Finishing touches

Good Morning Internet Lovelies

So this post will just be a round up of the rest of the wedding items, starting with the top half of my dress. I made it fully steel boned with a corset style back so that I didn't need to worry about underwear as it was supportive in itself.

Our First Dance

Hello all

I'm feeling a little under the weather today, which I really don't like. I had dodged a cold for quite awhile with the run up to the wedding and although it tried to gain a foothold whilst we were on honeymoon I stood strong and more or less avoided it but Wednesday at 5.00, and it happened so fast that I really do know the time, I went down with a case of what I would describe as 'man flu' if I was prone to exaggeration, but for one who normally plays down any illness or injury this one hit me for six. Every joint in my body hurt and my head was so full that I could only sit with it on the table and tissues stuck up my nose (not a pretty sight so be glad you weren't here).

corselet part 2

Good Morning all,

Here is the latest catch up on how I'm getting on with trying to make control undies. I have to say that corsets are much easier to fathom without all this stretch business. You just sew your seams up and then control the amount of pull in with how tight you pull your laces, easy.

Corset complete x

morning all,

It's Thursday, which means it's down hill now to the weekend. And that can only mean one thing Candy Box is almost here. The final line up of acts sound phenomenal, and on one hand I just can't wait, but on the other I'm thinking I haven't made any sleeves yet, that is to say something to go under the corset to make it a little more modest, so that will need thinking about rather quickly.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, here is the final bit of waffle about the corset itself.  At the end of Monday's post I had finished the eyelets, after that I took to the garage with hacksaw in hand, and I can tell you it was cold.  I am just getting over a bit of a cold too, so it felt doubly worse, but enough moaning, it wasn't all that bad.

The flat steel bones needed cutting to size, the edges sanding down smooth and then dipping in the bone tipping solution.  Then leave them overnight to dry, and make sure they are really dry before inserting in your corset.

Bone tipping solution lasts forever, I am still on my first bottle and not even half way through.  The only problem being that it is always a while between uses and the lid gets stuck down, so I end up having to pour boiling water over the lid to get it moving each time.  Hence the label is now fairly blurred.

The spiral steel bones needed cutting to size also, but this is easier as if you just cut though one thread of steel on both sides it comes apart.

The end caps require a little bit of a knack and 2 pairs of pliers, but without them the sharp end of the steel would be through the material in no time.

If you just squash the end cap on and then squeeze down with one pair of pliers, the ends will spread out and the cap will be loose, so then you squash the ends back in and the top spreads out and the cap is loose, you can spend along time on this stage, squashing the ends, squashing the top over and over. So the only way forward is to hold the ends in tight to the boning with one pair of pliers and then squash the top tight with another pair and then your end cap is lovely and secure. Alternatively use vise and a pair of pliers if you find that easier.

So all my bones in place, next step is to secure them there and to finish of the bottom of the corset. It really should be covered with bias ribbon like the top, but due to lack of time and at present ribbon, I have decided to oversew the edges to stop fraying and neaten them off, so I cut the messy edges off and oversew.

If this was to be worn more often I wouldn't do it this way and if the need arises I can always do it properly later on.  After oversewing I neaten up the end of the bias tape that is running down the centre of the back 

 Lace up the eyelets and try it on.  And I have to say I am fairly pleased with the way it has turned out. Although apologies for the photos I was trying to get the time on the phone camera to work, really need a tripod if I'm going to get anywhere with this stuff.

 After this, I then wore it round the house for a good hour I was enjoying it so much. Well best get on with those sleeves.  I will post up more pictures of the completed outfit next week, and maybe some of the Candy Box too.

take care all
hugs and kisses
ally
x

eyelets and grommets, not wallace and gromit's

so folks

how to fasten your corset or stays?  you lace them up, pulling as tight as you want or can to get that hourglass figure.  So the eyelets (holes) have to be strong, you can hand sew (or machine sew if you have a fancy machine) but I like the strength of a metal grommet.  The two part ones, as arrived from sewcurvy.com last week are the best, I think, and I like to make a hole instead of cut a hole as this really does give better strength and there is more material for the grommet to hang on to.
 The grommet is the larger part and the other part is called a washer. They fit through the material, clamp together and then let you lace easily, being able to pull the laces tight as they slide over the metal.

 Firstly mark where your holes are going to go, my pattern had a missing mark, see in the centre, but as I know the eyelets need to be all the way along, I just added another mark where it should have been.

How to make a hole

This sounds easy but I can tell you by the end of a full corset my hand are usually aching.  It's the thumbnails that really get it.

As I said earlier, I don't like to cut the hole out as this leads to a weak hole, I use an awl, well 2 actually, to move the fabric fibers aside to leave a hole.  The first is a sharp pointed shop bought one, that starts the hole off, pushing through the fabric, the second is a knitting needle that I broke a long time ago and not being able to throw much away became a larger hole maker, the base being a lump of polymer clay, good and wide to help me push through while distributing the weight through more of my palm. When you're making a hole in 2 thicknesses of canvas, and a front and a back it can take a bit of force.

The next stage is to then get the grommet through the material from front to back. This requires a little giggling about, I usually put the grommet over the end of the awl and push downwards at the same time lifting the material so it slides from the awl onto the grommet, sometimes this can be as easy as that sounds but believe me other times it just won't seem to fit.  Persistence is needed at this point and just know that it will be over eventually and it will be worth it.  Don't be tempted to reduce the number of eyelets on the back, to save the effort, it may look a lot, but you do need them if you want to tight lace.  It's this stage that does your thumbnails in.

Right with your grommet in position, on with the process, the washer has two side, one hill like and one valley like, and it needs to be placed over the grommet, hillside outwards

can't seem to get this picture the right way up sorry.

Put your washer on with the hump facing outwards, when you hammer the washer down you will bend the grommet into the small groove waiting for it.  If you put it on the wrong way round, with the hump facing inwards the grommet will not smoothly bend into place and you'll end up with something that has sharp broken metal that will catch on your underclothes and probably fall out.

Grommets come in a variety of sizes, and you need to make sure you have the right tool at this stage for the hammering job, there will be a circle that the grommet will fit in and an 'anvil' that will hammer into the other end to bend the metal round. The picture at the top with a red handled tool is the wrong size for the grommets I used on this corset, but I hadn't checked when I took that photo, the tool I used is the one below.

Firmly hold the tool in placer and hammer.  Check to see if it has worked, if not hammer harder. The floor can be a great place to do this. Once hammered hard enough it should look like this:

and be nice and smooth. Job done.

hints and tips

• give the hole time to settle, by that I mean leave it on the awl for a moment or two before sliding it on to the grommet, makes it much easier.
• hammer on the floor if your table or worktop is not so strong
• always double check the washer is the right way round, you can get into a right mess if it isn't, hillside up, valley down.
• put your eyelets in before the bones, it just makes the corset easier to handle

So the only things left to do now are put the remaining bones in and finish off the bottom edge, and less than a week to Candy Box, I think I best get a move on with the rest of the outfit.

By the way before I sign off, apologies to regular readers out there for the lack of posts towards the end of last week, other things were going on, and I have decided to reduce the time I spend on this and just start posting twice a week, giving more time for sewing as the time is getting closer to my having to launch Honey Pot Creations in earnest, and also I am looking at some other writing gigs that might be quite exciting, but I'll tell you more about that if they come off, well I probably tell you either way to be honest.

so till Thursday,
hugs and kisses
ally
x

ps, as always I would love to hear from you. Comments are always read. x

a little on boning

morning all

As promised a blog about different types of boning. For this corset I am using 3 types of bone:

spiral steel bone

spring steel bone or flat steel

and something I don't really consider 'real' boning, but if you buy a cheap corset or boned dress you may well find this inside.

plastic bone

plastic boning is only suitable for light support and can not achieve any waist reduction, it also tends to get stuck in a bent shape, I have had numerous shop bought corset style tops that just become misshapen after a bit, usually at the waist area.  The only advantage is washability. So why use it in this corset then? well there are a lot of bones needed in this corset and as you might imagine steel bone can get quite heavy when you need a lot of it, so out of practicality the channels that don't matter too much in the shaping, will be boned with plastic to cut the overall weight down.

Flat steel bone will be used at the back only.  There is no sideways flexibility with this type of bone, it is very rigid, but this is perfect for the 2 bones that run down either side of the back around the lacing holes.  The area wants to be good and strong and I like to use flat bone in all 4 channels to get maximum strength and a rigid back.





So that leaves the spiral boning, I love this stuff because it's flexible and allows for a lot of movement.  If you had a tight-laced corset all in flat steel, you may not be able to tie your shoes, but with spiral boning you should be ok. Also it is easier to cut and you don't need to re-dip the ends as you do with flat steel, to prevent rusting.  Flat steel comes coated in a plastic to stop it rusting, you can buy it already in cut lengths, but this does limit you in your choice of corset size.  It can be cut with a small hacksaw, and it's best if you have a clamp to hold it firmly while you cut, and then you dip the cut end into a liquid plastic solution  to complete the rust protection again.

Cut ends do need covering in both type of steel bone, and you can get end caps to fit that just need to be clamped on.  This is to protect the material. Another advantage with the spiral bone, there is no drying time just cut, cover and use.

I got my latest supplies from www.sewcurvy.com and I have to say how nicely package it arrived with a little thank you card and pretty pink tissue. I hope that when anyone buys anything from me at honeypot creations, they would get the same sense of pleasure in receiving the item as I did when I opened this.  It is one of my main aims to make you feel special and your purchase special and to add a personal touch. In this computer age we can lose track of that feeling, but it really doesn't take much too bring it back. I have a friend who, whenever he buys anything from the internet and at the checkout point there is a box asking if there are any special instruction, asks for a hand drawing of a dinosaur. It is very nice to say that sometimes he gets one too. Little things can sometimes mean so much.




I particularly liked their warning that came with the flat steel, this is very true, and even as I went to take a photo of it, it sprang everywhere, it just wants to be flat not bent into a circle.


So that's everything I need now to complete the corset, I guess the only thing to do now would be to go and do it.  I'll just put the kettle on first though.

 Next time I want to talk about the eyelets for the lacing to go through, and hopefully have something ready to try on too.

hugs as always.
ally
x

cheating at tailors tacks and more

Morning all

Well just a quickie today, I'm very pleased with the way the corset is turning out, the velvet is being a darling and not wrinkling up at all during sewing, and I thought I would just share a tip I use for transferring marking onto corsets.  For the non-sewers, sewing patterns come with all sorts of information on them, printed on in more modern patterns and just a series of holes of different sizes and arrangements on the older patterns. These marks tell you how to sewing the pieces together and if you don't pay attention to them things can go wrong.

Well, in the case of this corset I am
1. making it for myself, this always involves lots of shortcuts that wouldn't happen in a garment I was making for anyone else and
2. has an inside that no one will ever see.

so here is how I transferred the tailors tacks;

on an ironing board or other pinnable surface sink a pin through the pattern and all the layers of material right down into the ironing board

Carefully lift the paper pattern and draw a dot in pencil exactly where the pin goes through the material.

 Do the same with the next layer. For bonus points mark both sides of the canvas, so it doesn't matter which way up gets covered with it's layer of outside material, but if you forget and realise after you are covering up the side you marked, stick the pin though the pencil dot, turn the material over and mark where the pin comes out, transferring the marking to the other side that way.  I hope that makes sense, please comment if you want extra clarity.

 You will have to excuse these photos as the displaced cat decided to make the canvas I had put out ready for cutting her bed one day and seems to be shedding a lot at the moment.

Obviously don't mark the material that will be the outside of your corset as even if you mark the wrong side it may show through, I find that markings on the canvas are enough for me though.  The other way round this is to get a special pen that has ink that disappears after a couple of days. But there are 2 warnings with these; make sure you work quick enough to be done before the ink is and wash afterwards if your item is to be an heirloom, there is some sort of chemical in the ink that stays and can aid corrosion over a long time.

sewing from lining side

In the case of this corset, I went even further though and got my pencil and ruler and started drawing lines all over the lining, after all this is a fancy dress item and just for me, and I'm not telling if you don't.  The boning channels get a little fancy on the front and I wanted to make sure I had them all even, so the easiest way was with a ruler. You see I had already veered off from the original by having fancy seam lines so all my channels are bigger than the original and a little rearrangement was needed. To be honest though just having taken that photo I can't really see the lines anymore.

sewing from the right side.

This was supposed to be a quick post, so I best be off now, and I'll tell you about the boning next time. Just to say some of the channels are enclosed by the next channel, so with this corset you need to bone as you're going along, but we will discuss different types of bones next time.

lots of internet love.
ally

getting going on the corset

morning all

it's a bit grey and drizzly here in lovely Birmingham today and has been for a few days actually, which is a bit of a shame as it was fireworks night last night (5th November), and Saturday when the main displays were being held it rained really heavily and was quite windy, a number had to be cancelled across the country. Myself and Dr J. were out so we didn't get chance to try out our new vantage point.  We had an attic dormer done as part of the renovation work on the house, and this give us quite a bit of height and faces the local cricket ground where they were holding a display on Saturday, so I will have to wait for next year to see if we can actually see much, hopefully if we're not out. To be honest Saturday night was great fun anyway, much better than trying to see fireworks in the fog, we had 2 weddings and a lovely meal, nough said.

Anyway I am spending this grey morning squirrelled away making velvet roses in the warm with some great music, so I'm happy, hope you all are too. Before I get completely stuck into it, here's a little more about the velvet stays (corset).  I think in simplest terms Stays are 18th century and the word was then replaced with corset in the 19th century.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

This particular one is being made up to be one piece with just lacing down the back, whereas other stays are two pieces laced at the front and the back, hence the plural aspect of the word, (might be something similar to trousers, which are always plural.)

playing with powerpoint, what do you think?

Each pattern piece has 4 layers, top layer (outside), velvet, 2 centre layers, canvas and the inside layer is a lining material, for my delicate skin. No seriously canvas can rub, when its very tightly laced.

The channels for the bones will be made up of stitching through all the layers and then inserting the boning into the gap between the 2 canvas layer, hence two canvas layers to protect the more delicate fabric from the bones which can easily wear through anything softer.

I have been looking at different stitch patterns on my machine to make a more decorative channel.  I have a fairly old machine, with no fancy gizmos, just a few standard stitches, these are what I have to play with.  I looked through my box of sparkly threads and decided on a gold one. the sparkle doesn't really show up on the photos but it looks lovely in real life.
I was really please with the trial run of this actually as I thought I would have trouble with the velvet moving around whilst sewing, but I sewed it all upside down with velvet faced down at the bottom and it did budge once, so thats great too.  The real reason for it being upside down is that you can put fancy thread on the bobbin that would not be able to go through the needle if it were on the top, the side you see whilst sewing looks like this..

 I think I will go with a stitch that is designed for attaching elastic, the centre one in this photos, I did like the curves, but it will be too much of a nightmare trying to line them up each time and I think just look messy otherwise.

And just before I go here a little progress on that hat, main bits are sewn together, now I just need to do the embroidery on the sideband, and a little bit of internal stuff, and then it will be ready for shipping.

Well that's all for now,
stay warm and safe
hugs
ally
x