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Help with making a corset

A friend is getting married this August. Somehow, an offer to help out has become "Sally is making my dress". So, it seems I am. To add complications, she's probably going to be my line manager from September. And lots of people from work will be at the wedding so it has to be _really_ good.

The style she wants has a four-gored flared skirt - easy - and a separate corset top. The corset doesn't have any visible fastening. The whole thing seems to be made of chiffon mounted on, err, something else.

I'm planning to make a pattern for the corset by wrapping her in duct tape and drawing seam lines before I cut it off her. But, I need help working out how to fasten the thing.

I wondered about an open-ended zip (too bulky, I think, even under the arm) but probably the best will be rows of hook and eyes on tape. Does anyone have any other suggestions, other than "say no now"? Any hints?

I'm also wondering how much boning she'll need. I've only made historical corsets before and they had rigid steel bones. This is a modern, shapely corset. Kerry is fairly curvy. I plan to bone the CF and CB and along each side of each seam using Rigilene. I think that if I stitch right at the edge of the Rigilene, it'll make a channel that I can slip spiral steel bones into if they're needed. Will I need to bone along the front neck edge? It's almost straight across so I could curve Rigilene along it. Will I need more bones? I do plan to make a trial garment, and I've told her that I need her to wear the trial for several hours to make sure it doesn't catch. Actually, I'm hoping that she'll find it constricting and change her mind about the design,

I plan a heavy layer of something like cotton twill with the boning, lined with something that will feel comfortable, probably a soft but closely-woven cotton. On top will be the chiffon-plus-whatever layer, making four layers in all.

I do wish that she would see this as an opportunity to design a wonderful one-off dress but she wants one just like the picture. She'd really suit something like one of Arwen's dresses, like this

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but not green, and I know Icould do a really good job on this and make it fit her perfectly. But no,she wants to be a cookie-cutter bride. Sigh.

Please hold my hand through this, guys.

Sally

Reply to
Sally Holmes
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Funny - that's JUST how I feel about the Kingsdown wedding!

Ooer!

You can get lighter weight open ended zips for this sort of thing, but if she needs it to support her more than just a tad, it will need something stronger... Get in touch with YKK or one of the other zip companies and see if they can help. Why not lace it? You could hide the lacing under something... Lacing is fashionable, though!

I wouldn't use Rigeline. There are heavier duty nylon bonings about that will give more support without the 'cased in steel' effect of steel boning. Id' also put more bones in! The more the merrier!

Have you looked through the pattern books to see if there is something similar you could base the corset part on? It might save you hours of work! The one I used with the pink bridesmaids sounds very similar, and is still in the Butterick catalogue, I think. If not, I could send you mine. Take a look at it as it was before I altered it, and see if it's like what you want. I think the pattern number is up there... Yes, it is, and it's McCalls, not Butterick! It has LOTS of seams and took lots of bones!

I mounted the silk on a heavy Vilene, and then just lined it with a light weight poly habotai, but the girls were very slim and didn't need a lot of support, or for the tops to fit like they were stuffed into them with a sausage machine! Lining with a fine cotton lawn or cambric might do very well.

Bridal insanity strikes again! ;P

You and me both! I feel the need of a bit of mutual support!

Reply to
Kate Dicey

You can also wrap her over her undergarments in Kitchen Plastic wrap. Several layers, of the sticky kind. I use the big rolls that they sell in the wharehouse stores like Sams. The advantage to this is that you can see through it enough to see just where it hits undergarments.

Sandy E

Reply to
Corasande

Well, I hadn't thought of that! Thank you. I wonder what she'll say? He, he, he...

This made me think: will she need to wear a bra under a well-fitting corset top? If she wears one while I wrap her, the corset will be the same shape as her supported-by-a-bra figure. It would certainly save time anguish and expense if she didn't have to buy a good strapless bra.

Am I right in trying to make a wedding dress top a really snug skintight fit?

Sally

Reply to
Sally Holmes

I am not a sandwich! I am a free woman...

If that's the shape she wants, it's a good enough cheat! :)

Yes, if she insists! The customer is always right - until you show her that this really does NOT flatter her at all! Make a quick and dirty toile/muslin so she can see the shape, and see what you and she think... You can use this as the basis for the real thing if she wants to go ahead.

Reply to
Kate Dicey

Well, if she's going to bend over and pet tiny bridesmaids...

Depends how intimate she wants the photos, I s'pose...

;) Trish

Reply to
Trishty

And exactly what view of her shoes she wants to present! LOL

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

Reply to
SewStorm

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