Wedding Corset; Part Three

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First, I did promise you a field trip. This is Lacis in Berkeley, Ca.

If you do costuming or needlework, this is the place to be. You can order from them online, but it's soooooo much fun when you get to touch and feel and play with the items.

Street view. 

(Don't worry, I was at the stop light when I clicked the pic!!)

A close up of the boning and busk area.

The eyelet/grommet/lacing area

They were also having an embroidery exhibit, but I digress............


Now that the pattern has been adjusted and the base sewn, it's time to add the boning.

On the areas where the seams are nice and flat, I just stitched the seam allowances closed.

Where the seams were very curvy or non existent, I added twill tape as my boning channel

Make sure you leave about 3/8" space in the center some the boning will fit.

All sewn up. Now, show that boning in the channels. You should have about a 1/2" space top and bottom from the boning tip to the edge of the fabric.

With the boning in the channels, stitch the lower edges closed.

 Time to cut out the fashion fabrics!!

If you are just doing a two fabric corset, you can match your seams and sew the fabrics together wrong sides together and you lining fabric will be your boning channel.  Also, If you choose to use just one, heavy weight fabric, you can sew boning channels on the inside OR, for a more decorative look, on the outside in a contrasting fabric.

I cut the base fabric first, the pinned it to the top layer. Sewed them together and then trimmed the excess off.

 Make sure you keep them labeled and laid out just like you are going to sew them, ala the first tutorial

The pretty side.

Make sure you clip you curved seams. This is me basting the fashion fabric to the base. I first matched up the seam lines, then I basted the seam allowances flat so they did show. If your fabric lays flat with just a good pressing, you can skip this part, but you still need to match seamllines and baste.

You can baste with the machine or by hand. If you are smarter than me, you will remove the boning first. LOL  I broke 5 needles blind sewing.  

Dorkosauraus award winning move. hahahaha

Decide on how many lacing holes you want. A Lot, a little, far apart, close together.  i used this handy, dandy button hole spacer, but a ruler or someone really good could eyeball the layout. I am not that good. LOL

Tools of the trade. See tutorial here: 

http://thedistracteddomestic.blogspot.com/2010/10/setting-grommets.html

taa--daaaaaaaaa

Bind the edges. I used store bought white bias binding and I made my own out of the clear, sparkly fabric. First, I sewed the sparkly fabric on, then I sewed the white on. I flipped it to the back and whipped stitched it down.

 Taaaa-daaaaaa

lace it up and you're good to go.

The bride wanted a large opening and a contrasting lacing panel. So, alas, the never ending tutorial keeps on going.......

The supplies: zip ties, twill tape, blue fabric, sparkly fabric and lace seam binding.

Layer the fabric...sparkly, pretty side down, the blue, pretty side down. Decide where you want the boning. It will keep the panel from bunching up when you lace the corset.

Trim the zip ties and put them in the boning channels. Stitch both ends closed.

Make sure you round the ends so they don't cut into the fabric.

Add the lace down the middle and tack it down in a few places. you will put the corset lacing through the holes to help keep it in place. Like the tongue on a shoe.

I serged the edges and folded them over and stitched them down for a finished edge. You could bind them as well.

The Bride, front view (duh, right)

Back view (again, duh)

 

Me and the newly married Mrs. Andreatta-Jaques.

Part one

Part two

Thank you for reading and keeping me company through the process!!

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