Now that we have studied the patent (in Part 1) and drafted the pattern (in Part 2) for this unusual corset design, this month I take you, step by step, through the construction, including how to sew some very tricky seams!

We have corsetmakers of a variety of skill levels reading FR - this time, I've given complete instructions that even a beginner will be able to follow. More experienced readers, there are a multitude of ways you could make this corset, and I hope you try it out and develop your own construction ideas and methods!

I used the drab coutil that I wrote about last month for the corset fabric, so if you were curious about how it would work made into a corset, read on.

The Seam Method

I recommend doing a sampler for this seam method because while it looks easy, having the right foot on your machine can save a lot of trouble (and ripping) later. 

1. Sew the seam and trim it.	2. Iron the outside first.	3. Then press the seam open on the inside.
4. Lay the twill tape over the seam allowance. I used what I had on hand, 3/8" wide, but 1/2" would have been a lot easier to work with.	5. Sew the boning channels on. I used a quilter's foot that had a 1/8" inch guide that was perfect for sewing along the edge of the twill tape. Next time I might put the seams on the outside of the corset, and use a colored ribbon to tape the seams for a neat effect.	The finished seam from the outside: nice, neat and sturdy!

Fabric Preparation

Before I cut out the fabric, I ironed it with steam on both sides. Then I ironed it again, this time spraying it with a heavy spray starch. Sta-Flow is my favorite brand of starch, it comes concentrated and you mix it up according to dilution that you want in a spray bottle.

Starching your fabric prior to cutting helps reduce fraying at the edges and helps the fabric not to shift under your scissors as you are cutting it out. Coutil is not a stretchy fabric, but the starch will stiffen the fabric and reduce any stretching that might happen.

Cutting The Corset Out

Lay out and cut out the pattern pieces.	Cut out the busk pieces and lacing strip facings, coutil and accent color. I used my rotary cutter, which makes it super easy to get a good straight line.

Construction of the Corset

Take G and H, the two bust sections.	Unpin them and create mirror image pieces. Sew, trim and apply twill tape to the seams.	Take the main body piece and piece E, the side back piece. Unpin and make mirror copies.
Put the side back piece underneath the main body and pin the straight part at the top.	Clip the convex curve on the main body, but not through the seam allowance!	Ease it around the curve on the side back, and match the fronts. Stitch.
After stitching, check to make sure that you stitched in far enough to catch the clipped parts of the seam.	Trim and apply twill tape to the seams. Next, you'll be sewing the cups to the body.	Pin the body to the cup. Stitch, trim and apply twill tape.
The finished pieces so far, from the inside.	The finished view so far from the outside.	Take piece D, the hip gusset, and unpin, making sure that you don't get the front and back edges mixed up.
Lay the hip gusset under the body and pin the middle and the two edges first. Then pin the rest of the edge, stretching the body piece as needed. Clip it a little bit if necessary.	Sew, trim and finish with twill tape.	Sew the back lacing facing and fashion fabric. Here I've shown the layers in order, before pinning. The back piece, right side up, then the accent color, then the coutil strength layer.
Press the seam open, pressing the seam allowances into the lacing strip.	Fold the edge of the accent piece over the coutil. Stitch down on the top, and stitch the boning casing on the edge.	There's only one boning casing: it really should have two. When I planned out the lacing strip, I planned to use smaller grommets. But when I went to the store to pick up some thread... oooh, shiny! [contd]
I found these really cute flower two piece eyelets, and I couldn't pass them up. They are quite a bit bigger the the ones I had planned on using, so that's why I can only fit one boning channel on the facing. I'll add another one on the outside of the lacing strip when I sew on the channels. (It's useful to develop this kind of problem solving flexibility: in every corset something will probably not go to plan!)	Since I don't have a press, I use a wooden woodworker's shoe to protect my table when hammering eyelets. Its a 12"x12" piece of hard poplar, with 1"x12" pieces of pine nailed on either side.	I lay a piece of cloth over the shoe and use an awl to open up the holes for the eyelets, making tiny clips if needed to open the holes.
All the eyelets are in, except for the top and bottom ones. Those go on after the binding.	Sew the busk piece to the front.	Press the seam allowances over towards the busk piece. (Inserting the busk is one of the last things I do.)
Plan out where the boning casings will go. Mine are two layers, coutil on the inside and the accent color on the outside.	Stitch the casings using a very narrow seam.	Press on the seam side and on the front side.
Number them from center front.	Pin the casings at the top, middle and bottom, curving the corset as you pin. Be sure to leave extra casing length at the ends so you don't end up short.	Lay out the casings and the bones to check the design.
Stitch the casings, curving the ones over the bust as you sew them.	Trim the finished casings even with the corset fabric.	Pin the busk facing on the busk piece and mark the busk placement. Stitch, press and insert busk. Stitch around the busk with a zipper foot, then top stitch the edge of the busk piece to catch the facing on the back side.
Stitch the busk facing on the knob side. Line up the two fronts, insert the knob side under the front, and mark the knobs with chalk.	Use an awl to open up the holes.	Work the knob through like a button through a buttonhole.
Do the same for the rest of the knobs, testing each one by hooking up the busk to make sure everything is even. Stitch around the knob side of the busk with a zipper foot, then stitch down the edge of the facing.	Bind the top of the corset. I like to stitch the binding on from the back side first, fold it over to the front. Then I fold the raw edge inside and top stitch it down. I used straight of grain coutil for the binding on this corset.	Insert the bones, pinning them into place so they don't slip. Floss or stitch across the ends of the bones to keep them from slipping, and bind the bottom edge. Finally, add the top and bottom eyelets.

The Finished Corset