Foundations Revealed 5 Senses Competition - dress diary part 13: the entry!

Woop! I did it! With only hours to spare, I managed to get my lovely sister-in-law to photograph me wearing the finished corset (thanks Carole!), and send off my entry. What a relief!

So here are the photos I submitted:

I hope this showcases the pattern matching on the back seams sufficiently!

Flossing detail

Inside

Wish me luck! xxx

Foundations Revealed 5 Senses Competition - dress diary part 12

Fitting the sleeves.

I am really happy with the sleeves, so I will sew them on. I think they balance the lines of the corset, and by emphasising the shoulders, the waist appears smaller, creating an hourglass effect. I am happy with the gap at the back too, the lacing panels are parallel, which is important. I laced myself into this to try it on, and it wasn't so hard, particularly given that it is about 40 degrees today in Perth! It is so hot, I can barely hold a needle, talk about sewing in a sweat shop!

The fit is firm, but I am sure that with wear it would mould and soften. The shape over the bust isn't as extreme as with the paper version, which is interesting given that it is exactly the same pattern. My op scar shows, so if I photograph it on me, I will have to make sure I keep it covered! At least my belly has deflated enough to try it on!

The finished corset! Introducing Synesthesia!

So here it is: finished. Whew! I wasn't sure I would make it! So which one to enter? The paper one is great fun, has a distinctive sound and feel, but because of the nature of paper, I wasn't able to get the finish I like. The fabric one is beautiful, even if I say so myself. It has all the features I value, perfect boning channels, flossing, hand finishing; it may not be as original, but even so, it has really pushed me, from concept and digital design, printing to scale, to making it and getting the sleeves just right. The painting is literally titled the five senses, so it still meets the criteria; and of course there is a tactile element to it, from the cotton sateen, the silk ribbons, the weight of it, and just the fact that it is a corset seems to me involve all the senses.

the fabric version (right) and paper version (left)

flossing detail

sleeve detail

And now to photograph it. Do I use myself (I am available) or find a model, which could be tricky given I only have a few days left... To quote Scarlet O'Hara, I'll think about it later. Now it's time for a nap!

Foundations Revealed 5 Senses Competition - dress diary part 12

I have finished the flossing, I kept it quite simple, and it is more as decoration rather than function. I like how it looks like the women are standing in grasses. I considered doing it up the top as well, but I want to play around with sleeves, which worked in toile stage but maybe need work now the fabric has less give.

In order to test the sleeves, it needs to be on a body, so I have tipped my laces and laced it up. In the end, I used the sleeve from the second print as well, so I didn’t have to put eyelets in the corset in case it didn’t work.

the tipped laces

choosing ribbon colours

the sleeves with eyelets for the ribbon

The toile with the sleeve (I used a zip for the bust to make it quick to fit). It will be interesting to see if  the reinforced fabric will fit differently to the two layers of calico which has more give...

Now to attach the sleeves and see if it works!

Foundations Revealed 5 Senses Competition - dress diary part 11

Now for the eyelets! Woop! It is nearly a corset! I use a punch the make the holes, even though there is a school of thought that says you should also use an awl. But with that layer of plastic, the only thing is the make holes.

I have a lovely press for the eyelets and washers, which is a joy to use, and again, make hard work super easy. This didn’t take too long, and now I am ready to do some flossing.

How many days until the entry is due? Eek! Only 6 and I still need to take photos!

Foundations Revealed 5 Senses Competition - dress diary part 10

Now onto the binding. This was not going to be easy, given the curves and angles involved. I didn’t want to use bought bias as it is either poly/cotton or the cotton is too cheap, but matching the colour was going to be tricky. In the end, I had a roll of satin metallic bias I had bought from a clothing manufacturer selling off bolts of fabric and haberdashery, and the quality and colour was just what I wanted.

I machined the right side, and hand stitched on the wrong. Again, this called for a lot of pins, and this was one occasion when I couldn’t have sewn it without them!

I always start with the top edge, insert the boning, then do the bottom edge. I used steel boning on the center front and two rows on the center back to support the lacing. For the rest, I used spiral boning, and even though I have loads of pre-tipped, none fitted – boo! But I have plenty of rolls on hand, so cut it to size.

At great expense (seriously it was a huge palava, and ended up costing a bomb!) I bought a tipping tool for my press. These things are not easy to find, and once I actually had one in my hot little hand, what do you know, it just isn’t great. An article I read suggested using electrical tubing, which is generally what I turn to now, and works a treat. I alternate between using a heat gun (which gets so hot it melts more than the tubing) and my crème brulee blow torch. Today, I used the blow torch, and didn’t scorch the plastic – too much.

Foundations Revealed 5 Senses Competition - dress diary part 9

But first a bit about the pattern matching, which was one of the challenges of this corset. I knew it would be pretty good, given that I had made it in paper first. Fabric is softer to work with than paper, and it proved to be quite easy, which was nice. In fact, there were only two sections that needed to be matched, as the corset is quite small, and in order to fit all the panels, I was forced to restrict how much I could show off! Probably a good thing too, as being smug always leads to disaster! Anyway, here are section from the front: