Is this idea wiley or wacky? (Boning question)

[gem]

So I am *this close* to cutting out the linen damask for the Simplicity corset.  I'll be using cable ties, and even though I'll Dremel the ends smooth, I'm still a wee bit concerned about them eventually working their way through the linen (the hand-bound neckline of my linen smock actually needs to be re-sewn in places, just after one wearing and a couple of washes!  So I'm a little wary about poking at a linen corset with plastic rods. LOL).

So.  I'm thinking of putting a little bit of interfacing along the top and bottom of the linen, just to give it an extra layer of stability.  Can anyone think of a compelling reason I should not do this? 

[Kate XXXXXX]

No.   

[Marietta Graziella]

No reason not to, at all.  In fact, I wish I had done just that sort of thing with a bodice I made for a friend.  She wore it 2 times and the (what I thought were well rounded) cable ties poked thru the fabric.  Double and triple GRRRR!

[sealion]

Running the cut ends of the cabe ties through a candle flame will eliminate sharp edges.

[Katie Bookwench]

Sounds like a simple and smart bit of preventative medicine to me! 

Let us all know how it works out.

[gem]

Ok, forging onward with this idea, then!  (If I can find the post-its to leave myself a note on the sewing machine to NOT sew the linen to the canvas before interfacing. Ha!)

Another question along the same lines: has anyone tried interfacing grommet holes?  Does it make it much harder to make the holes?

[operafantomet]

Only negative thing I can think of is that it might be a tad more work to eventually re-fit the garb later on. But that's such a minor issue that I would say "Go for it!".

As for interfacing and grommets... It IS a tad more work to make decent holes for the grommets with more layers of fabric, but it's not impossible, and it gives very sturdy lacing holes.

[Kate XXXXXX]

No.  If the fabric can take it, a strip of light weight non-woven fusible interfacing buried somewhere deep inside is invisible and will help stabilize the holes as you turn them round the post.  Another trick I've heard but not seen is to use soluble embroidery stabilizer, but that has the disadvantage of vanishing the first time you wash it...  If you have rather fraying-prone fabric,and want permanent stability, bond the interfacing to the hole area wrong side before assembly.

Also, if the fabric is the fraying sort, use a slightly wider zigzag...  Start with 3mm and do the second pass with 5mm, rather than 2 and 4...  Experiment, anyway.

[Dayna]

Fuseable interfacing OR even better use a strip of duck at either end of the boning channels, like wide bias tape.

[gem]

Thanks, everyone!

The linen was really wiggly, so I ended up interfacing all of it, just to make working with it easier (figuring I was encasing myself in plastic cable ties, anyway; a little interfacing couldn't make it much *worse.*). We'll see how this goes!