Still on my Christmas dress making journey, taking it one dress at a time for every little girl and lady waiting anxiously for me to finish making their dress, I thought I would skip making dresses a bit complicated as I have limited time to finish making the dresses already lined up, but @adetemi had other plans for me, she had called and informed me about making a dress for her to attend her friend's wedding, which would be happening right before the Christmas on 23rd, she said, and she is one person I can't say no to.

Corset dresses are beautiful, as they focus on contouring the female body to perfection, snatching the waist area is a significant aspect of a corset dress, Although it is an old fashion as it has been in existence for a long, among the English, it never goes out of style, as new intricate designs keep coming up every day, I didn't get to learn the art of corsetry in my early days of getting basic knowledge on how to design different outfit, along the line, the demand and trend for corset dresses became high, I had to search for the new knowledge as learning never stops.

What I did

At first, I tried using my intuition to draft a pattern just by observing and measuring an already-made corset dress, did it come out looking like a corset? Yes, it did, but there were so many errors, from the chosen cup size being too small, to the snatch effect not snatching as I expected, even the chosen fabric didn't fully blend with what I wanted, funny enough, I still rocked that dress to church and got plenty admirers, they even wanted me to make same dress for them, lol only if they knew the struggles I faced while making the dress, I thought I would give up during the process at some point, but no, I saw it through to the end, I wish I had a picture of that dress now, but a cousin of mine visited and off she went with my very first made corset dress.

_{The second dress with a difference🥰}

University of pattern drafting

Like I said, learning never stops, I went online checked several YouTube tutorial videos, and also paid a huge sum for an online class, if you think knowledge is expensive, try ignorance, haha, I was confused the more because I realized, every tutor had their different ways of achieving a corset dress, I didn't know which to adopt that will work well for me and give the result I desired, I remember facing this same struggle with achieving a perfect trouser,I had to try them all, yes I did, and when I finally got what worked for me, I felt very fulfilled, a trouser without flaps, laying well on the body, perfect fit, and that was exactly what I did to get the perfect pattern that worked for me making a corset dress, it wasn't even the paid classes, but a youtube tutor known as "university of pattern drafting"

_{Screenshot from YouTube}

Her lessons were advanced, yet easy to comprehend, although might be difficult for beginners, she focused on the waist snatching aspect, giving a detailed explanation, and the key I needed to unlock the secret of corsetry was gotten, not ignoring other tutors because I also learned a thing or two from them.

My confidence was boosted, and I didn't just make corset dresses for myself alone, I made for other ladies as well, even women on a bigger side, you know how difficult it can be contouring some body shapes, I didn't back off, I faced the challenge and I overcame, and even shared the making process of some of them here on hive,

I didn't just maintain sewing the regular kind of corset, I became creative with my own style and enjoyed the process, Still, making corset dresses is still not a walk in the park, as all due processes need to be followed which is always stressful and time-consuming, but the satisfaction gotten after of from seeing the finished look, is worth it all.

Making Adetemi's corset dress

This time, I focused on giving my best from the experiences gathered so far, paying attention to achieving a neat finishing and perfect fit, contoured to achieve a well-balanced bust area and giving that snatched waist effect,

oh yes, I worked day and night on this one, because I still had to meet up making Christmas dresses for others, drafting the upper pattern with keen attention, this is where the magic lies, any error on the pattern can render to total dress in a disaster, so full concentration is needed while drafting.

We wanted a dramatic look, so instead of making the waist area bare using just the plain dutchess fabric, I placed an applique lace above it, which I also used in designing the sleeves

For the lower part of the dress, a mermaid/A line pattern was her choice, and I absolutely love how it came out.

For the back area, you can see how I made a transition to make the lacing area plain, I also attached a modesty panel, to cover the opening part and not reveal her skin.

Without further ado, Here is the beautiful finished look, I felt so proud of myself for achieving this beautiful look, and the fitting was perfect, the best part of it all.

My journey so far with corsetry have opened my understanding to face my challenges and not give up even after trying and failing, perfection comes with practice, and also having it in mind that learning never stops.

All images used in this post are mine except otherwise stated.< sub>

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