Steampunk Necktie Corset Dress

Step 10 Let the neckties begin!

Some people associate neckties with symbols of male virility, much like an obelisk.  Conversely, the corset may be seen as the ultimate symbol of female oppression.  Thus, the male neckties of this design 'dominate' the feminine archetype expressed and subdued in the contours of a corset.  Or, we could interpret the necktie as a symbol of masculine oppression.  By mixing the two shapes, we create a garment that confuses our culture's strict gender roles and highlights the oppressive and repressive tenets of each.  Or you can stop being so meta and just see what I see:  "It's so pretty!"

29.  Position you neckties.  Though you can change your mind a dozen times about necktie positioning, it will help to take a moment to pin them down.  Not only is this assurance that you have acquired the requisite amount of neckties to cover your corset, but you'll get a chance to futz with colors and placement.  Now's a good time to decide whether you want an even hem or more of a handkerchief hem look.  Play with it. 

**A note about neckties:  If you want less bulk you can rip the horsehair interfacing stuff outta the middle of your ties.  Similarly, you can cut them apart altogether for a wider swath fo fabric or to make fewer ties go farther.  I made a conscious choice to leave them intact.

30.  Stitch 'em on.  Here's where a lot of that patience comes in handy.  Pick a starting point and hand stitch your first tie down.  Then, go to the opposite side and stitch another one on.  Do the two at the center front, too.  After you have a couple in the front, side and back, begin to fill in.  Depending on your size, some of the ties may overlap.  I inverted a few to use the skinny end hanging down to form the skirt.  I also stitched all the tails together to make a solid skirt rather than a bunch of neckties hanging down singularly (does that make sense?  good).  This step is going to take hours.  I did it over the course of 8 or 10 hours.  It goes surprisingly fast if you throw a few movies on.  The beer also comes in handy here.  If you put them under your sewing machine needle and try to cheat, you will not only snag the delicate silk weave but you will likely run over boning and wreck your machine.    Just sayin'.
One more thing:  I decided to leave the gores brown so they would stand out, but then, I need all the boobage help I can get.  Another option for filling in the cores would be to stitch some necktie parts down onto them first, then the edge of all your other ties will simply cover the uneven edges and still create that linear look..