Amanda (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} catnip216) wrote,@ 2008-03-06 16:45:00 |
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Draft of Instructions body (for making a corset)
Materials:
Quantities and measurements are not provided here because they depend entirely on the corset design and the individual person.
Old t-shirt you don't mind ruining
Undershirt (optional)
Duct tape
Scissors
A peice of fabric large enough to wrap around your torso with at least a foot or so of overlap
Fabric chalk or a fabric pencil (this needs to be a contrasting color to your fabric)
Fabric pins
Sewing machine
Iron
Boning
Casing (which sometimes comes with boning)
OR bias tape (at least a quart inch wider than the boning)
OR ribbon (at least a quart inch wider than the boning)
Grommets
Grommet hammer set and hammer
OR Grommet pliers
Decorative ribbon or cord for lacing the corset
Making the pattern:
1. Put on your old t-shirt.
a. You may want to use a tight-fitting undershirt if you're on the modest side, as the t-shirt will be cut off of you.
2. Wrap the t-shirt in overlapping, horizontal layers of duct tape.
a. You should have someone else to help you do this.
b. The tape should cover the entire area that the corset will cover, and should be as tight as you want your corset to be.
c. It should not have any bumps or wrinkles. If any of these occur, smooth them out by covering them with another layer of tape.
3. Draw the contours of your corset onto the duct tape with a permanent marker.
a. A corset is made of several panels (4-9), rather than just a couple of large peices. Be sure to draw these panels onto the tape as well.
4. Very carefully, cut through the tape and the t-shirt with scissors.
a. Where you cut depends on the design of your desired corset. Cut where ever the lacing will go.
i.e. For a back-lacing corset, cut up the middle of the back. For a front-lacing corset, cut up the middle of the front.
5. Now you can take off the tape-wrapped shirt, and finish cutting out each of the panels. Be sure to keep them in order, as these duct-tape panels are your sewing pattern.
Cutting out the pattern:
6. Lay your pattern peices on the fabric.
a. Keep them in order, and all lined up the same way (with all the top edges facing the same way and all the bottom edges facing the same way).
This is especially important if you are using a patterned fabric.
b. Leave at least an inch between each of your peices, to account for a seam allowance.
7. Trace your pattern peices with fabric chalk or a fabric pencil.
8. Now cut out your peices, leaving a half an inch or more of extra fabric outside of the pattern lines.
Sewing the corset:
9. Pin your fabric peices together, slightly inside the traced lines.
a. Make sure the outer faces of each peice are facing each other when pinning.
10. Sew the pinned edges along the traced lines.
11. With an iron, press the seams open.
At this point, you have the option of using casing, bias tape, or ribbon. In these instructions, "casing" will refer to whichever one you chose.
You should usually sew your casing to the inside of the corset. However, if your casing material compliments your main fabric, you may sew in on the outside, for a decorative effect.
12. Cut strips of casing and boning for each seam on the corset.
a. Each strip of casing should be slightly longer than the seam it's going to cover, and each strip of boning should be just a fraction of an inch shorter.
13. Center the strips over their corresponding seams, and pin them down.
14. Keeping as close to the edge as possible, sew the strips in place, along both of the sides.
15. Slip the boning strips into the space between the casing and the main fabric.
16. Hem the top, bottom, and lacing edges of the corset.
a. If you sewed your casing on the outside, you may want to lines these edges with the casing as well.
Putting in the grommets:
17. Determine how many holes you will want to lace through, and mark their locations on the inside of the corset.
18. Make a small hole through all layers of fabric at each of these markings.
a. You can either use scissors or a small hole punch to do this, depending on the size of your grommets. Some grommets even come with their own hole punch.
19. Grommets come in two parts, the grommet and the washer. The grommet will have a short tube in the middle wich will go through the holes you've created.
a. The grommet goes on the outside of the corst, so place it over one of the holes and push it so the short tube goes through to the inside.
b. Place the grommet and corset, with grommet on bottom, onto the round metal disk from the hammer set.
c. Put the washer over the grommet with the fabric in between.
d. Place the setting tool into the hole of the washer and grommet, and hamer lightly, until the grommet is secure.
A set of grommet pliers will do all of steps 18 and 19 in one fell swoop, and are worth the $20 investment if you plan on using grommets in future projects.
20. Finish setting grommets in all of the holes, and you are finished. All that's left is to put on the corset and lace it up.
Materials:
Quantities and measurements are not provided here because they depend entirely on the corset design and the individual person.
Old t-shirt you don't mind ruining
Undershirt (optional)
Duct tape
Scissors
A peice of fabric large enough to wrap around your torso with at least a foot or so of overlap
Fabric chalk or a fabric pencil (this needs to be a contrasting color to your fabric)
Fabric pins
Sewing machine
Iron
Boning
Casing (which sometimes comes with boning)
OR bias tape (at least a quart inch wider than the boning)
OR ribbon (at least a quart inch wider than the boning)
Grommets
Grommet hammer set and hammer
OR Grommet pliers
Decorative ribbon or cord for lacing the corset
Making the pattern:
1. Put on your old t-shirt.
a. You may want to use a tight-fitting undershirt if you're on the modest side, as the t-shirt will be cut off of you.
2. Wrap the t-shirt in overlapping, horizontal layers of duct tape.
a. You should have someone else to help you do this.
b. The tape should cover the entire area that the corset will cover, and should be as tight as you want your corset to be.
c. It should not have any bumps or wrinkles. If any of these occur, smooth them out by covering them with another layer of tape.
3. Draw the contours of your corset onto the duct tape with a permanent marker.
a. A corset is made of several panels (4-9), rather than just a couple of large peices. Be sure to draw these panels onto the tape as well.
4. Very carefully, cut through the tape and the t-shirt with scissors.
a. Where you cut depends on the design of your desired corset. Cut where ever the lacing will go.
i.e. For a back-lacing corset, cut up the middle of the back. For a front-lacing corset, cut up the middle of the front.
5. Now you can take off the tape-wrapped shirt, and finish cutting out each of the panels. Be sure to keep them in order, as these duct-tape panels are your sewing pattern.
Cutting out the pattern:
6. Lay your pattern peices on the fabric.
a. Keep them in order, and all lined up the same way (with all the top edges facing the same way and all the bottom edges facing the same way).
This is especially important if you are using a patterned fabric.
b. Leave at least an inch between each of your peices, to account for a seam allowance.
7. Trace your pattern peices with fabric chalk or a fabric pencil.
8. Now cut out your peices, leaving a half an inch or more of extra fabric outside of the pattern lines.
Sewing the corset:
9. Pin your fabric peices together, slightly inside the traced lines.
a. Make sure the outer faces of each peice are facing each other when pinning.
10. Sew the pinned edges along the traced lines.
11. With an iron, press the seams open.
At this point, you have the option of using casing, bias tape, or ribbon. In these instructions, "casing" will refer to whichever one you chose.
You should usually sew your casing to the inside of the corset. However, if your casing material compliments your main fabric, you may sew in on the outside, for a decorative effect.
12. Cut strips of casing and boning for each seam on the corset.
a. Each strip of casing should be slightly longer than the seam it's going to cover, and each strip of boning should be just a fraction of an inch shorter.
13. Center the strips over their corresponding seams, and pin them down.
14. Keeping as close to the edge as possible, sew the strips in place, along both of the sides.
15. Slip the boning strips into the space between the casing and the main fabric.
16. Hem the top, bottom, and lacing edges of the corset.
a. If you sewed your casing on the outside, you may want to lines these edges with the casing as well.
Putting in the grommets:
17. Determine how many holes you will want to lace through, and mark their locations on the inside of the corset.
18. Make a small hole through all layers of fabric at each of these markings.
a. You can either use scissors or a small hole punch to do this, depending on the size of your grommets. Some grommets even come with their own hole punch.
19. Grommets come in two parts, the grommet and the washer. The grommet will have a short tube in the middle wich will go through the holes you've created.
a. The grommet goes on the outside of the corst, so place it over one of the holes and push it so the short tube goes through to the inside.
b. Place the grommet and corset, with grommet on bottom, onto the round metal disk from the hammer set.
c. Put the washer over the grommet with the fabric in between.
d. Place the setting tool into the hole of the washer and grommet, and hamer lightly, until the grommet is secure.
A set of grommet pliers will do all of steps 18 and 19 in one fell swoop, and are worth the $20 investment if you plan on using grommets in future projects.
20. Finish setting grommets in all of the holes, and you are finished. All that's left is to put on the corset and lace it up.
