Failure no. 2 - and the solution

I spent hours sewing this top together. Hours measuring, tacking, adjusting and re-adjusting. And despite all that, when I tried it on yesterday, it just wouldn't fit! Turns out that in all my measurements, I have failed to notice that - whilst the overall circumference is the same - my breasts are just much larger than those of the dummy. So when I attempted to fit the top to my chest, my boobs were sticking out on the sides.

For a moment, I was tempted to throw a temper tantrum suitable for a two-year-old, throwing things and stomping my feet included.

But then - and I am not sure how I managed to actually outwardly keep my calm - I decided it was time for a little cheating. So I went upstairs and raided my wardrobe. And I found exactly what I needed - an old, redundant white sports bra. Originally a cup B, while my actual size is a cup C, it can still be stretched to fit around and, most importantly, cover all those bits that I had wanted to cover for ages.

I pinned it to the corset and it appears to work and fit! Granted, my cleavage will need to be covered just that little bit more, but since the original idea was to use the inner as a skeleton to fit all the other fabric around, I would say we have a winner.

It is not so much the support I need it for, since the underbust corset does a surprisingly good job with that and I am still one of those lucky girls where nothing is hanging down to the floor yet. It is more the appropriate coverage and saving time now that I am almost having to start over again.

The bra also means that I now have a decent, adjusted skeleton for the straps, which I just couldn't quite figure out last time.

So, ladies, if you want to make your own and you have been following this blog before, find a bra to integrate. It saves time, tears and tantrums.

Can we make it? Yes we can!

Sorry for the cheesy Bob the Builder reference, but I am having one of these days.

The in-laws have been over this weekend, and in their well-meaning way, have warned me, once again, against making so many things for the wedding myself.
The list is growing; I have a lot of projects on the go, because some I can do in front of my future husband and some I can't, some can be done during a break at work, some need drying time and for some I need the materials. Plus, I get bored and prefer to start other things in the meantime.


Currently on the go:

• the dress - won't be finished until the end of summer, I presume (still working on the top)
• the children's activity books (the Christening last weekend has shown me just how important they are)
• the favours, though I am waiting for us to eat many more pizzas to save some of those plastic bits holding the boxes, and I have had to wait a long time for the sand to dry
• the tiara for my daughter and my bouquet - not really in progress; I am just gathering materials
• the table decorations - again, drying time and lack of material are the main issues here, plus storage space.

Should I start one project and only start another when I have finished the first? Probably. But then, things probably wouldn't get done at all, or I would forget about all the little things,which personalise our wedding.

The Activity book cont.

We went to a friend's Christening today, which took up most of the day, so there was little time or opportunity to continue with the wedding preparations. However, being the opportunist I am, I used the time in the car to continue drawing pictures for the Activity booklet for the children.


We now have:

• 2 mazes
• 1 anagram
• 1 dot-to-dot picture
• 1 word search
• 1 find the correct path picture
• 4 design your own (dress, bunting, hairdo, flowers)

I am aiming for 20-30 activities: some simple (tic tac toe etc.), some, like the crossword puzzles, with more prep and input needed.

Taking photocopying out of the equation, the booklets will be almost free. Designs are done by me and free education resource Puzzlemaker, the paper and ribbon won't add for the 5-10 children who will attend.

What about the children?

Our decision was made fairly early on that we would allow children to our wedding. My daughter and future nephews would be there anyway and a few of our friends have recently had children, so it was a no-brainer to accommodate children into the wedding somehow.

Thing is, for children, weddings can be boring. There are the speeches, there is the sitting still, there is the waiting for food. Yes, there is a disco and everyone will start dancing (the adults, once suitably intoxicated), but most of the time it will be a case of sitting around.

To avoid total meltdown, I thought I would put together a wedding-themed activity booklet for them. This will have a variety of crosswords, puzzles (both to be done with the help of Puzzlemaker) and drawings in them.

The ones in the photo are some of the drawing ideas - Design your perfect wedding dress, Design the bride's hair and make-up and Design the wedding flowers.

Adding a few crayons (perhaps the children's favours?), rubbers, sharpeners etc. to the table should hopefully keep them fully entertained during those long hours that may not be that interesting otherwise.

It's all coming together

The mannequin was indeed a good investment. I was able to pin everything together today, able to see where adjustments need to be made and where fabric needs to be added to tidy up the sides and back. I was also able to pin the neckline to the exact shape it needs to be in the end and tack the pieces loosely together.

Currently, I am adding the elastic band to the waistline in my corset, before I start to sew all the front bits together.

Seeing the dress coming together has given me a real motivation boost, which was very much needed after I have spent what seems like ages just working on individual bits, without ever seeing what it was all going to become. It is all starting to make sense in my head. Good times :-)

Dressmaking Mannequin

So my corset part is finished. I tidied up the top and am now pondering my next move. Should I continue with the corset as a separate part or should I add sleeves and general upper-tops bits?

I tried the latter today. I pinned fabric to my top, adjusted, sewed around it and attempted to add straps.

However, having arms flailing around my side, back and front simultaneously, whilst at the same time attempting to hold the corset in place, proved frustratingly difficult. And so I decided that it was to invest in a dressmaker's dummy.

Now, a professional one would cost about £450, for which I may as well get a dress. So, instead, I got a mannequin, which could double up as a decoration (apparently), for £39.99 from The Range.

I am a size 8, but my shape is not conventional, so I used toy stuffing and a bag to adjust the dummy to my own shape, for precision. My job tomorrow will be to add shape to the top.

I know that it looks like nothing much, but there is actually a steep learning curve going on here. Isn't that partly what this is meant to be about? That, and a gorgeously beautiful dress?

Corset making update

I am about 1/3 through with it now. The week has, again, been going slowly, owing mainly to the fact that I have been working pretty much straight from 5.30am to 10pm every day, what with family and my job to sort out. I have to admit that I didn't do any wedding preparation during the week, as by 10pm I was usually falling asleep on the sofa about 10min after I'd finished working.

Next week is barely looking better work-wise (intensive phase, hopefully followed by quite a calm one in 2 weeks' time and holidays a few weeks after that), but I should be getting a lot more done after it's passed. There are still 4 cards here, which is a little annoying, but they are slowly moving into the last few hands, or so I am told.

My corset is going well; I have indeed overestimated my body a little, so I have plenty of room for playing with the material at the back edge, and even on the side, should I consider a zip there for ease on the actual wedding day - otherwise, who will lace me up?
The cable ties are strong, but flexible enough to allow plenty of movement, and the bones spaced out in a way to tuck most of my belly away.

The middle layer still needs its boning, but the rest is done, save from the top and bottom, for which I am still considering support with thinner cable ties. It looks quite messy on the picture, but it gives my curves a nice fit. My boobs are also nicely enhanced :-)

So the next thing will be to look at the fastenings, which would also be attached to the inner layer, as well as the elastic, which goes all the way across. I would rather like to get the fastenings too short rather than too long - too short would mean that I could work with a modesty plate to cover up any gaps at the back, whereas too long would just ruin the point of the whole corset.