The Corset Is Finished!

I finished binding the 1880s corset last night, so I immediately had to try it on. I'm happy with the fit, though I did leave a large gap in the back. I'll wait and see if the corset stretches with wear, but I may add a modesty panel.

The fabric is just two layers of black cotton twill. I didn't put a lot of bones in (there are ten spiral steels, plus two flat steels in the center back), but I think that's fine because there is only one space that is over a couple inches wide between any two bones.

Almost There

I am super close to finishing my 1880s underpinnings. I only have to finish binding the corset, put a closure on the bustle petticoat, and hem the petticoat. This of course means I have photos!



Chemise--this is the Laughing Moon pattern. I found the center front yoke placket thingie to be extremely fiddly, but it's done.




More pics of the bustle




This is the only picture I have of the corset so far, but I'm much closer to finishing than is pictured here.

Last Mockup

So I made a third mockup, and I'm happy enough with the results to move on to the real thing. I put in my order to Farthingales LA. I will start the real one soon.

Explanation of the Boning in My Mockups

Sabrina was talking to me about how I was boning my victorian corset mockup, so I figured I should take pics to show everyone. As I mentioned before, I'm using masking tape to make the boning channels, because I was too lazy to sew down the seam allowances to make channels (plus, I wanted the allowances to be more alterable, should I need to take a seam in). I didn't come up with this method on my own (it was mentioned on some message board I was reading, I think).

1)Here is the inside of the mockup, where you can see the tape:


2)Here are the tools I am using, my crappy scissors, 14" cable ties for boning, and 1.75" wide masking tape:


3)Right now I am using some crappy Dritz eyelets in place of grommets. I don't have any grommets right now, but when I get some, I'm planning to make a pair of boned/grommeted strips I can attach to my mockups, but for now this is what I'm using. I figured, since I'm not planning on using these eyelets for anything else, I could get rid of them this way.

Getting There

I put together a second mock-up today. I'm quite happy with it, but I do need to adjust the bottom center front panels a bit. There's a little extra room there.

Being Productive

After spending a lovely afternoon with some local sewing buddies, I actually got motivated to put down my knitting and sew!

Taylor was talking about how she wanted to have a victorian skating party sometime. This got me thinking about my plans for a bustle outfit. I already have the dress I purchased from Lauren which I think will fit me nicely with just a little bit of alteration), but I need underpinnings!

With that in mind, I started in on a corset mockup this past weekend. This is TV 110. I just used masking tape to put in some plastic boning, so I could get the general effect. Right now I like how it is sitting on my waist, but there is too much room in the bust and hips.