It is too small!!!

[frualeydis]

I just tried on the fully boned corset and there's a 6 cm gap! And it's not exactly comfortable then either. I took the pattern from a too large corset, so I took it in a couple of centimetres. I didn't count on it being such a large difference between a fully boned corset and an only partially boned corset. When it's laced too tight to be comfortable, I'm still larger than when I'm wearing my green kirtle, so the boning definitely takes up space.
So now I have several options:

1. Take out half of the boning, either putting just one reed in every channel or having two reeds in every other channel, and see if that helps.

2. Make extra panels at the sides. That would look a little odd with the tabs and I have also run out of reeds.

3. Exchange the reed for something flatter, like plastic whalebone.

4. Finish it as it is and continue to loose weight.

5. Open it in the back and make it into a back- and frontlaced corset.

Of course number four is my favoured solution, but I'm not sure I would loose enough. Maybe taking out boning would be the best solution, because I may never be able to wear it comfortably with the Anthonis Mor dress, and that was sort of my idea.

Comments

[jillwheezul.livejournal.com]

Ah, the frustration. I wish there were a magical formula for such things as quilt shrinkage, boning shrinkage and how big a waistband must be in consideration of the space taken up by pleating. No doubt this could all figured out by doing a test, but then I would have to think of it before beginning...(Le sigh).

[mirazandar.livejournal.com]

finish it, wear it alot and wait for the linen to expand?

[haugtussa.livejournal.com]

Och, I hate it when such things happen, I don't know what I would have done in such a situation... you have my sypathy!

[ginger-dragon.livejournal.com]

How long time did you use to get into it? I find that if I lace snuggly, and then lay on my back for about 15 minutes, then I can usually lace myself a lot more, without any feeling of discomfort. And after walking around anour 15 minutes, it's possible to lace it tighter. The key is to do it slowly, so the body can get used to the constriction. Anyway, with that pmethod I've been able to close stays that have had at least a 5 cm gap when I started.

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

The problem may be my rib cage. There's very little squishy matter on top of it and the actual ribcae isn't easily compressed. But i'll try it more of course. But what really bothers me is that the boning takes up so much space that it always will be uncomfortable to wear compared to my kirtle.
And that I had planned to wear it next week.

[pinque.livejournal.com]

How about another option, though it's a bit speculative. How about a seperate stomacher for under it? I know the red and the pink stays are a rather later date but there are example sof stomacher type pieces for other garments before then (plackards or what ever.)

I'm going to be doing things to my Effigy stays that will probably not let them stretch as much; adding a lining and shell fabric and I will probably wind up doing just that.

Mine has around 100 bones I think including all those silly little ones at the side back seams.

[marymont.livejournal.com]

I like pinque's suggestion best. That way, you can have a variety of cute little stomachers that will work until #4 is achieved.

[dragonlady7.livejournal.com]

Oh I don't remember seeing that dress linked to before-- I like that one quite a lot! What era is that one? I want to learn more about that one. I really like the buttons at the chest and the smooth waist panel. That's really flattering-looking.

I admit my instinctive understanding of metric measurements are pretty bad, but 6 cm doesn't seem like *all* that much. #4 wouldn't be unreasonable!
Although given that you have to take cortisone-- those are so terrible. They just make you swell up. I don't know if counting on continuing to lose weight would be such a good idea-- although I don't know you well enough to judge, of course. it would just make me feel so terrible, to be ill and then have this feeling of failure if you didn't manage to do so...

But ugh, what a pain. I'm so terrible at dealing with these kinds of frustrations-- I really want to get into making corsets, but I know that the first setback like that I experienced would turn me off it so thoroughly... Which is why I'm still nerving myself up to picking my first project to start. I can barely sew, but I really really want to learn...

Anyhow, good luck.

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

I will only take cortisone for 3 months. At least that's the plan now.
The dress is from the middle of the 16th century and I made a somewhat rambling dress diary (http://web.comhem.se/~u31138198/diary1.html) about it.

/Eva

[amonik.livejournal.com]

My suggestion is that you take out half the boning - you can always put it back in if you keep getting smaller.

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

Done, and sort of working.

/Eva