The final boning channel panel was pinned in place at the center front.
Then I sewed, pressed, and folded the panels around just the way I would on the center front of a corset with a busk, except that I don't have to insert a busk because this bodice will lace in front.
Then the channels were sewn. You can see above that the seam at the center front is the only one I didn't trim, that's so there is more fabric for the grommets to grip. Once all the channels were done I sewed the front and back halves together at the side seams. And pressed. And graded. And pressed again. Here it is from the side the will be covered with the fashion fabric.
And here it what it will look like from the interior.
The question now is how to finish the holes for the lacing? The holes are close together, just 1/2 inch between each. Grommets will take up a lot of space, but hand bound eyelets? I knew sooner or later I'd have to tackle hand bound eyelets, but is that time now?
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Hand done eyelets seemed like a hassle before I got to them too. Turns out they went pretty quickly and looked really nice. I used a pretty good buttonhole thread. I say grab an awl, some fray check and a good documentary...
ReplyDeleteFind someone with a sewing machine that has a pre-programmed eyelet stitch? Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteThis looks wonderful so far - I can't wait to see more! Hand-bound eyelets aren't the most exciting thing in the world, but I've found them to go more quickly than I expected, plus I like the way they look in the end.
ReplyDeleteBack in the days, when they made hand bound eyelets, the threads were never cut. Instead they used to stretch the hole bigger gradually and then bounded the edges. That way the fabric will stand the test of lacing. Just remember to wax the thread.
ReplyDeleteif I wait to use someone else's machine I will never get this bodice finished. So it's an awl, strong thread, wax, and we'll see if they go quicker than I think they will. Thanks Ladies!
ReplyDeleteWhat WierdRockStar said. The first several will go slooooowly as you get rhythm, but they go surprisingly quickly once you get them in your fingers. This assumes you don't mind hand sewing in the first place :D
ReplyDeleteYou know, here's a thought on the rippling you were getting (I realize this all happened almost three years ago and I'm late to the party, but I recently discovered your blog and am slowly devouring it from the beginning. I love it by the by...).
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking you cut the pattern pieces with the grain as marked and the additional pieces for the channels so the bones would match the straight of grain! That means you're matching up two pieces of fabric and sewing parallel lines but the grains are off!! That's sort of a big no-no.
If you were to try it again, my recommendation would be to cut the additional pieces so the grain matches the grain of the pattern piece... that should theoretically correct the issue.