FrankenKirtle fights back....

I am right-handed and at the moment my right hand is blisters, sore and trembling...due to FrankenKirtle fighting back!

I have spent the last hour wrestling boning materials into the corset section and my hand is SORE! The cord boning is an easy thing. I cut off a section of jute that is 4x the length of the channel, double it twice and thread it through the channel using a bit of floral wire. The jute goes through the channels like a hot knife through butter. However the cable ties are a another matter entirely.


Originally I was not going to use any of the heavy duty cable ties, however after putting through some jute cord, I was concerned that the cord alone, even with tight lacing, wouldn't offer enough support. So, since the only other boning material I have on hand is the cable ties, they are being used to add some more solid support to the whole thing -- particularly in the angled bits along the side of the bust.

It is putting the cable ties into the corset that have wreaked havoc on my poor hands. Although I checked the width of the channels before sewing things up, at times my stitches waver which makes getting the cable tie through the channel, just a wee bit difficult. Who am I kidding, in some cases it makes it downright impossible!

Note to self (and anyone who attempts this project) -- make the boning channels a bit larger than you think you'll need. You'll thank yourself when you try to put the boning in the channels. :)

On the plus side, I have about 1/3 of the corset channels filled. After dinner tonight I should be able to finish the rest of the channels since they are only jute cord. That said, as I was working with the jute I found myself starting to itch. I *really* hope this is just a minor dust allergy from the cord and that once the corset is washed the dust will go away and not bother me anymore! Ugh...nothing worse than the idea that this corset will make me itch every time I wear it!