Craft Rage

EDIT: Yes, I know the picture is creepy - now I know that photoshopping out my arms and legs makes me look like Boxing Helena, so I won't do it anymore, I promise!

Finally, back to sewing!

I've been working on a number of projects lately; a corset, a sundress, and a skirt with strange box pleats that aren't making a bunch of sense to me.

I'm finding as I'm going along that I'm REALLY bad at following patterns. I need to work on that, because as the complexity of the garments I make increases, I'm going to need some experience with actually following the rules. Sometimes, though, not following the rules works out all right.

I made this corset and matching skirt without a pattern. I'm pleased that I was able to construct this garment at all, though I'm not totally pleased with the details.

The bustline is messed up, and the whole corset is just a teeny bit twisted, likely from lack of care while cutting. I didn't straighten it before I took the picture, so it looks a bit worse than it actually is. Still, once I fix the strange humps at the bustline, and get the correct boning in place, this outfit should end up about as good as any RTW piece. See, that's a measure of my sewing skill (or lack thereof) - all you experienced folk out there are sewing because RTW quality is sub-par, and I'm just pleased that I managed to make something of RTW quality!

As I said, I made this outfit entirely without a pattern. Both pieces are lacking finishing, but already, I have to admit to being pretty pleased with myself. The fabric I used was a moderate weight denim - it would have made great capris for spring, which is what I originally envisioned when I bought it. I still have enough to make a matching bolero jacket, although, while I LOVE the fabric and am pleased with the outfit, I do wonder if adding a bolero in the same fabric would be a bit of pattern overload?

The corset is fairly basic; three layers plus a waist tape, it just needs to have the proper bones inserted in the boning channels; I'm waiting on my order from Farthingales, but when it gets here, I'll be adding black exterior boning casings, and adding black along the seams to the skirt; they're just tacked together right now, so I'll probably remove them and add some black piping or something.

Even if I never wear this piece, I'm still glad I gave it a try. Now I know that I can make reality match my vision, if I go slowly and talk to myself a lot.

Labels: corsetry, projects