No, I haven't finished my first one, no, I don't actually have any outfits I can wear them with, and no I can't afford it, but I can't help it. I am so excited. This first one is turning out so great and it is so fun. I love it.
It is still waiting fo thte last two bones.
I might have mentioned that the next corset will be black.
I chose not to have a fancy facing fabric on my first one because I didn't want to make it more complicated. I didn't really know if I would be able to finish one. There are a lot of steps, and some of the techniques are new. Also, I have been emailing back and forth with Andrea at corsetmaking.com and have discovered that I could have included boning casing in the corset, even though it is not mentioned in the patter instructions. It makes the corset last longer by protecting the coutil and lining fabric from the inside. Usually the first thing to wear out on corsets is the boning tips wear through the fabric and make a hole and eventually poke out. Adding boning casing will also make it a bit harder, because when you sew the layers together you have to be very careful to catch the edges along the entire channel. I am determined to incorporate the casing into my next corset. I was going to attempt the Silverado for my second corset, but I think that because I am already adding all of the extra steps and complications, I should stick with the pattern I am familiar with. The Dore has fewer pieces, and I never did fit the muslin so that it fully satisfied me. I think I will work on that some more before I try to sew it.
I ordered a yard each of: black coutil, black lining fabric, and black on black silk brocade. The silk brocade is only 27 inches wide so I had to do a quick check and make sure that I would have room to cut all my pieces.
I folded black tissue paper to 13 inches by a yard and fit my pieces on. It looks like it will fit. I think that if I were making a larger size, though, I would have to order more than a yard.
The coutil and the lining fabric I used for the white corset is much wider. I figured I can cut three corsets from one yard for both of those.
I also ordered two continuous rolls of spiral boning with tips so that I can cut and tip my own to the lengths I need, rather than ordering and hoping the channels turn out the same length. I ordered an assortment of the strait bones as well for the strait channels.
The real reason I went ahead and ordered all of this now and not after I finished the first corset, is because my daughter is making duct tape corsets and waist cinchers with her friends and I am almost out of grommets. I had to go ahead and order the grommets. The cost of shipping is getting so outrageous that I had to try to order everything I thought I would need for a while. I already have enough black boning casing, black twill tape and a black lacing which I accidentally ordered with my white fabric when I made my first order of the kit and pattern. That just leaves a 13 inch busk and black satin bias tape, which I also ordered. With my two 11 inch boning on the way and my black corset materials ordered, all I can do is wait. I will need to buy a tool for cutting the spiral steel boning. I found something that will work at the hardware store, but I haven't purchased it yet. It is called a cable cutter. It looks just like the tool that corsetmaking.com sells, but it is bigger and beefier. The tool that corsetmaking.com sells is out of stock a lot. It must be hard to get ahold of. I think the cable cutters will do nicely. They cost about 30 dollars. Once I buy them I will post a picture.
I also went on a hunt for tool dip. That is what people are saying they dip the tips of their bones in, even the ones with nickle plated tips to keep them from popping off. I could only find it in black. That would be fine for my next corset, but not for a white one. The company that makes it also makes yellow, red, and blue. None of these colors would be perfect for a white corset. I think if I had incorporated the boning casing it wouldn't matter.
At the hardware store I was at I found that the same company makes a compound for patching the white vinyl coated metal racks in dishwashers and metal shelving. It is more expensive and is in a smaller container with a brush, but it will probably work. I will try using it to patch up the poorly dipped bones that I got in my last order.
I did a google search and found that they make a kit that allows you to mix your own colors. I can only guess that because they have a white tint to add that the compound in the container is clear. That might be nice. I will think about ordering this if I decide to make several more corsets after this one.
It turns out that the Plasti Dip company has a very large range of products that are not available at any of our local hardware stores. I might have to order some.
I have to mention, also, that I have been very pleasantly surprised by the level of service I have received from Andrea at www.corsetmaking.com. She has emailed back and forth with me several times. First, figuring out what I needed her to replace due to the poorly dipped tips. Then she explained to me how I could cut and tip my own spiral bones. She also explained how to use the boning casing in the pattern I am sewing. All together she read all of my emails, and responded about ten times in two days. She was very nice and professional. I think, if this level of service is what I can expect, I will be a loyal customer.
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