Tutorial: McCall's m2799, View D - Princess Corset

Here's how to make this lovely corset top! See the previous blog post for the review of this pattern and how it looks on.

Preparation

For View D with skinny straps you'll need to cut out pattern pieces 1-3, 5-7, and 9. You will need a) a main fabric, b) an underlining (muslin or a thin cotton) and c) a lining. The fabric I'm using is rayon, the underlining is cotton, and the lining is shantung. The underlining helps prevent the corset from being translucent and adds to the rigidity. If you use a thicker lining or fabric, you may be able to get away without any underlining. 

• Fabric: Pieces 1-3, 5-7, and 9. You'll need at least 0.8 m of the main fabric.
• Underlining: Pieces 1-3, 5, 7. This requires 0.8 m underlining.
• Lining: Pieces 1-3, 5, 7. You'll also need 0.8 m of lining.
• Other materials: 2 m of boning and 2 m cord or ribbon.

Sew the underlining to the wrong side of the fabric pieces at 1 cm (3/8"). We now treat the side with the underlining as the wrong side of the fabric.

The underling sewn to the back of the fabric.

Sewing the main body

With right sides together, sew the center front seam. This is the long straight edge on piece 1 with no notches. Next sew piece 2 to piece 1 with right sides together; do this for both of the notched sides of piece 1. The side with the double notch on piece 2 is the side that is attached to piece 1. 

Use the notches to help you align the curves of these pieces. I suggest sewing piece 1 on top and stretching it slightly to meet the curve of piece 2. I do this by stretching and feeding the fabric into the machine with both hands: one hand in front of the foot and one hand behind.

Left: Sew pieces 1 together. Right: Sew piece 2 onto piece 1.

Attach both of pieces 3 to the corset. The long edge of piece 3 with the highest notch is sewn to piece 2 with right sides together. Next up is piece 5. Sew both of these to pieces 3 with right sides together. This seam matches the sides with the single notches. 

Lastly, we attach piece 7 to piece 5 at the side with the double notch. Again, sew these pieces right sides together with a seam allowance of 1.5 cm (5/8") and repeat for the other side of the corset.

Top: Sew piece 3 to 2. Middle: Sew piece 3 to 5. Bottom: Sew piece 5 to 7.

Piece 9 is the flap that covers your back under the corset lacing. Fold it in half widthwise with right sides together and sew together the top and bottom with 1.5 cm (5/8") seam allowance. Cut away the seam allowance at the corner and turn right side out. We will add this piece to the corset later.

Fold piece 9 in half and sew the top and bottom

Sewing the lining

The lining pieces are sewn in the same way as the fabric, except piece 9 is not lined, so stop sewing at piece 7.  

Sew the lining pieces together, from piece 1 to 7, the same way as the fabric.

At this point I suggest finishing the seams for the fabric and the lining. Firstly, cut notches (triangles that are cut into the seam allowance but not over the stitching) into the curved seams. Finish the seams and iron them open. 

Overlock (or zig zag stitch) the edges and trim off most of the seam allowance for the fabric. Don't trim the seam allowance of the lining, and overlock over the top. This is to allow sewing of the boning as it will be much easier with a decent amount of seam allowance.

Sewing the boning

Now we sew in the boning. I'm using fabric covered plastic boning, which creates a neat look if sewn in right. This corset is only boned to the waist, which makes for easy sitting (and slouching). The waistline is indicated by a rectangle on each of the pattern piece. 

Place the boning so the top of the boning aligns with the top of the pattern piece. Chalk the mark for the waistline onto the boning. Make another marking 1 cm (3/8") below the waistline marking; this is where you now cut the boning. 

Cut out boning pieces twice for the left hand side of pieces 1, 2, 3 and 5, and once for the right side of piece 1. Overall you need seven pieces of boning, one for each seam of the lining.

Top left: cut boning for the centre front. Top right: cut boning for front side seams. Bottom left: cut boning for side seams. Bottom right: cut boning for back side seams.

Peel back the fabric on the boning. On the top end, cut off 2 cm (3/4") of the plastic boning and round the off the edges with a file or scissors. Cover the boning up with fabric. Sew over the fabric a few times just above the boning. This will prevent the boning from pushing through the fabric and poking you.

Left: Cut off 2 cm of the boning for the top edge. Right: Sew the boning back up.

Pull back the fabric on the bottom of the boning and cut off 1 cm (3/8"). File the boning so that is rounded and recover with the fabric. Fold over the fabric 0.5 cm (2/8") and sew over the top to hold the boning in place.

Left: Cut off 1cm of boning from the bottom edge. Right: Fold over and sew back up the covering.

Prepare the lining of the corset for boning by finishing the seams individually and ironing them down split flat. Place the boning in the centre of the seam allowances. Pin the fabric of the boning to the seam allowance, but be sure not to pin the wrong side of the lining. 

On your sewing machine, fold back the fabric so that just one side of the boning and the seam allowance are exposed. Sew down the length of the boning, from one end to the other. Don’t sew over the width of the boning! Sew all the pieces of boning to their corresponding lining seams.

Top left: Pin boning to the lining seam allowance. Top right: Sew down the length of the boning. Middle: Sew boning to all the lining seams. Bottom left: Don't catch the fabric when sewing on the boning. Bottom right: Sew the length of the boning.

Sewing the straps

Now we sew the skinny straps (piece 6); these are optional, but I like the support of straps. Straps like these are impossible to pull right side out with your fingers, so you must run a piece of string through the centre. 

Fold the strap in half widthwise over the yarn with right sides together. Sew 1 cm (3/8") down the long edge of the strap. At the top end of the strap, sew over the yarn several times to secure it. Trim the seam allowance to just a few millimetres (about 1/8") and sew over the top with a zig zag stitch. 

Here's how to pull the strap inside out: hold the yarn taut and slowly roll the other end of the strap over itself. Keep pulling and rolling the end of the strap to bring it right side out. 

The straps are first sewn into the back of the corset. Pin the strap on top of the seam for pieces 5 and 7 on the top edge of the right side. Baste (sew at 1 cm or 3/8") into place.

Left: Sew the length of piece 6 (the strap) with a string in the middle. Right: Baste the strap to the back of the corset.

Sewing the straps

We now make a string from piece 8 to make the loops for the corset. The process is the same as making the straps, except we use a seam allowance of just 0.5 cm (2/8") to sew the length of the loops. 

Once you've pulled it right side out, cut each string into nine pieces, with each piece being approximately 5.3 cm (2 1/8") long. Fold these pieces in half and hand sew the raw end roughly together to create the loop. 

Grab the pattern for piece 7 and pin it back onto the fabric. Mark off the circles which indicate the placement of the loops on the right side of the fabric. I usually do this by folding the pattern piece along the circle and chalking a line beside it. Pin the loops on top of these markings, matching the raw edges, and baste stitch into place at 1 cm (3/8"). Repeat for the other side of the corset. 

Top: Sew the length of piece 8 with a string in the middle. Middle left: mark the placement of the corset loops. Middle right: pin the loops onto the markings for the left and right sides. Bottom left and right: Baste the loops for the left and right side of the corset.

On the right edge of the corset we now lay piece 9 on top of the loops, right sides facing together. Sew into place with a 1.5 cm (5/8") seam allowance. You need to align piece 9 so that the top and bottom edges are 1.5 cm (5/8") away from the top and bottom edges of piece 7. We do this so that the flap has a nice edge when we sew the top and bottom edges of the corset. I suggest matching the dots on the pattern pieces to help you with this.

Pin and sew piece 9 to the right side of the corset.

Bringing it all together

Now we prepare to sew the main fabric to the lining. Lay the fabric on top of the lining, with right sides together. Piece 9 must be folded in between the fabric and the lining. This means that the sides will be pieces 7, and piece 9 is sandwiched in between on the inside. Do your best to align the seams for the lining and the fabric by pinning across the seam at 1.5 cm (5/8") and folding back a layer. This way, you can view whether the side seams are aligning nicely without sewing. 

Mark out a space where you need to insert the strap in the front. Refer back to the pattern piece for the front placement of the strap on piece 2. Also, mark out a generous space on the right side, where the flap is folded inside, for turning the corset right side out.

Pin the lining to the fabric and align the side seams.

Sew all around the corset, remember to stop and backstitch at each of the markings you made. Turn corset right side out by pulling the boning from the furthermost end of the corset through the space you left. 

Left: Sew all around the edge of the corset. Right: Pull right side out.

Lace up the corset by threading cord (I'm using rat-tail cord) through each of the loops diagonally from the top. Thread the corset loosely and only to half way.

Lace up the corset with a strong cord or ribbon.

Here's my advice for putting it on. Be sure to wear your favourite strapless bra. Pull the corset over your head, loosen the strings as you need to by plucking them from the end of the lacing to the top. Put the corset on backwards, so that the lacing is at your front. Finish lacing up the corset and pull the string tight, yet roomy enough so that you can move it around your body. Pull the corset around your body so that it's now on the right way. Pull the lacing to your comfort and flatten the back flap. Tie the string into a bow.

Left: push the end of the strap into the front of the corset. Right: Sew the strap and the space left in the seam.

Now you're in the corset you can finish up the straps. Push the end of the strap into the space that you left in the front of the corset. The strap is decorative, but make sure that it sits firmly on your shoulders and that both straps are symmetrical. Pin into place.

Pull out the lacing and pull the corset inside out again. Rearrange the pin on the straps so that the pin is now on the side to be sew. Sew the straps into place by connecting the seams that you already sewed. Cut notches into the bottom edge of the corset seam allowance and cut away all the seam allowance for the corners. Trim and finish the seams.

Finishing up

For the last time, pull the corset right side out and iron flat. Fold over the seam allowance of the lining for unsewn space left. Use an invisible hand stitch to finish up this seam, such has a ladder stitch. I used a diagonal slip stitch, this hand stitch is quick and nearly invisible.

Here's how to do a diagonal slip stitch:

1. Hide the knot for your double threaded needle at the beginning of the seam.
2. On the opposite side of the seam, pierce the edge of the fabric with your needle. Do not pull through.
3. Pierce the needle through the other side of the fabric diagonally, making a stitch length of about 0.5 cm (2/8"). Pull the needle through.
4. Continue this until you reach the end of the seam. Try to make small, vertical stitches. Knot off at the end.

Hand sew the remaining space closed.

Tada! You now have a gorgeous corset top for an evening out or a top for every day drama.