Time-Saving Trick for a Boned Bodice Muslin

When I went through my corset-making obsession, I learned a lot of cool tricks that can be transferred to dressmaking. And this particular trick is my absolute favorite.

When making a muslin for a dress with a boned bodice, it's imperative to actually put boning into your muslin. A boned bodice generally has little to no ease. But without the boning for stability, it just looks like a too tight, wrinkly muslin--which makes it impossible to evaluate the fit. Obviously, however, sewing boning into a garment is time-consuming and often makes it difficult to alter the seams of a garment--exactly what you need to be doing in the muslin stage!

So, meet your new best friend, masking tape. Yep, you can tape lengths of spiral steel boning into your muslin for fitting purposes. (Does masking tape have different names in different countries? It's that parchment-colored tape typically used to cover molding or door frames when painting walls.)

Center the steel boning over the seam allowance (or wherever you want to place it) and secure it with a length of masking tape.

The only rule is that you don't want the boning to extend into the waistline seam allowance. The boning must end right at your waistline seam allowance.

It's perfectly fine for it to extend over the top of the bodice, though, as long as it doesn't poke into your armpit or anything awkward like that. Here I let the back boning extend past the upper edge of the bodice, just for the purposes of fitting. This way you don't have to cut the boning to length until you've figured out the fitting issues. 

Another time-saving trick is to fit only the bodice (this works if the skirt is full and only needs to fit at the waist). If you're fitting yourself, it's really important to put a dress-length zipper into the muslin--just let the extra zipper length hang below the bodice.

I'm currently working on my design, Butterick 5882, to wear to a wedding next weekend! Sorry for the mirror photo, but it's about all I could handle this weekend. The only fitting change I needed to make was removing some ease from the waistline. The taped-in boning made this super easy: I just removed the boning to take in the seams, and then stuck it back in place to re-fit. You don't even need new masking tape since it stays sticky!

I'm making it from this amazing brocade with flocked velvet polka dots. The bustline and straps will be in coordinating black shantung.

More to come on this design, including the long-promised FBA post.

Hope this sticky trick helps you out on your next party dress muslin!

The Yellow Dress, Part Three: Constructing the Boned Inner Bodice (with Video!)

Okay, I've created the outer dress layer and now it's time for some hardware! Get out your pliers, ladies.

I opted to put boning into my bodice in the lining layer. I was going to sew in store-bought boning channels, but my teacher Sharon had a better idea: she suggested making the bodice lining two layers that could be sewn together to create channels (kind of a like a bodice sandwich!). So I added a layer of silk organza to my cotton batiste lining. (If you've read Susan Khalje's excellent article "The Secret to Party Dresses that Stay Put" in Threads #145, then you'll recognize this method.)

So, I needed to create two bodice linings. One out of the cotton batiste:

And one out of the silk organza.

Aside: isn't silk organza so pretty on its own? Someday soon I want to use it as the fashion fabric in a dress, not just support fabric!

And then I pinned the two layers together at the seams. (Click to view any of the photos larger.)

And then I drew in the boning channels, lightly, in pencil. The channels need to be 3/8" wide to accommodate 1/4" spiral steel boning.

Stitch along your markings, creating a channel between the two layers of fabric. See how your boning slides in?

Obviously, this piece of boning is too long and will need to be cut. Here's a handy video showing you how! (Note: First, you want to add a row of stitching at your bottom seam allowance. This will keep the boning in its channel.)



If you can't watch the video right now, the jist of it is this. Cut your boning with wire cutters, to a length 1/8" shorter than your boning channel, minus seam allowances. (The 1/8" allows for the boning tip that you're going to add.)

Take a boning tip and crimp it on with a pair of pliers.

Do this for each of your channels and you've got a fully-boned inner bodice! Here's mine:

The next step will be to sew the skirt lining onto the skirt bodice. (There's no need for a layer of silk organza on the skirt lining, thank goodness. Just the batiste.) One thing to note: when attaching pieces to a bodice that's been boned like this, you have to be very careful not to stitch on the steel boning, as it will break your needle and possibly injure you in the process. Use a zipper foot and stitch very carefully.

That's all for this installment. Hope this was helpful to you!

Building a Better Muslin

Here's my muslin of the yellow dress I'm working on, and I'm thrilled with it! I decided to make a muslin of the bodice only, since the skirt will be a circle skirt that I've draped and sewn before. It will just hang from the bodice, so the fit isn't as tricky.

It needs a couple tiny tweaks, but it's way closer than I expected it to be with a complicated design like this. Better still, I love it and I couldn't stop grinning at myself in the mirror when I first tried it on! I think what really contributed to my success with this muslin was following Susan Khalje's advice step-by-step in the book Bridal Couture. There were a lot of extra steps, but it was sooo worth it.

The muslin was cut with 1" seam allowances. I started out by thread-tracing each of the stitching lines on my machine. Here's the upper bust piece, with the thread tracings in a dark thread.

Here's the under bust piece.

After basting all the pieces together, it's important that you basically make your muslin have all of the "engineering" that your finished dress will have: twill tape, bra cups, boning, and a waist stay.

The twill tape is SO important. With a dress like this, it helps cup the fabric to the bust. On your muslin, you just pin it to the outside of your bodice, like so.

I put the bra cups in with a big catch stitch. I could have just tacked them loosely in, but I wanted to practice the catch stitch since that's what I'll use on the actual dress, stitching them just to the underlining. I figured out the placement of the cups by getting topless, holding each cup up to my bust and then holding the bodice up on top of them and pinning them in place. These cups are great; they're from SIL Thread and they're very thin, but molded. Love them.

The waist stay (a length of grosgrain the exact length of your waist measurement) is pinned to the outside of the muslin for fitting purposes, with the bottom of the grosgrain ending right at the waist seamline.

I basted rigeline boning on the side seams only. I will probably use spiral steel boning on the final dress, but it was nice to use rigeline on the muslin since you can sew right through it. (If you're looking for information on sewing a boned bodice, it doesn't get any better than the bustier article in this back issue of Threads magazine.)

I hand-basted in a dress-length zipper to the back (it had to be long so that I could get in and out of it).

And then it was time to try on!

The tweaks that I'm definitely going to make are: 1) taking out a pinch of fullness at the top of the bodice, 2) taking out about 1/4" of ease on each side seam, and 3) adding another set of bones to the back bodice to prevent sagging. I'll position them right under the back darts, and they'll be sewn to the underlining only so they're invisible from the outside. It might also need a swayback adjustment, but I'm going to see if the boning takes care of the problem first.

Quite a process, huh? When I saw all the steps that Susan Khalje recommends in her book, I was a little incredulous, I admit. But they really made ALL the difference in this muslin. I'll definitely be following her advice through the construction process as well!

Cover Reveal! Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book

I've been so excited to blog this one because I am IN LOVE with this cover! My next book, Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book, is now up on Amazon for pre-order. It's releasing in March 2016.

Here's a little info on the book:

Every vintage-obsessed sewist dreams of having a closet full of gorgeous dresses. The follow-up to the popular Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing and Gertie Sews Vintage Casual, Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book is packed with all the information and patterns you could ever need to create a wardrobe filled with stunning vintage frocks. The book begins with all the essential techniques for dressmaking and includes instructions and patterns for 23 dresses for a variety of occasions. Elements of each pattern can be mixed and matched, allowing readers to customize the bodice, skirt, sleeves, pockets, and details of each dress for a truly unique creation.

The dress on the cover is called the Emerald Faille Party Dress and it's made from an amazing silk faille. It has a super structured boned bodice and very full skirt: it's a circle skirt with box pleats all around. The skirt and bodice are basic patterns included with the book, and then I show you how to make your own special details for each dress, like the halter strap (it closes with little rhinestone buttons in the back) and the bias band that goes across the bodice. There are tons of construction techniques like lining, underlining, using horsehair on hems and necklines, working with lace and beaded fabrics, and lots more.

I can't wait to show you more from the book!

P.S. Did you spot Henry on the cover?

Shaping a Neckline with Horsehair Braid

Horsehair braid is not just for hems! You can also use it in a neckline to add shape and structure. This works especially well in strapless or strappy dresses, where the bodice is supported by boning. Sometimes interfacing the neckline isn't quite stiff enough to stand up to the structure of the bodice, especially when you want a lot of shape and stiffness around the neckline.

This red halter dress is a great example. As you can see above, it's boned around the bodice, but not over the bust. The horsehair braid keeps the neckline from collapsing above the bustline. It also keeps the neckline nice and crisp. I've seen it used in dresses like this pink chiffon one, where you need extra structure to support the ruching of the lightweight fabric.

To apply the horsehair braid, you'll want to stitch it to the lining neckline so that it's positioned just below the seamline. (Do this step after all lining seams are constructed and boning is sewn in.) Because my seam allowance is 5/8", I stitched my horsehair just a hair below that. 

The braid can go all around the upper edge of the bodice, or stop at the side seams, which ever you prefer. If you have it go around to the zipper opening, make sure that you cut it just short of the opening so it doesn't get caught in any seam allowances. 

Pull up the string in the horsehair braid so that it shapes to the curve of the bodice. It's a nice touch to stitch some scrap fabric around the short ends of the braid so the cut edges don't poke through the dress. 

Stitch the bodice to the bodice lining, right sides together. Understitch the lining, catching the horsehair braid and the seam allowances in your understitching. Turn the lining to the right side and press, and there you have it! A nicely shaped neckline.

P.S. Happy Halloween!

My New Butterick Patterns for Spring 2014!

Exciting day! I have two new pattern designs that just released. The first is B6019, and it's a dress I've been dreaming of for a long time. Ever since I did the Bombshell Dress class on Craftsy, I've wanted a dress pattern that was more authentic to the designs of Alfred Shaheen. Here are a couple of his designs from the '50s, to give you an idea.

I love the details: the bias band across the bodice, boned bodice, structured bra cups, removable halter strap, sarong skirt, and elastic shirring. So I designed a pattern to these exact specifications. Here's the line drawing.

As you can see, there's a full-skirted version in addition to the sarong version.

The bra cups have batting for structure.

There's shirring in the back panels, and a lapped center back zipper.

The second pattern is very different: lingerie!

B6031 was inspired by vintage lingerie, but is made in modern stretch fabrics. As much as I love the look of vintage slips, I find the nylon fabric they're made of to be sticky and uncomfortable.

So I designed something similar in matte jersey. This is an entire lingerie set with slip, camisole in 2 lengths, and panties.

All the designs are finished with stretch lace and pretty bows.

The undies are my modern interpretation of vintage style panties. They have full butt coverage and low-cut legs but the waist is shaped more like a boyshort. You can make them higher waisted for an authentic '50s look!

I hope you enjoy the new patterns! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Take My Online Bombshell Dress Course (with 50% Off!)

Yay, the time has finally come! I can share all the info with you about my online course for Craftsy.

For those of you who have asked for an Alfred Shaheen-inspired sarong dress pattern: this is it! The course comes with a BurdaStyle pattern included for a bustier dress with a draped skirt, perfect for the vintage Tiki Bombshell look.

The video course shows you how to make the dress, from downloading the pattern to executing all sorts of couture techniques, like underlining, a waist stay, and a molded boned bodice. I show fitting techniques for large and small busts as well. You can customize your dress with removable straps and different skirt styles.

 Or make only the bodice for a cute bustier top!

Also, the Craftsy platform is really cool, allowing you to ask questions at exact moments in the video, upload pictures, and bookmark things you want to come back to. You can take it whenever you want and do the lessons at your own pace.

You can go watch a preview and register for 50% off here. It's a steal, if I do say so myself. Only $30 for 15 video lessons. (You have to use the links I give you in this post to get the discount price.)

I hope I don't sound like too much of a sap when I say this is a thrilling moment for me. I feel like this course really defines the work I've been doing on this blog for the past couple years. This dress is one of my favorite vintage styles and the construction techniques are the kind of stuff I love to geek out over. The folks at Craftsy took all of that and made it into a pretty, shiny package.

I hope you'll take the course! Please let me know if you have questions about it.