Lingerie Competition...Let the Voting Begin!

Lovely readers! The much-anticipated day has arrived! Your entries have been an absolute pleasure to see and I can't wait to share them with you.
Once again, there will be one winner and prize for each category (bra, corset, and panties) and contestants are allowed to win more than one category.

All votes (yours, your friends'; anyone can vote once for each category!) must all be in comment form on this blog post so that Sarah and I can keep track of them.
 Let's get started, shall we? And dare I say it, (I'm afraid I must) "May the odds be ever in your favor!"

Here are the very talented contestants according to their categories. They will have little introduction. Normally I would gush but I'm supposed to be impartial (rules, boo!). To see more pictures of their entry, just click on the username under the picture. You can just vote for them by their numbers if you like!
(Please note, the numbering is random, and just there for voting convenience.)

The pattern we used...

#1 Bra by TroubleandStrumpet

#2 Bra/ Bathing suit top by Farmhouse Garde

#3 Bra by MissFloFlo

#4 Bra by Annei-Priscina

#5 Bra by Yvette

#6 Bra by Farmhouse Garde

#7 Bra by TogglesT

#8 Bra by PurplePinCushion

The pattern we used...

#9 Corset by TroubleandStrumpet

#10  Corset by MissFloFlo

#11 Corset by Charmel

#12 Corset By Charmel

#13 Corset by Yvette

#14 Corset by KLCreations

#15  Corset by KLCreations

#16 Corset by AnnabelleBumps

#17 Corset by Miss Charlie

The pattern we used...

#18 Betty Hipster Panties by Farmhouse Garde

#19  Betty Panties by Farmhouse Garde

#20 Betty Panties by Farmhouse Garde

#21 Betty Panties by Annei-Priscina

#22 Betty Panties by IndoorKitty

#23 Betty Panties by Yvette

Whew! And that's it! If I missed your entry, please let me know and I'll add it in. Everyone can vote once for each 3 categories. Invite your friends and family to vote for you, share on Facebook, Twitter and your blog, and good luck!

Voting will end on February 25th and we'll announce the winners on February 26th!

Ohh La La Pin Up Sew Along... Attaching your garter clips.

The pattern we're using...

Yesterday Sarah taught us how to make lovely covered garter straps and now that my clips have arrived and I've gotten 3 hours of sleep, here's another way to attach them.
(3 hours of sleep is a small victory, by the way, I'm not complaining :)

My lovely pink vintage garter clips.

I have in my sewing stash some really soft, plush lingerie elastic in a metallic sort of cream color that coordinates nicely with my bias binding. This will be perfect for making my straps into stretchy loops.

The first thing you want to do is try your corset on with your favorite pair of stockings to see how long your clips should be.

Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along... Optional Detail - Satin Covered Garter Straps

It's garter clip time! Sarah just posted the greatest tutorial at Ohh Lulu in sewing a satin covered garter strap.

Hers came out beautifully, don't you think? Even if you don't plan on using this technique, the post is great reading with lots of pretty pictures featuring Sarah's gorgeous corset.

My husband brought the mail home with him this evening (our mail comes to the base) and there were boxes and envelopes overflowing with the many lingerie sewing accoutrements I've been snapping up lately, my much awaited garter clips included!

I haven't had a chance to sew on these lovely little pink bits but I'll get a post up tomorrow with the finished product. I'll be using cream plush lingerie elastic to attach my garters. Has anyone had any trouble finding garter clips or any of your other notions?

Bias tape: binding an inverted corner.

 For the Ooh La La Pin-Up Sew-Along we just finished binding our top and bottom corset edges. If you want to know how to get a sharp point (as opposed to a softer, rounded look) on the inverted corner in the center panel, here's a good technique to try.

My practice corner, an exact copy of the inverted corner in the corset center panel.

This will involve sewing a pre-made corner into your binding so measure out the binding you need for the bottom first (then add two 'in case of error inches" to that.)
I suggest making a practice piece first like I have here to test out and get comfortable with the idea. 

Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along... Binding your edges.

The pattern we're using...

Today for binding your edges, Sarah put together an excellent post for us. Her explanations are so nicely put together that there's not much for me to add! Her method is a really great way to control the quality of the binding that goes on. There are so many ways to bias bind an edge that we really don't want to overwhelm you with too much info here. I prefer to sew mine on completely by hand because crazy, unnecessary hand work soothes the neurotic person in me. You really don't have to do it that way.

~Sarah~

Before you get started, make sure you have inserted all of the bones you plan on using, and have tested the fit.

For your binding, you can use purchased bias trim or bias trim made of self or contrasting fabric.  I'm using the same pink satin as I used to cover my bone casings.  I am cutting bias strips 1 1/8" wide, and pressing my folds prior to stitching.

Baste your bias tape in place, leaving a little overhang on each end as pictured above.

Ohh La La Pin Up Sew Along... Sewing your French seams.

The pattern we're using...

Today for the sew-along we'll sew all our side seams together. Unlike the regular seams we used to cobble our muslins together, we'll be using French seams, stitched flat to encase our boning.
But first, since this pattern has seam numbers instead of notches, how will you tell your pattern pieces apart? You can always mark with chalk or fading fabric pen but I prefer to make a key.

I'm not sure why I went up to five instead of four here, must've been the wine.

To tell my many pattern pieces apart since I used pattern weights instead of pins when cutting, I like to color code my seams with pins.

So for example, blue is seam #3, green is seam #4, and instead of matching notches, I match up the pins.

Now for our French seams. Remember, Wrong sides together, then Right. Sarah and I have both added a 5/8" seam allowance to our pattern pieces.

Ohh La La Pin Up Sew Along... Lace overlay is pretty... and optional.

The pattern we're using...

Today I'm going to show you how to do a lace overlay on your corset. This is an optional embellishment; I'm using it to overlay only three panels in the corset for contrast, pattern piece 1 and 3.

First cut out your main fabric just like you normally would. I'm using some vintage satin I've had waiting for a pretty lingerie project like this and less than 1/2 yard of 5" wide cream vintage lace.

I found another random pattern weight option. Money, or more particularly, heavy 5, 10, and 20 kroner coins. They weigh roughly the same as euro coins and silver dollars and they work great!

 For the front panel, piece #1, open it up and lay your lace over it. If you have a pattern that you want to center, do that and then pin the lace in place to your bottom fabric, smoothing but not stretching the lace.
Cut out your lace.