Corset Building - the adventure continues!

Following more research on the 3D pattern making, I thought I had it sussed. Silver duct tape seemed the go, so at my next class we tried it out. Disaster! Here is what learnt:

1. The tape you use really matters! The silver duct tape I used was not the cloth type, and rolled when it was wrapped around the body, causing bulges that weren’t there to start with, and totally flattened the bust.

2. The singlet you use really matters!

I used a super stretchy singlet, and when I cut off the mold, it sprang back on itself causing the tape to wrinkle, just adding to the dreadful puckering that had already happened. The other issue was that because it had squished into the body, when it was taken off, the pieces were longer than they should be.

But I thought it was the tape causing the problem so we tried again, this time using masking tape, which again, didn’t stick, so I topped it with the duct tape. This method worked better, with the masking tape creating a firm base, and the duct tape holding it all together.

I drew the style lines onto the body and cut the mold off. The singlet still caused quite a lot of contraction (yes, I used the same style of singlet! I had a few I was chucking out, and the reason I was getting rid of them was that they were too stretchy. Lesson learnt!). But I was able to salvage the mold. I cut the shapes and then pealed off the singlet layer and stuck the tape shapes onto paper. I was then able to cut them out and trace around them to make the pattern pieces.

At this point we were getting frustrated, so we got some more duct tape, this time the cloth style, and green, so we could draw on it, which costs quite a bit more, but importantly, does the job. I also used a much less stretchy singlet and the result was great, the mold came off like a dream, and it is ready to be used. Once it is cut up, I will compare the two versions of pattern pieces to see if it makes a difference.

Having worked out what undergarment and duct tape to use, the last lesson was how you attach the duct tape. My initial instinct was to start at the waist, to cinch it in. After some practice, I think the best way is to start under the bust, which is a firm area, and work down. Leave the bust area until last and create a nice shape that does not flatten.

Next, testing the pattern!