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About Sharon Vogel
Expertise
I can answer general sewing questions as well as tailoring, heirloom, menswear, children's wear, craft sewing, quilting and just about any fabric or notion. I can also help with some sewing machine repair and maintenance.
Experience
I started sewing at the age of 3...thanks to my mom and grandmother, and I am now in my fifties. Home economics classes in junior high and high school helped me to finesse my skills.
Education/Credentials
Palmer and Plesch tailoring class
Basically, self-taught...give me the instructions and I will figure it out and then make it better!
Awards and Honors
A few blue ribbons at fairs along the way
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You are here: Experts > Home/Garden > Arts and Crafts > Sewing > CORSET BACK BRIDAL DRESS
Sewing - CORSET BACK BRIDAL DRESS
Expert: Sharon Vogel - 10/25/2009
Question
I found a post of yours going back to 2008 regarding a lace up back that you were putting into your daughters wedding dress. I was wondering how that all went and what you ended up doing. At the point I picked up the post you were about to trial the ready made button looping. I am in the process of doing the same thing you have already done and am hoping to gain from your experience and save myself some time. I have tried to make the looping myself which of course is a perfect color match, but with limted success and I will continue to try until I get it perfect for my daughter, but if there is a quicker way??? I would be grateful for your advice.
Answer
Dear Lorraine,
Thanks for reading my info on the corset back dress, but I was not the one working on the dress. Another reader had written to me for advice on the dress she was making and I was basically a sympathetic ear. I kept a file on some of the notes, and I will go back and send you links to everything I have that I think may be useful to you.
Sharon
This is more information than you probably need but I thought it might interest you.
a note:
"It looks like you’re building something similar to the dress on the David’s Bridal website that was linked in the thread. I’ve seen this dress close-up, and the “corset-lacing” is faux (meaning, it isn’t actually keeping the dress closed). The dress closes with a series of hooks and eyes in a placket that is hidden by the ribbon “corset-lacing.”
Using a center-back lacing to close a dress is pretty common in period garments, but invariably those garments also have at least shoulder straps to keep the bodice where it’s supposed to be, and there are a fair number of underpinnings to create the appropriate shape and support for the dress itself. If you are going to do a true lace-up closure, you need to use a firm support fabric under the dress fabric (in other words, you need to flat-line the bodice pieces), add some type of stabilizer in the center back edges (most of us use nylon weed-wacker cord), and sewn eyelets spaced approximately 1 to 1 1/4 inches apart. BTW, if you have a Viking sewing machine, the eyelet attachment makes goo d eyelets for this. Also be aware–somebody is going to have to lace the bride into her dress before the ceremony, and either make sure the groom knows how to get her out of the lacing, or supply him with a pair of scissors. ;-)
If you instead want the look of a lace-up closure (a la the ribbon closure), you create the actual closure of the dress with hooks and eyes (hook & eye tape works great for this) out of the foundation fabric of the dress, then place it at the center back of a box pleat. The edges of the box pleat become the faux edges of the center back, then it is a simple matter to add the loops and double-faced satin ribbon. Again, someone will have to help the bride get into her dress, but escape is a much simpler matter, as the satin ribbon pulls right out, and most men can manage hooks and eyes.
a note:
Well, if "stay" just means the boning, I'm set with that. I keep going back to the foundation as the piece I'll need to work with. It's basically a large facing. It's sewn over the lining. I thought it went down to the waist but it's shorter than that. There's no reason I can't cut those pieces again and extend them to the waist. I have more fabric. I could attach the modesty panel to the foundation and the hooks and eyes to the other side. I don't see why that wouldn't work. I'm not all that concerned about whether I use loops or hooks/eyes. At this point, I want to get the inside in place with hooks and eyes to keep it closed. That seems to be the general agreement, that the hooks and eyes will actually keep it in place.. I hope I get a reply about the waist stay, since that seems to be pretty darn important! I really don't know about the size of the loops. I suppose I could try it and just adjust the size. Also, I would guess it depends on what I'm using as the lacing. Bottom line, the hook/eye tape idea is the fastest and easiest. Once I understand what I'm doing for the closure, I'll worry about that.
http://www.koshka-the-cat.com/picnic_corset.html
http://www.burdastyle.com/howtos/show/185
http://picasaweb.google.com/connie.bontje/TheWeddingDress#
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizhonig/sets/72157608291330963/
I hope some or all of this information is helpful. Liz worked long and hard on her daughter's dress as I am sure you are doing. Good luck and please send pics so I can add them to the "Corset dress file!"
Sharon
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