hooray, a distraction!
Jul. 16th, 2016 11:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mandie_rwWell, only sort of. After the Allaire wedding, I filed it away that I really wanted a new corset if I have time, and since the ballgown is coming along swimmingly, I decided that today I'd start said corset. (Plus, I really like to have hand sewing to bring to sewing days if at all possible, and there's one coming up. And the ballgown is still in the machine-work stages.)
No, not that poor neglected pair of blue corded stays...I've found I prefer a strapless corset with this type of neckline, so my 1844 corset is perfect for it! Said 1844 corset was made in 2010, though, and leaves something to be desired in construction.
Well, I shouldn't even really say construction; it's very well sewn indeed, as I thought I'd machine sewn the cording in, but went back and looked at it closely today. Nope, it's hand sewn! (How's that for a really egregious humble-brag?) Apparently I used to be super dedicated to perfect backstitching...And I blundered into fitting it quite well - the only adjustment I needed to make for an update was some awkward curving along the bottom edge. I used amazingly crappy materials, though...I think the top layer's Joann poly-cotton broadcloth (which has started pilling), and most importantly, I used really thin, loosely woven fabric to make the boning channels. Which means the cable ties that bone the CB edges have worked loose and started poking me in the upper bum. Still wearable, but a corset that pokes one in the bum is maybe not optimal?
So today I cut out all the pieces for a new version, and started sewing them together. One layer of cotton drill for strength, and then a white-on-white cotton spot print on top (because white unders at this period still seems most practical, but at least a print is less boring that solid white!). I'm machine sewing the pieces together, and then hand sewing the rest of it, because that's apparently what I did in the original corset, and I can't let 2016 Me be topped by 2010 Me! (It's two bones at CF, one each at CB, and then two lines of cording on each seam, and there are 4 pieces to each side, so not really that crazy, haha.)
ETA: I forgot to mention that Lil' Sis came home yesterday afternoon and said something to the effect of "I think a bird exploded or something...there are white feathers all over the lawn." I got a good chuckle out of that!
No, not that poor neglected pair of blue corded stays...I've found I prefer a strapless corset with this type of neckline, so my 1844 corset is perfect for it! Said 1844 corset was made in 2010, though, and leaves something to be desired in construction.
Well, I shouldn't even really say construction; it's very well sewn indeed, as I thought I'd machine sewn the cording in, but went back and looked at it closely today. Nope, it's hand sewn! (How's that for a really egregious humble-brag?) Apparently I used to be super dedicated to perfect backstitching...And I blundered into fitting it quite well - the only adjustment I needed to make for an update was some awkward curving along the bottom edge. I used amazingly crappy materials, though...I think the top layer's Joann poly-cotton broadcloth (which has started pilling), and most importantly, I used really thin, loosely woven fabric to make the boning channels. Which means the cable ties that bone the CB edges have worked loose and started poking me in the upper bum. Still wearable, but a corset that pokes one in the bum is maybe not optimal?
So today I cut out all the pieces for a new version, and started sewing them together. One layer of cotton drill for strength, and then a white-on-white cotton spot print on top (because white unders at this period still seems most practical, but at least a print is less boring that solid white!). I'm machine sewing the pieces together, and then hand sewing the rest of it, because that's apparently what I did in the original corset, and I can't let 2016 Me be topped by 2010 Me! (It's two bones at CF, one each at CB, and then two lines of cording on each seam, and there are 4 pieces to each side, so not really that crazy, haha.)
ETA: I forgot to mention that Lil' Sis came home yesterday afternoon and said something to the effect of "I think a bird exploded or something...there are white feathers all over the lawn." I got a good chuckle out of that!
