Okay, so it’s not really a corset – it’s an Alabama Chanin Corset Top.
It does have some lovely princess seams that mimic a corset
and give some nice shaping to a garment that wears like a t-shirt. And that is a pretty cool trick!
I had the idea of making a second top to wear with my Alabama Chanin skirt before I started dying cotton jersey. I was generous with my yardage cuts before I threw the white cotton into the dye bath, and thankfully, there was enough to cut out a corset top from the Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns book along with my Shawl Collar Coat.
All this hand stitching is definitely addictive! I just can’t seem to stop myself!!
Although I have to admit that after finishing the top, I had a moment where I thought I
had made a huge mistake layering the green over the blue.
I made a swatch and liked it paired back with the skirt when
it was tacked to my dressform. But it
can be difficult to envision what the finished garment will actually look like from a small swatch.
Now that I have worn the top and skirt together, I really
love the color reversal. And I will admit that I have already started another hand appliquéd piece!
Top: Made by me,
Alabama Chanin Corset Top
Skirt: Made by me,
Alabama Chanin Mid Length Skirt
Necklace: Made by me
Shoes: Jennifer Moore
The reverse colours on the skirt and top are beyond cool. What an eye-catching, awesome outfit!
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica
Fantastic idea to reverse fabrics for the top! BTW, your hair looks great "flowing free" in the photos - it is soft and feminine.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Which Alabama book did you buy?
ReplyDeleteI purchased Alabama Studio Sewing & Design last year - it is full of gorgeous examples of embroidery and what can be done with some cotton jersey/thread/and beads. I also have perused Alabama Studio Style (the first book) and Alabama Studio Sewing Patterns (the latest release) thanks to my local library.
DeleteI would skip the first book, but the Sewing Patterns book has quite a bit of information on basic alterations as well as the embroidery techniques + all many of the patterns and a few stencils included on a CD which I would recommend.
I also enjoyed the Craftsy class - there is a lot of wonderful information in that as well!
So beautiful! And thank you for introducing me to Alabama Chanin. A question for you; would you recommend hand sewing the entire top, or would it make sense to reinforce the seams on a machine if you are not trying to be a purist? I am wanting to make the corset top, but am a little worried about busting out of my bustier.
ReplyDeleteThe Alabama Chanin instructions suggest hand basting a line of thread along curved edges to keep them from stretching out while working on the applique.
DeleteI hand stitched all of the seams and they are plenty sturdy, but if you wanted to speed up the process, that would certainly be an option.
yes I like the color reversal very much. makes it more visually interesting. Great outfit on you.
ReplyDeleteGreat outfit - you wear it very well!
ReplyDeleteYou did not make a mistake reversing colors...it is a gorgeous outfit!!!!
ReplyDeleteReversing the colors is prettier than keeping them the same. Since the garment pieces are simple in design, it makes the outfit more interesting.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully done. I love the outfit and the subtle difference between the colour reversal is very nice. A great job with the hand stitching...I used to do so much hand embroidery, but now my eyes are not nearly as good as they were and I struggle a bit; and have tons of other things to do as well!
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful! Lovely work, as always.
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic on you, and you did a great job! I like that it looks less "homespun" on you than other AC makes I've seen.
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of your best outfits ever. You are an incredible seamstress. Thanks for blogging.
ReplyDeleteWow, this outfit is another beautiful example of your talents! I really love the color reversal that you have done with the top. Thank you for blogging.
ReplyDeleteIt's absolutely fabulous.
ReplyDelete