I should note that I live rather far from a well stocked fabric store. For a zipper or some scissors, I had a lot of nearby choices, but specific fabrics were very difficult. I only went to a real fabric store once, and the rest I bought online.
Fabric:
There are four main fabrics in this costume - the corset, the skirt, the petticoat, and the sheer sleeve/undershirt of the corset. Depending on your corset/bodice pattern, you might also need a lining fabric - I used the same as my petticoat for this. (If you are just making a simple bodice shape without any boning, you probably wouldn't need any lining)
Corset (Satin): https://www.fabric.com/buy/0290205/slipper-satin-lavender
I loved this fabric. It had a good sheen, wasn't too slippery to work with, and was a good color (it looks a lot different in real life than in their picture). I bought 2 yards of this.
I loved this fabric. It had a good sheen, wasn't too slippery to work with, and was a good color (it looks a lot different in real life than in their picture). I bought 2 yards of this.
Skirt (Satin): http://www.joann.com/casa-satin/zprd_08527822a.html#q=mystic+purple&start=1 (Mystic purple)
I had a hard time finding the fabric for the skirt. Originally I bought this: https://www.fabric.com/buy/un-931/slipper-satin-rose
I also gave this one a try: https://www.fabric.com/buy/0290220/slipper-satin-plum
Ultimately, the first two had just a smidge too much red in them to go with the lavender corset. I had wished to buy two different shades from the same line of fabric, but it just wasn't meant to be. The Casa Satin that I ultimately went with had a little less sheen than the corset, but it was easy to work with. It was also a little darker than I'd like, but I was running out of time and had already tried out 2 other fabrics. I can't remember if I bought 1.5 or 2 yards...
Petticoat/Lining (Charmeuse): https://www.fabric.com/buy/aq-527/charmeuse-satin-snow-white
This fabric kind of irritated me. It was a little too slippery and slinky to work with easily. It was soft and felt nice against the skin, so it worked well as the inside part of everything. Very good as a lining fabric, if you have the patience to work with a more difficult fabric. I bought 3.5 yards.
Sheer Sleeves (Chiffon): https://www.fabric.com/buy/uf-740/nylon-chiffon-tricot-light-pink
I liked this fabric, although it lost a lot of it's color with only one layer. My sleeves and the back of the corset all have two layers of fabric, and even then I toyed with the idea of 3. It was soft (not like tulle!!) and, despite the fact that was gauzy, was not too hard to work with. Mostly with the chiffon (and the lace), I had to make sure the holes didn't get stuck in the feet, and it was all good. I bought 1 yard.
Structure
Interfacing: https://www.fabric.com/buy/nr-757/pellon-interfacing-sew-in-lightweight-by-the-yard-white
If you're new to sewing, interfacing is used to add structure to the fabric. I chose lightweight because my fabrics were lightweight. This was part of the corset pattern. I had no problems using this, and it was probably easier to cut/work with than my actual fabrics. I bought 2.5 yards.
I used covered plastic boning, which is what my corset pattern called for. I was only interested in making a fashion corset, not a functional one, so I opted for plastic. This boning was not difficult to work with at all, and I liked that it was covered, so you simply need to cut and sew it in.
Ribbons and Lace and Buttons
I had a couple of little notions that went onto the dress.
I thought these pink buttons were perfectly cute. I bought 6, and promptly lost one underneath the abyss of my couch. It is gone forever.
Cap Sleeve Ribbon: https://www.fabric.com/buy/mar-063/1-1-2-double-sided-satin-ribbon-pink
This is the wide ribbon at the bottom of the sleeve. I bought 1 yard.
This ribbon was used for the stripes on the cap sleeve. I bought 2 yards which was NOT enough. I probably ended up using more like 3.5 yards. This matched the wide ribbon well and was a good width.
I either have 30 or 32 eyelets in my corset (yes I'm lazy enough not to count them). This package said it had 35 eyelets, but I ended up with about 6 of one piece and none of the others and ended up buying 2 boxes. 2 boxes is definitely the safe route if you're notorious like me for losing things under the abyss of your couch (see buttons).
Gripper Plier Tool: http://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Gripper-Plier-Assorted-Snaps/dp/B0001DS56W
This tool was pretty neat. It punches a hole into your fabric and then you can set up the eyelets and push them into place with the same tool. If you're going to make corsets frequently, I don't recommend this tool. I had a rough start when punching the holes in the fabric - one part of the tool would detach from itself where it wasn't supposed to, and I would have a tool stuck in my fabric. I ended up Krazy Gluing the tool together, and it worked fine after that. My only other complaint is that occasionally the eyelets would fall out - maybe 4 total over the course of a month. Either I have a weak grip (very possible), or the eyelets could have been designed better. Overall, worked okay for the price I paid, and okay enough for the frequency I plan on making corsets.
Paint:
My favorite section! A little backstory on my craft life - I used to paint ceramic mugs and sell them on Etsy. My requirements for paint were nontoxic and waterproof. Apparently, this was a difficult requirement! Luckily, this line of paint came out right around that time: http://www.michaels.com/Satin-Acrylic-Paint/cp0469,default,pd.html
It can be used on a ton of surfaces, like ceramic and fabric, and while it is acrylic, it is waterproof after 21 days. For fabric, you can heat set it, and it is waterproof. It also comes in a few different finishes - satin, pearl, high gloss, and metallic.
Since I had a big drawer full of different colors, you can see why I was interested in painting my brocade pattern instead of doing embroidery. Check out how it turned out:
I mixed the fabric medium with the paints, which I think helps with the heat setting? I'd rather pay $10 for the bottle, and the safety of not losing hours of my work, than to forego it and ruin everything. The fabric medium also helps the texture not be terrible. Cheaper fabric paints (I'm looking at you, Puffy) are stiff and crackly and make your fabric more like a shield than a skirt. My paint mixture was by no means soft and silky, but it was the best combination I've found so far - and believe me, I'm pretty interested in painting fabric.
The main color I used (Pink Taffeta): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007C7X9NO/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The pink taffeta was the main color I used on the corset. For the skirt, it was primarily Pink Taffeta, with a touch of Purple Martin (Pearl). For the blue part of the skirt, it was mostly Surf (Satin) and perhaps a touch of Purple.
Threads and Laces:
I don't have specific links, as most of these were picked up here and there. I used pink leather cording to lace up the corset, which I bought from Michaels. I used a number of different threads - gold for the embroidery, pinks and purples for the machine sewing. I'd recommend estimating high on the amount of thread you use - I used a ton!
If I'd had the time, I would have done the embroidery on the skirt with pink and blue thread. I purchased this, but never got around to doing it.
Here and There:
It should be obvious if you sew a lot, but make sure you have your sewing materials! I went through 10 needles on this project alone! Make sure you have a good tape measure, scissors, seam ripper, etc. It's a tragedy to really be in the zone and have no replacement for a broken needle!!
I also used a zipper on the skirt and an elastic on the petticoat.
No comments:
Post a Comment