Of Corsets and sleep

My two consuming passions this weekend were to a) sleep, and b) research and start work on a corset. The sleep thing is easily understandable, but the reasoning behind the corset thing is that I’m going to be attending Faire in a few weeks, and then will be a bridesmaid in my sister’s wedding. For someone with ‘lumpiness’ issues like me, a corset is an obvious solution! I found a lady who will make custom ones on eBay that looks promising (and reasonably priced!), and I also drafted a corset pattern for myself on Saturday afternoon. I cut out a ‘trial’ fabric piece out of nasty cheap chetengi, and was pleasantly surprised! I want to try using green bamboo as a stiffener, and if that one works well, I’ll make a shell to bring home and stiffen with a great idea I found on-line: heavy duty zip ties! Of course a third option would be to buy a corset at Faire, but they aren't cheap. Of course I understand about being handmade, steel boned, and lovingly assembled, but that doesn't make it much easier to fork over a wad! I think I’ll see how my version pans out, and then go from there. At the very least, I can now say that not only did I draft my own farthingale pattern, but I can do corsets up too!

Speaking of Faire, I have a hankering to try an authentic knotted hair net. I have lots of black floss, so I just need to see if I can find some suitable elastic for a base. So many ideas…so little time!