth, produced from corded cotton yarn. Wide muslin is called "sheeting". It is often used to make dresses or curtains but may also be used to complement foam for bench padding. Muslin breathes well, and is a good choice of material for clothing meant for hot, dry climates.

Silk

is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons made by the larvae of the silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity (sericulture). The shimmering appearance for which silk is prized comes from the fibers' triangular prism-like structure which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles.

Cotton

is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant (Gossypium sp.), a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India, and Africa. However, virtually all of the commercial cotton grown today worldwide is grown from varieties of the native American species Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense. The fiber is most often spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, which is the most widely used natural-fiber cloth in clothing today.

Microfiber

is fiber with strands less than one denier. Microfiber is the perfect blend of polyester and polyamide. Fabrics made with microfibers are exceptionally soft and hold their shape well. When high quality Microfiber is combined with the right knitting process, it creates an extremely effective cleaning material. This material can hold up to seven times its weight in water. They are also used for some cleaning applications, because of their exceptional ability to absorb oils.

Rayon

is a manufactured regenerated cellulosic fiber. Rayon is produced from naturally occurring polymers and therefore it is not a truly synthetic fiber, nor is it a natural fiber.

Spandex or elastane

is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity (stretchability). It is stronger and more durable than rubber, its major non-synthetic competitor.

Satin

is a cloth that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibers such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric is termed a "satin".

Lingerie shapes

Stockings

The popularity of stockings increases and decreases with fashion. It was formerly made of woven cloth but now of knitted wool, silk, cotton or nylon.

Corsets

The most common and well-known use of corsets is to slim the body and make it conform to a fashionable silhouette. For women this most frequently emphasizes a curvy figure, by reducing the waist, and thereby exaggerating the bust and hips. However, in some periods, corsets have been worn to achieve a tubular straight-up-and-down shape, which involves minimizing the bust and hips.

Panties

A wide variety of types of panties exist. Bikini panties are designed so that the hip connectors are small, like on those of swim wear. String bikini panties are the most commonly worn type in the United States by high school and college age women, and are similar to regular bikini panties, but instead of a thin hip grip, they have a small string, which sometimes ties around the waist rather than being pulled up over them. String bikini is considered more revealing. String bikini are usually made of satin or silk, but occasionally from other fabrics. High-cut, or control top, are cut higher on the hip to slightly pull in and shape the stomach to conceal obesity. High-cut are usually worn by older women and are often shunned by younger women. Boyshorts describe a type of female underwear that has a lower, thicker cut of material around the hips, making them appear as shorts that men would wear. They are sometimes by men and women alike criticized as not being feminine, although some women do wear them. The g-string is a thong panty with a string running between the buttocks. It is often jokingly referred to as "floss" by critics and some comedians.
Panties are made of a variety of materials and fabrics including satin, silk, pvc, cotton, nylon, mesh, lace, rawhide, leather, lycra, and/or polyester.
In British English, and in places such as Great Britain, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa and India, panties are often referred to as knickers. The term knickers is not generally used in The United States and Canada, where the term "panties" is usually favored.

G- String

A G-string (alternatively gee-string or gee string) is a type of thong is a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips, worn as swimwear or underwear by both men and women.

A brassiere

is an article of clothing that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. The bra is considered a foundation garment, as well as an undergarment, because of its role in shaping the wearer's figure. It was originally developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to replace the corset, and has now become, in many parts of the world, the most popular form of undergarment for the upper body, although camisoles and chemises are becoming more popular.
The bra may be worn to support and enhance breast shape during everyday activities and a specialized bra, the sports bra to support and restrain breasts during exercise. Some wearers believe that wearing it will prevent their breasts from sagging later in life
A wide range of styles of brassieres now exists, to be worn in a variety of situations, and with a variety of outergarments. For instance strapless, backless and multiway bra styles specialise in being invisible underneath less than full coverage garments whereas push up and plunge focus on shaping the bust and cleavage. The degree of shaping and coverage of the breasts varies between styles, as do functionality and fashion, fabric, and colour. Styles range from the purely utilitarian to the sensual. Others include various accessory structures such as padding and underwiring.


When thinking about fabric prices I found some info even though it's in US dollars, it still gives me an idea of what prices are:



#428 Stretch Satin Fabric $8.95 yd

The weight of this fabric is so nice so that it can be used in many different ways. Perfect for sewing slips, robes, camisoles, sleep wear, and lounge wear. You are going to love this fabric. Machine wash low cycle. Tumble dry low. Remove promptly from dryer. 1-way stretch fabric, 20% in width. 96% Polyester, 4% Lycra®. 58-60" wide.
Beige Stretch Satin fabricTurquoise Stretch Satin fabricNot ShownNot Shown
BeigeTurquoiseBlackWhite
Choose a color:
Select the number of yards:
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#456 Charmeuse Fabric $5.98 yd

Charmeuse is a very soft and flowy non stretch fabric. Very satiny. This fabric is perfect for chemises and camisoles, slips, gowns, robes, short sleeping sets, and even blouses. If you like sewing lingerie in the styles of the 40's and 50's, this is an excellent choice. Pamper yourself with a set of pillow cases. Make special gifts such as lingerie hoisery bags and jewelry totes. Machine wash delicate, tumble dry low. Remove promptly from dryer. 100% Polyester. 58-60" wide.
  • White
  • Pink
  • Royal Blue
Choose a color:
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LYCRA® and SPANDEX FABRIC FOR LINGERIE

Let's Make Panties from Spandex. It what's happening in the retail under garment industry as seen in better department stores in all intimate apparel. Fear not ......now you can make all your lingerie with the look of satin and the comfort of Spandex and Lycra®. You're gonna love how they feel!
Notes from MISS SASSY: We have several fabrics that are suited for sewing panties as they have enough stretch to go around the body and good recovery. Do not pre-wash your fabric. Wash after the garment has been assembled. Use a stretch needle in a conventional machine. A polyester matching thread is acceptable. You also can use a serger with regular serger thread. Wooly lock is a stretch serger thread. Use this in the lower loopers of your serger.

The width of these fabrics allows you to make a gazillion panties out of one yard which is very inexpensive.

ELASTICS: The difficulty in finding matching lingerie elastic when sewing panties puts all of us in dilemma. When matching elastic is available, you can use the one-step method of sewing the elastic directly on the fabric. When matching elastic is not available, an alternate application of applying elastic, that will help you achieve a beautiful finished opening for your project, is called the two-step method. In the two-step method, the elastic is sewn to the inside of the panties, with enough of a fabric allowance to fold the fabric over and cover the elastic. The fabric is then sewn to encase the elastic. Since the elastic doesn't show, its color is not a factor. The two-step method can be used for both the leg and waist.

For the leg we do have 3/8" elastic that will match some of these fabrics. You also might use 3/8" picot edge plush elastic. For the two-step method, besides our regular lingerie elastics and plush elastic, an alternative is our 1/4" or 3/8" swimsuit elastic or the 3/8" rubber elastic.

Another method is to use our 5/8"foldover elastic when a matching or blending color is available. Use the full width for the waistline of your panties. Apply the elastic for the leg openings like you would a bias tape. Using the guide line of the indention on the elastic, stitch on the backside of the opening with a zig zag stitch. Then fold over the elastic to the front encasing the opening. Zig zag the edge on the front side and you have an exact color match with your waist and leg elastic.

Don't forget you can make a bra from this fabric to match your panties, How divine.


#Y2705 Pantie Spandex Fabric $10.95 yd

The perfect matte finish fabric for all your panties and bras. Selected for its comfort against the skin, stretch capabilities and durability. You have seen this fabric in ready to wear undergarments and foundation garments. Now you can have the same look of higher priced finished garments at a fraction of the cost. Sew bras, panties, thongs, garter belts, boy cut panties. For example see Kwik•Sew 3167 and 2908 patterns. Suggest using stretch needles with this fabric. 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex. 4-way stretch fabric, 75% in width and length. 58-60" wide. Machine wash delicate cycle. Tumble dry low.
  • Black
  • Chocolate
  • Island Spice
  • White
Choose a color:
Select the number of yards:
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#Y2735 Satin Spandex Fabric $8.95 yd

1 time offering! Beautiful medium weight satin spandex has a shiny finish in the latest fashion colors. Perfect weight for all your lingerie sewing. Nylon/Spandex blend. 2-way stretch fabric, 20% in width, 75% in length. 58-60" wide. Machine wash warm delicate cycle. Tumble dry low and remove from dryer immediately.

Research

Found this timeline and found it interesting to see how the shapes of lingerie and corsets have changed over the years....




I also found this timeline which I thought was good for a comparison. Thought the pictures were also pretty cool to see what stars wore thoughout the period.

Full Image

Although the people in these sketches are creepy, I think the illustrations of the lingerie was pretty awsome.

timeline of women's underwear