This has been a forever ongoing project, I think I started it in November of 2008, made some progress that next February, and then had to order the busk and other supplies, and got side tracked with other projects. I finished sewing it when I was procrastinating on the Venetian gown, and then had to wait to order a higher quality grommet setter. I had been using cheap grommets from Joann's, but when they are set in a garment, they split all around the inner edges, which grabs the corset string and causes it to weaken and fray.
Last night, I sewed the remainder of the skirt onto the bodice. Of course, I steam cleaned my carpets first, and made dinner (lamb coconut curry with my own curry powder, and steamed green beans) first. So much for a full evening of sewing. : ) But, the skirt went on fairly quickly and without any problems. Until I tried to put it on the dummy. That's when I realized that the 10" of unpleated skirt I had left unattached wasn't quite enough to get the garment on and off.
Over the weekend, I finished the camicia. I sewed bias tape behind the neckline pleating to give it stability, and I hemmed the bottom of the garment. I still want to add some lace trim at the sleeve openings, but I will wait until I have more time to do that.
I was DETERMINED to get some serious work done on the Venetian this weekend. I picked it up Friday evening, slipped the bones out of the casings, and clipped them back a bit to shorten them. I had realized, after trying on a few of my older 16th c corsets, that leaving the bones too long leads in damage to the seams of the garment, because there isn't enough room to allow for movement and flexibility. The bones, incidentally, are industrial grade cable ties that I cut with wire cutters. It's a bit of a pain to cut them, the cutters I have require a lot of pressure to cut through the ties.
