OK, so I wore my newest bodice for the first time at faire so the first time for over a few hours, I did not wear it in the car, nor did we sit for very extended periods of time, but I'm noticing like if I lean far to the side like to pick something up or when my BF hugged me, or if i press on my side, it hurts, almost the sensation of a bruise, but not quite...
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/silverytyger/SOl66lwotaI/AAAAAAAADQ4/RitXKU-uU2E/s400/103_0890.JPG)
that's a picture of the last time I wore it...
Any ideas as to why? I was planning on using this as a pattern for my next bodice... but don't know how to fix that particular problem... I do have a bit of love handle on my sides, but The bodice wasn't poking into them or uncomfortable...
Edit: I did have it laced more properly the second time, this was early in the morning when i was hyper and had just gotten up... Notice in my haste i had my wings on Upside down!
Could it be the boning on the sides is too long? I know that if I make mine the standard length of the pattern the bones dig into the tops of my hips and can cause some real soreness after a few hours. The next time I made one I shaved a half inch off the pattern and the problem resolved itself. Granted the pattern I use is fairly long waisted, I'm 6' tall and I still have to shorten my bodices.
It does sound like a boning problem. My guess is that it has the featherweight boning rather than cable ties or metal boning?
it feels metal, like it's fairly difficult for me to bend it with just my hands, the only part that bends while i'm wearing it is the point, which flips up sometimes when I'm sitting..
Do you mean that you ended up with a bruise on your waist at the end of the day? That happens alot to me when I wear my bodices that don't have tabs on them. It's basically that you lace it so tight that it cuts at your waist and hurts you throughout the day, and other than adding tabs to the bodice, there really is no fix. Or you could have made it too long, as another lady suggested.
I didn't make this one.. :( my next one I will, and was planning on using this one for a pattern because it looked and I thought fit nicely. I don't have a visible bruise, it just feels like I have one...
I only have visible bruises if I wear tons of layers on top of the corset and have lots on my belt that day. But if you take off the corset and you have marks on your skin from where the waist line was and it still feels a bit ouchy hours after taking off the corset, then I'd seriously recommend making a corset with tabs! They are H/A, so no worries there. They are also a million times more comfortable at the end of the day. Some people's body shapes don't require tabs, and some do. Usually the curvier, hour glass, people with hips have the need of tabed corsets.
I'm wondering a couple of things--first, there's not enough layers of fabric between the boning and your body, which is causing your flesh, and not the bodice fabric, to take the pressure. Second, it wasn't fitting exactly properly (not so much in size, but in how you have it on your body)--try shifting it around some and see if it doesn't improve things.
I'm still going with the side bones being too long, that looks like the exact pattern I was saying is very long waisted. Did they ask for the length between your underarm and natural waist when you ordered it? If not then they probably just did the pattern length which is way too long for almost everyone I've made that bodice for. A simple test to see what kind of boning it is, see if you can twist it side to side, if you can't it's spring steel. To see if it's too long measure from your underarm (with your arm down) to your natural waist, then subtract 2.5", then measure the side of your bodice and see if its that same length. If its only a half inch to an inch off it's not that hard to correct, just undo the stitches at the bottom, remove those two bones, and slide in shorter bones. You'll have to alter the angle towards the front of the bodice a bit, and raise the back however much you shortened it, but it should look alright. If you need 2 shorter bones I've got lots in my stash, just tell me what length you need and I can mail you 2 for free.
so, either
1. Cut it open and re-do the back, side and point
2. make a tabbed corset for underneath
3. when i make my next bodice make sure it's shorter on the sides.
4. make sure i wear it correctly (and gem, i will say, it's a reversible bodice, so perhaps I should only wear it purple side out?)