Monday, January 27, 2014

Corset re-do--Done!

 
The almost-final product!
 
I still need to add hooks and eyes to the bottom front but woohoo - the re-do is DONE!
 
What I did:

First I cut off the old lacing just inside of the eyelets and took out the remaining bones on each edge. Then I folded the fabric at the next bone--which is now my outside edge.

 
I attached a strip of white linen just inside the bone on the inside of the corset, doubled the fabric and stitched down the opposite edge. I then had many layers of fabric to hold the new eyelets.
 

Aren't they pretty?


I had eleven empty boning chanels left by bones that had worked their way out of the fabric over the years so I opend up the stiching at both ends and added hemp cord 'boning' to those.


Then I trimmed the edges and stiched it all back up!


I also turned down the center fronk neckline to the top of the bone. This gives it an ever-so-subtle sweetheart neck line and I *hope* it will correct the recurring issue of just a bit of the center front of the corset showing above the neckline of my bodices.

'Cause I sure wouldn't want to have to *raise* them! ;)

I added some trim to cover the holes where the bones had worked their way out and ...DONE!

Monday, January 6, 2014

1987 Corset Re-Do. So 2014 Sewing Begins!

I'm taking on both the Historical Fortnightly and Five Foundations Challenges this year! We are stuck inside today due to unusually (dangerously) cold temperatures so I am jumping in with some desperately-needed alterations to a corset I made back in...1987-ish. It has been my go-to corset for literally decades now and has held up surprisingly well but the eyelets were shot long ago and the surrounding fabric was never intended to do lacing-duty all on it's own--poor thing--and really should be relieved of the job! I've also changed in shape and a bit in size so a remake is in order and will allow me to rethink my corseting before I jump into making new patterns for a whole new corset wardrobe.

Squee! A whole new corset wardrobe! That's a lovely phrase. :)

And now, so you can truly appreciate the desperateness of my need, the dreaded "Before" picture!