GLASS PINGLE - IN MY GARDEN I AM QUEEN.

This is Fleur Oakes's corset entitled,

"In My Garden I an Queene'

It went on display at Prick Your Finger this Friday last the first of May.

Most corset makers don't sign their work, but Fleur has embroidered her name and left a little pouch at the bottom  of the front in which she will leave the following information.

The corset pattern is from 1585 and this style of embroidery was fashionable from mid 1600's.

The animals were an idea from some embroidery from the book "House of Spirits" by Isabelle Allinde. These animals are from original pen and ink drawings by illustrator Richard Gray. They take an average of eight hours each.

From left to right;

Peepus has colourings of a Kestral. He is made with bullion stitch, Turkey stitch, and normal long and short stitch.

The Goatle, half goat half turtle is made in turkey stitch, long and short stitch, raised satin stitch with a needle lace shell.

The Boarfinch is the colours of chaffinch or Goldfinch and he's mostly long and short stitch with needle lace wings.

The Marbat, a combination of a Marsupial with bat wings has the colourings of a Bluetit.

The Mallardapard has a Mallard coloured head and a leopard coloured body. He has raised satin stitch, turkey stitch and long and short stitch.

The two fruit trees, one silver apple and one golden pear, both made in varying sizes of French knot, done in hand dyed threads. The apple tree has a bee in a loose french knot.

 The pear tree has the Mallardapard's nest with a padded satin stitch egg and a hand dyed gimp nest. The fruit are needle lace covered wooden beads. Two leaves and a pear take about 3 hours.

The flowers Snowdrop and Cyclamen represent hope and doubt. The snowdrop is a specific variety called the Hefelump.

 The cyclamen was the most complicated thing that Fleur has ever made with each petal taking over an hour!

The moths are all made in needle lace and are based on tiger moths, but made in ivory to look like lace.  

When the corset is closed the eyes come together at the back. 

And underneath, the corset is lined with old kid leather evening gloves which are faggot stitched together using the fingers of the gloves to resemble the fans that come out t the hip on Elizabethan corsetry.

Wow.