It was not a Cinch

To address the fit issues of the previous project, I decided to make an underbust or waist cincher version.  This was partly because I felt like I'd be more likely to wear a waist cincher, as a sort of large belt that won't try to work its way up over my abdomen, and partly because I didn't have enough extra long cable ties to make many more full-length bustiers.

So I traced a combination of the size 14 pieces that I had overconfidently cut out of Simplicity 5006 before, and size 20, figuring things would average out.  I also decided to go with ¾" seam allowances instead of the normal 5/8"

and this time it ended up a bit large

 

 And that was good!  Because, due to the figure-skimming nature of this kind of garment, it doesn't look too large 

 Once again, the fabrics were chosen in a "I like these but I won't mourn them if this project doesn't work out" spirit.  The vintage upholstery floral sample (it still had the Scotchguard tag on it! thanks again to the friend's relative's destash for that) wasn't quite enough to make the whole thing, so I grabbed some black denim from the same small yardage stash drawer. 

I moved the zipper to the front of the garment--I probably still would'nt've been able to close the zipper on the previous project even if it had been in front, but I felt like the fact that the bulk of the squishy parts are on that side would have made a difference in at least giving me more hope of being able to close it.

This zipper was also salvaged, probably from a jacket I had made for The Child years ago and he had worn to shreds, so I saved the zipper ~just in case~

The zipper did have to be cut to fit, but the bias binding tidily covered the cut ends.

To make the boning channels (in the previous project and all others in this...uh...series?), I folded the seam allowances toward the center back, stitched through all layers close to the stitching, then stitched again....uh...however wide the left prong of my straight stitch foot is.

The first few versions I made, the center seams (center front on the previous, center back for the next few),  I made the boning channel by applying a strip of fabric--either on grain or bias--by stitching through all layers.  I did eventually abandon that and just go with the slight asymmetry of having the center back top stitching be on only one side.

The lining is some of the homespun left over from the sus blanket.  I think? the strength layer is more of the aubergine wool blend.  The problem with keeping my fabric stash mostly under control is that it doesn't leave me a lot of options for things that are strong and I don't mind hiding.

It's bright and cheerful and the fit isn't obviously bad (there's a lot of room around the ribcage), so I considered it a reasonable success.

Plus, it's easier to make things smaller than larger, and that would be the task for the next iteration.