Final fitting

Fitting the almost completed corset

Lacing at last!

How to lace a corset

Lacing a corset is not like lacing a pair of shoes. There is a particular way to do it so that the laces run smoothly and you're able to tighten it effectively at your waist.  The video below from Orchard Corset shows you the basic method. Notice that the crosses stay on top or underneath the fabric, but never cross between. At about 4 minutes you'll see that two loops are pulled out of sequence before the lacing restarts.  This is what you pull to tighten your corset and what are tied off in a bow when you're finished.  The disadvantage with this basic method is it leaves a large gap at the back where there is no lacing to distribute the force.

A more advanced version eliminates that gap.  The diagram by Sidney Eileen shows the way to do it and this is how I've been lacing my bought corset very effectively.

After inserting the grommets I pinned my nearly finished corset to the dressmaking form, inserted the flat steels into the boning channels either side of the grommets, and then laced it up (using 10m of laces, which seemed about the right amount for both a corset without a front opening busk and one that was very long line).

Order of assembly

Most instructions I've found in the last few weeks of research suggest that you insert the grommets as the very last step of your corset construction, after even binding the edges of the corset together.  I've chosen not to do this as I still wasn't completely sure of my fitting.  The mockup material behaved so differently to the coutil I wanted to leave myself with a chance to change things if I needed without too much unpicking*. And it was lucky I did.

Fitting

After lacing I pulled it on and tightened the laces. And tightened, and kept tightening.  I got down to a 2" gap at the back and the corset and I could have gone still further!  It was still too small! By a long way!  And the corset isn't even seasoned**!  It was also an inch or too long at the back.  It looked fine, but after wearing in the Orchard CS-426 for a few weeks I've realised there is a "practical" aspect to the length at the back of the corset***.

Modifications

I need to take at least 2" out of the total size of the corset. I could do this the proper way, which would involve MASSIVE amounts of unpicking. I can't add extra seams in an existing panel as they're not actually wide enough to do that.

I'll also take some off the length around the bottom.  After temporarily putting in the flat bones at the front I've realised that it's actually too long to sit down properly; the bones push on my legs at the front and bow out.  I'll have to have a little think about how much to take off. At the back it will be a full 2 or even 3" and around the front it's more likely to be 1".

The end is soooo close now!!! SO CLOSE!!!!

Time/Cost

15 minutes to lace the corset.
2 hours for the adjustments.

---

* Because I hate unpicking.
** Though my body is from wearing the Orchard Corset I bought. 
*** Like getting your undies off when you need to go to the toilet.

---