Anyone know what “waste canvas” is? I sure didn’t, but I saw it at the fabric store and decided to experiment with it and so it sat, under a pile of fabric… for two years… The nice thing is that you can baste this disposable fabric onto another, prettier or more versatile fabric and embroider away on something a little more interesting than the standard Aida fabric.

Finally, I’ve gotten around to doing something with it… 

Would you like to see the process? 

What you will need:

• waste canvas 
• "background" fabric
• pattern
• water soluble marker/pencils/well controlled drops of blood
• seam gauge
• pattern requirements (floss, scissors, teeth, beads etc.)
• patience
• good eyes/magnifying glass/slaves 

The nice thing is that you can baste this disposable fabric onto another, prettier or more versatile fabric and embroider away on something a little more interesting than the standard Aida fabric. The downside is that there are what looks to be twice as many holes as there are on standard Aida. Since the fibres are meant to be pulled apart, this is a stiff fabric with an open weave. 

Got all your stuff? Ready okay. Go

1. BASTE your waste to the RIGHT side of your “background” fabric. I’m so used to working with interfacings that I must admit, this is a weird feeling for me…

See all those holes? I don't know about you, but this was a challenge for me to get used to

Take your marking device, lay out your grid and start stitching away – remember, light to dark…

Got everything lovely and filled? Great! Time to unravel and unwind…

Start at your corners and pull until you hit the design area…

Once you start pulling fibres from the design, pull S L O W L Y and scrunch as you go (like you’re trying to ruffle the pattern) to make sure you don’t snap the waste threads.

WARNING: this is a slow and yes, painful process if you have a lot of covered area like I do. You will have to pull one thread at a time, move SLOW and be prepared to have aching, scratched up fingers. You may get something akin to rug burn on the sides of your fingers (and I am NOT kidding about this – it stings)

Don't feel too bad - the fibres are fighting back but in the end, they will be reduced to a mere tumble weed of angry and sad...

No pain, no gain, and when you’re done you’re left with your pretty image on a fitting backdrop. Now, just… add some details…

And you’re done!

 Now you just have to find something to do with it...

    My corset is finally bound! I took the easy way out, I think. I did it with my machine in a rather haphazard way. I don't really recommend this technique. In hindsight, as I say with every corset, it probably would have been easier and prettier to do it all by hand. Maybe, as I also find myself saying with every corset I make for myself, I'll rework the binding by hand one day. I'd worry about it more if it was for someone else, but it's only for my use and I'll really be the only one seeing it, so I suppose it will do.

    Now I'm up to making eyelets. Up to this point I've only inset metal ones. This time, however, I have decided to bind them by hand. I've also decided to make the eyelets in a pattern to accommodate spiral lacing. So far - so good. Although it is very time consuming, I think the effort will be worth it. I think I'll post a tutorial for you all to see how to make a bound eyelet – or, how I bind them. . . for real this time, I swear!

    It's been a while since I added anything new (sorry)! During my silence I have been working on embroidering a new corset (the picture left shows the pattern I've franticly been embroidering onto white cotton)! I'm now half way through, but have run into a problem – I realize the inner lining, the same purple canvas I'm made the bumroll with, is going to show through! I worked so hard to fit this darn thing that I'm going to keep the embroidered fabric for another corset that I'll work on later at my leisure - a lady can never have too many corsets. 

     Now, as I was hunting through my stash to find something pretty, and hopefully purple, I came across a purple linen dress I had once started but never finished (I know this seems like a pattern, but I swear it isn't!). I discarded the project after realizing the dress was too scratchy to wear and too tight to add a lining to. The poor thing has spent three years in the bottom of a drawer hidden away with scraps and linings. . . so I think it is time is saw some light! It's a very pretty fabric. A lovely shade of lilac with some generic Asian print . . . I know, the print is so not period, but linen is! Does that count?

     I apologize if this post seems lacking, but I'll be able to update more frequently now that I've made life easier for myself! Also, in the near future, we can look forward to a pattern review or two!