Problems with Hemp Cording
(Crossposted from my main blog: http://www.kimiko1.com/blog/?p=169)
Now that I have that group of photos uploaded and shared (and because I won't be working on the coif tonight), I thought I'd share one of the problems I had with my MAAS outfit; the hemp cording.
Let's start with a photo of the problem item.
Like the caption under the image above says, can you see the wrinkle in the bodice? That wrinkle started out as a bubble in the bodice front that went diagonally across. So then I realized the kirtle needed a cleaning after having been worn a few times, so I washed it in cold water to minimize shrinking. Only, it didn't. Oh, the cotton damask I made the kirtle in is fine (it was pre-washed as I do almost all my fabrics), but the hemp cording? oh, not so much.
The hemp cord, to refresh memories (view construction photos), is what I used, inserted into the channels I sewed by machine to the underlying interlining double layers. I put them in fresh from the spool of hemp. And that was a big mistake. I should have washed the hemp cord in hot water first, to shrink the cord before I inserted them into the channels. And because the cord shrunk unevenly, and because I sewed the center fronts together with uneven areas of cordings joining together, I get that funny wrinkle in the bodice, even when stretched across when I wear it. The only reason it isn't too obvious is because I wear a gown over the kirtle.
So, now I am faced with a choice, keep this as is, take out the old hemp cord and have no boning, take out cord and replace with other boning like narrow cable ties, or take out the old hemp cord and replace with prewashed new hemp cord. At this point I'm ready to move on and just leave it as is.
But I figured I would share this problem area so that others may read this, and learn from my mistakes. By the way, I suggest pre-shrinking all cording you plan to use, even in corded farthingales. No sense having problems elsewhere.
Now that I have that group of photos uploaded and shared (and because I won't be working on the coif tonight), I thought I'd share one of the problems I had with my MAAS outfit; the hemp cording.
Let's start with a photo of the problem item.
Like the caption under the image above says, can you see the wrinkle in the bodice? That wrinkle started out as a bubble in the bodice front that went diagonally across. So then I realized the kirtle needed a cleaning after having been worn a few times, so I washed it in cold water to minimize shrinking. Only, it didn't. Oh, the cotton damask I made the kirtle in is fine (it was pre-washed as I do almost all my fabrics), but the hemp cording? oh, not so much.
The hemp cord, to refresh memories (view construction photos), is what I used, inserted into the channels I sewed by machine to the underlying interlining double layers. I put them in fresh from the spool of hemp. And that was a big mistake. I should have washed the hemp cord in hot water first, to shrink the cord before I inserted them into the channels. And because the cord shrunk unevenly, and because I sewed the center fronts together with uneven areas of cordings joining together, I get that funny wrinkle in the bodice, even when stretched across when I wear it. The only reason it isn't too obvious is because I wear a gown over the kirtle.
So, now I am faced with a choice, keep this as is, take out the old hemp cord and have no boning, take out cord and replace with other boning like narrow cable ties, or take out the old hemp cord and replace with prewashed new hemp cord. At this point I'm ready to move on and just leave it as is.
But I figured I would share this problem area so that others may read this, and learn from my mistakes. By the way, I suggest pre-shrinking all cording you plan to use, even in corded farthingales. No sense having problems elsewhere.