The Road to the Kontinuum Corset: Part 3 - Transfers and Tribulations

Initially I was planning on transferring my logo to the corset once it was finished but my plan of attack has changed.

The obvious and technically easiest route would be dressmaker's carbon. Notice I said 'technically'easiest? Absolutely it would be easy to transfer the design but finding dressmakers was apparently a lot more difficult than I expected. As my Jo-Ann's didn't have any I tried looking for a transfer pencil where they usually are but oddly there weren't any... And I couldn't find one anywhere else either.

My next attempt was to make a stencil so I could just draw the design on. I ended up making three different stencils, one with cardboard and two with overhead transparency sheets, none of which would allow me to get the curves as precise as they need to be. Apparently cutting a spiral stencil with a moderately sharp Exacto knife isn't as easy as I thought it should be. After the first stencil didn't work I rethought the design slightly making certain parts wider in hopes it would make the new stencils easier to cut. It did, but once they were finished there were still some jagged edges that would mess up my tracing.

I continued to rack my brain in search of a solution. It took awhile but I decided to go old school and transfer my design to tissue paper and stitch over it as accurately as I could. Finally started and it does seem to be going well. I'm still doing all the embroidery after the corset's completion but happily this should make that go much more smoothly. Now that's all sussed time to hit the road and continue to venture forth.

Next time: The Road to the Kontinuum Corset: Part 4 - Boning Channels (unless I need to rearrange my construction order again)

The Road to the Kontinuum Corset: Part Two - Flossing Sampler

I've made it passed Preparatory Lane and it looks as if I'll soon be ready to turn off Flossing Sampler Way, grab Mabel and head out on the Corset Highway straight to Completed Creation. Mabel has been rather bored with the trip thus far but will soon feel the electrical current flowing through her cord once again.
After doing a few purely decorative flossing patterns I decided to stick with securing stitches thus keeping the sampler small at this point and to get me on the road sooner. As most of the securing stitches were fairly simple, the sampler gave me few if any problems. It's nice to think that flossing the corset goes just as smoothly but not very realistic.

Next time: The beginning of construction, pattern assembly & cutting, fabric prep etc.

The road to the Kontinuum Corset: Part One

As usual on my journey to a place called Completed Creation I decided to take a detour and go the scenic route. This decision brought me straight back Preparatory Lane. I was already expecting my Kontinuum Corset trip to be a moderately lengthy one, so happily this doesn't set me back any. Initially I was planning on heading down to Flossing Sampler Way so I could figure out the direction I'd most like to go then heading straight for the Kontinuum Corset. As I started heading over to Flossing Sampler way something occurred to me... I think I've taken my travel metaphor as far as I'm going to for now... anyway, I finished boning the fabric for the sampler when the fact  that I still had no dressmaker's carbon surfaced yet again in my brain. I put the fabric for the sampler aside and set off again on trying to find transfer solution. As I was at the computer doing research I took that opportunity to resize, edit an print my logo. I decided to try making a stencil and while it wasn't a total fail it definitely isn't a method I'll use again. Once the stencil was made I needed too test it on something and that something; my took case. I transferred the design using my stencil and a white marking pencil and white chalk. The design wasn't transferred as perfectly as I would have liked. And because the fabric is handled a lot while being embroidered I've already had to go over the design again with my marking implements. I figure maybe I could try reprinting the stencil and perhaps use an exacto knife. That way maybe the lines would be smoother and as the fabric I'll be working with for the corset is bright white I'll be able to use regular mechanical pencil to trace that should help to further the likelihood if smooth lines and fix the problem of my marks slowly disappearing as I work.
Because I went to all the trouble with the stencil and tracing it only made sense to go ahead and start embroidering the logo so I can see how badly out of practice I am and to give me a chance to finalize the colour placement. Additionally it will help get my fingers in shape before undertaking the task of flossing and embroidering a whole corset. So here's where I'm at so far and I'd love to finish this up and start on the flossing sampler today.