Dear Reader,
Phew! The last post! It's taken some time but we're finally here, on the home straight. This week we'll be making the straps and inserting the bones and eyelets. If you've missed the other weeks you can find:
I'll also link back to my Corset Essentials Post because there's a lot of tools and equipment in this section that may be unfamiliar to a lot of people.
Inserting Boning
I have continuous boning that I cut down, but you can also buy finished lengths the same size as your back boning channels. You will need four bones in total, and they're usually all pretty much the same size.
You can thread these bones through the open top of your corset, either side of the eyelet channel. Once they are in place, you can sew the binding down properly, trim the end down as I did in the last post and hand-stitch into place.
Making the Straps
The straps are very easy to stitch in place. The only problem that I have with straps is length; I usually make the straps too long, and there's nothing worse than corset straps slipping from your shoulders. If you can, do a quick fitting with the straps with them pinned in place to ensure that your straps are the right length.
Now, I like to have two pieces and turn them out as I think this makes wonderfully neat straps. However, you can only use one layer and bind the edges of your straps, but I find this really fiddly and plus you have to make more binding- ugh! But if you think it looks better, then go for it!
Stitch around the strap pieces with a 1.5cm seam allowance. Then cut into the two top edges to ensure that the curved edge is nice and smooth when you turn it the other way out.
Most tutorials tell you to cut out a triangle, but I like to take it out more of a curved wedge. If you cut a triangle, I find that the finished edge ends up a bit blocky. To turn the strap inside out, I'm a little naughty and use my scissors, but it's probably better to use something like a ruler or a knitting needle is my personal favourite.
Give your straps a press and there you have it!
Pin these to your empty strap sections. It should be roughly 1.5cm down, but I usually just pin them to where they 'fit'. For this pattern, the straighter edge is actually the armhole, while the more curved edge is closest to the neck. Pin one side to the main corset and sew.
Once it's sewn into place, fold it under and pin. You also have to hand-stitch this into place.
And there you have it! A finished corset, perfect for all of your Regency needs. It almost seems a shame after all of that work to hide it under a dress, but oh well!
If you want to see more pictures of my Regency corsets you can check out my Pinterest. Also, if this tutorial seems a little hard for you then you can buy a Regency corset from my Etsy shop. You can buy standard sizes or can get me to make a custom one for you!
Until next week!
Aisha x
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