Hemp Boned Corset

Well the corset is finished, except for a couple of ribbon ties which were supposed to be brown but I didn't have enough ribbon so the straps in back are laced on with maroon satin ribbon. I wanted to show step by step how I made it, but I lent the camera to Melissa and Gregory when they were here and I couldn't get over to Rich and Chris' to pick up the other one. Mildred is much smaller than I am so I had to fold and pin the corset in place, the back looks a bit weird because of that. When John comes home I'm going to have him help me get into it and see how it fits and take another couple of pictures. It fit ok during construction so I'm thinking the finished one should be fine. I wanted to boil my black walnuts today and get a nice dye stock for the skirt fabric, but I'm not sure what to use to dye 3 1/2 yds. of 60" wide fabric and be able to apply heat. If I had a huge pot I might be able to rig something up on the barbeque grill, but I don't. Joan suggested a big metal garbage can, but I don't even know if you can buy those anymore. Since black walnuts really stain hands so much maybe I wouldn't need boiling water. I wonder if I could just pour the boiling dye bath into hot water from the tap and then put the fabric in and just soak it for a couple of hours or so. As long as I stir it a lot I'll get even color. It won't be colorfast, but that shouldn't matter for this event. My only concern is that it will be hanging in the store for a couple of months and I wonder if fading will become an issue. I am actually getting pretty excited about doing this whole thing, I think it will be fun to dress up and demo for the day, and I know enough about my family history that I can be a charachter from my own past. Anne Newells mother, Francis Moore was baptised in St. Pauls in Harbour Grace in I think 1745, although I'd have to check my records to be sure about the date. When she was my age she would have been a little out of date with this style of clothing, but I can just pretend I'm a bit younger and it'll be ok. She married John Newell and moved to Brigus where she had 3 children that I have been able to trace,Charlotte, who is my great great, great great Aunt, she married a Penney whose name I can't remember, it could have been Thomas, anyway, he was the grandfather of the Penney who is my great great great grandmother. Then there was John Newell, named after his father, I suspect he may be related to Glenda; I can't remember right offhand who he married; and Anne who married Ambrose Sparks sometime before 1801, maybe 1799 or 1800. Anyway, I know the most about Francis and the dates work out about right.