Camisole Eyelet Tutorial

The 1910 Camisole with Bows is almost ready for release! As I was working through a sample based on the Wearing History 1910’s Camisole or Corset Cover, I found one tricky bit that’s easier explained in pictures, so I wanted to put together a camisole eyelet tutorial for you. This is a great technique for any motif that needs to be embroidered after a garment has been put together, for fabric that gets easily marked from hooping it, or for adding a little something extra to a purchased garment.

The Wearing History camisole pattern requires some way of gathering in the neckline after the garment is sewn. One way to do that is lace beading, which has holes in the lace pattern to allow ribbon to be threaded through it.  Another way is to embroider sets of eyelets along the neckline, again, for ribbon to be threaded through.  The embroidery pattern I used as a base for this design originally came stamped on fabric, complete with eyelets and a scalloped edge along the neckline, so I wanted to include eyelets as an option in my design.

Most of the eyelets can be stitched before the garment is cut out, which is what I recommend.  However, there are some final eyelets needed at Center Front (a pair on the right side and a single eyelet on the left side), which really can’t be stitched out before you cut. If you did, then when you finished the Center Front edge, you’d be sewing a layer of fabric under the eyelets and wouldn’t be able to lace ribbon through from the back.  Lining up two pairs of eyelets perfectly would be fiddly, not to mention bulky.

So how do you hoop something that is smaller than your hoop? Or when the area you need to stitch is too close to the edge of your hoop?

First, take a piece of water soluble stabilizer big enough to fit in your hoop.  In this case, I was able to use my smallest 4″x4″ hoop.  Spray the stabilizer with temporary adhesive if you have it, and hoop it with the sticky side up. Just the stabilizer, no fabric.

Lay your project on top of the fabric, with the part you need to embroider in the center of the hoop.  The adhesive will help it stay in place during the following steps. If you didn’t use adhesive, you can use some pins to secure it until you complete the next step.

Baste around the embroidery area.  Many machines have a function that will outline the design you have selected. If not, you can baste by hand or machine.

Embroider the eyelets, stopping after the first color change to trim out a tiny sliver of fabric from inside the eyelet.  In an area this small, don’t worry if you also trim away the stabilizer – it’s actually a good thing, as it opens the eyelets just slightly as it stitches. You can see below that I’ve barely cut more than a slit, but the finished eyelet is neatly bound with no raw edges exposed.

Finish stitching the eyelets, and you’re done! Remove the basting stitches and wash away that last bit of stabilizer, and you can finish the rest of your camisole.

I hope that helps! I’d love to see any projects you use this technique on, especially if you make up one of these camisoles. My sample is off to Lauren for finishing, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out!