In which I learn to Floss...

... My corset, anyways.

A few months ago I started up a dance night with a group of friends, and several of them have been trying to convince me that I need to learn to floss, which I steadfastly refuse to do. Then last week I wasn't feeling well, and instead of laying around doing nothing I decided to take that time to finally floss my corset.

When I finished, I shared pictures online toting that I had learned to "floss". Anyways, I thought it was pretty funny. But here's the end result.

This is my 1880's corset made from the Truly Victorian pattern. It's the most comfortable, though not the most technically well made, corset I've made yet. And now now it's the prettiest corset I've made.

For anyone who doesn't know, flossing is used to hold the bones in place from moving around in the boning channels. Plus it's an extra way to add some decoration to your corset. I played around with a few different styles with the help of some tutorials I found on Pinterest. There's a surprising amount on flossing info out there.

Late Victorian Corset

Next up on my catch up posts is my new Victorian corset. After wearing my old Victorian corset (which I made at the beginning of this year) a few times this year I was ready to make a new one that fit better.

The pattern I used was Truly Victorian #TV110. I used duck canvas for the main layer, left over satin from my graduation dress for the outside, and the inside is lined with cotton broadcloth. I re-used the busk from my original corset I made a few years ago and the lace was some that I already had on hand, so all the materials were from my stash. #score

I really only used the pattern for the pieces; I didn't follow the instructions at all and made up the boning pattern myself. I've learned enough from my previous corsets that I didn't feel I really needed the instructions. I can't really rate the pattern because of this, but overall I feel like it's a good pattern. I ended up cutting the final fabric one size smaller than I originally had in the mock up and I get a 3" waist reduction when I lace it tight and have a perfect 2" gap!

Even though the corset is technically done I still want to floss the bones, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. It's on my list but will probably remain there for a long time.