Reconstructing A 1910's Era Corset For the past few years, I’ve been searching for a good pattern for a 1910’s corset, but I discovered that the number of commercial patterns and pattern diagrams from books for this type of corset is surprisingly limited. Then when I tried making up a few of the available patterns, I was further frustrated by poor fit and difficulty enlarging the patterns to my size. So I was thrilled to buy a 1910's corset off of ebay for under $30. Judging from corset advertisements from this decade, I am guessing that it dates from the mid-1910's. This corset was a larger size with a 29” waist and 45" hips, not including the lacing gap. The construction of this corset was very streamlined with only five pieces and no gores or bias-cut seam-lines. Enlarging the pattern The first step is to print out the pattern and enlarge the pattern on a copy machine. Size alterations If you need to enlarge or reduce your corset, draw a line down the middle of each pattern piece and cut along that line.
Perfect Boning Channels | Foundations Revealed Do you struggle to stitch straight boning channels? Do your stitch lines end up taking unexpected detours? Lots of people have asked how to get perfectly straight and even boning channels and it’s something I struggled with for a long time. But through trial and a lot of error I have come up with a few tips and tricks that help me tame unruly stitching. I should point out that while I am confident that these techniques will help those of you who are having some problems, you won’t see the full benefit unless you practise. I never found a way round the old adage of “practise, practise, practise”. One of the things that helped me was to draw squiggly lines on a piece of coutil, trace over them with machine stitching, and then stitch beside them again in an attempt to create a swirly boning channel. Top Tips As I mentioned before, practice. Boning Channel Choices What you use to make your boning channels is as important as how you stitch them. Marking Out Your Boning Channels
How I Sew Corsets This is a guide of how I sew my corsets, I think that is is a really simple way since there is no need to worry about the “stitch in the ditch” issue, having seams that are not exactly aligned. This corset does not have a busk since I made this tutorial before I learned how to insert them. But HERE is a really nice tutorial on how you do it, it is also how I insert my busks. For you Swedish speaking people out there, I now have this tutorial in Swedish and it can be found HERE This corset is made with coutil, my favorite fabric for corset making, I do feel that is is superior to everything else that I have tried, but that is just my opinion. I start with fusing the fashion fabric to the coutil, I do this before cutting the pieces, this eliminates problems such as fusing wrong sides together, fashion fabric stretching and you only need to cut two layers, not three. Look now we have all the pieces cut out, I hate cutting fabric, it is so boring. Now on to the “real” sewing. Fixed! Like this:
How to Make a Corset | Foundations Revealed Introduction In this article we are going to look at a simple method for how to make a corset, one that is ideal for beginners. By following the steps you will learn about some of the key principles of a corset. (For subscribers and those interested in greater detail, this corset is also presented as a two-part article which goes into greater detail. Part 1 and Part 2 are best read following The Six Rules of Good Corsetry: a basic guide.) Figure 1: Beautiful stitching just takes a little practice Keep it simple Following a small set of basic rules can be a very worthwhile approach for corsetieres both new and old, and here's number one: Simplicity is good. The challenges of more complex corsets can, I fear, put many people off very early in their corsetry studies. Figure 2: A Sparklewren midbust. Patterning and Fitting In this article, I will be focussing on construction rather than patterning. Let's Begin This corset is about simplicity. Broche is beautiful to work with because: Preparation
Underbust Corset Pattern Tutorial So here it is at last, the under bust pattern tutorial! At one moment in the making of this tutorial my portable hard drive crashed and all the data for this tutorial was lost with it, I was almost done with it all it was just a matter of putting the text and the pictures together, I had a pdf version of it, on Swedish which was in one way a good thing but it was not totally finished and had a few things that needed to be fixed in the Illustrator made diagrams that were lost. It kind of killed me to loose all my data, so I kind of gave up on it all but yesterday I had some luck with the hard drive and managed to save the files needed for this tutorial. I was beyond thrilled! So I present to you all the under bust corset pattern tutorial! The biggest prejudices about corsets are that they are really uncomfortable to wear and that one cannot breath properly in them, this of course is all wrong. The measurements needed: (or were you want the bottom part of the corset to be) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Planning Out Boning Channels | Foundations Revealed After the publication of my article discussing the stitching of boning channels, some questions arose as to the positioning of boning channels and some misconceptions as to the reasons for boning a corset. This article aims to address those issues and provide some ideas for experimentation. Let’s start with some of the misconceptions, because they appear to be one of the main reasons that people experience difficulties when working out the positioning of their bones. Boning has one primary function: to keep the shape of the corset by ensuring the fabric is taut. The Positioning of Boning Channels Trying to work out where to place your boning channels is a common problem when venturing into drafting your own corset patterns. Sadly, there is no simple answer – no hard and fast rule - all possibilities are suitable in some situations and not recommended in others. There are so many things that can Positioning For Aesthetic Purposes I have several ways I work out the boning for these corsets:
The Corset Maker's Tools | Foundations Revealed When I first started constructing corsets, finding the right tool for the right job was a real pain. When you think about it, a lot of the tools needed to make a good quality corset can’t be found in the average haberdasher's shop. There are a myriad of possibilities, so which are the right tools to use? I have found that there isn’t one tool to suit all. Fabric Preparation Freezer Paper Freezer Paper The first essential is Reynolds Freezer Paper, which is freely available in the US and can be sourced abroad on sites like eBay (be sure to shop around as prices vary wildly). I have been specific with the brand here because it is the only one I have used and it’s fantastic. I always draw up my patterns on thick card. I love it because there is no need to pin it to the fabric, which I hate doing. To use freezer paper you simply draw your pattern piece on the dull side, lay it on top of your fabric (shiny side down) and run a warm iron over it. Tracing Wheels Tracing wheels Wonder Web Wonderweb
A Mini Dictionary of Corset Terminology - Corsets and Crinolines In response to the many letters and emails I get from people asking about corsets and what things are, I have prepared a little corset dictionary containing most of the terminology you will come across when dealing with antique corsetry or making your own period accurate corsets. I have not included modern corset terms like "hip spring", corselettes, etc, everything is datelined to pre 1920. It is by no means complete and will be updated as I think of new terms. By all means, please feel free to send me some more or correct any that I have listed! In the meantime, I hope you all find this useful.... Also known as a stay or stays. Types of bones: Featherboning: A trade name for a patented boning manufacturing process made since 1884, and was a substitute for whalebone. A long stiff bone at the front of the corset that helps to keep it rigid. An upside down "hook" found mostly on the busks of late 19th century corsets from France or French made corsets. Another term for "boning".
Draft Your Own Corset Pattern | Foundations Revealed Perfectly fitting patterns at last! Muhahaha! One of the most frustrating challenges in corsetmaking is to get the darn thing to fit properly. Corsets are such unforgiving, tightly fitted garments that a good one must have a perfect fit; there's no room for error. After getting frustrated with commerical patterns, you're probably starting to wonder how to draft (draw out) your own patterns from a list of measurements. (You can also play with pattern drafting a basic bodice with our equally simple (and free) Easy Pattern Drafting tutorial at our sister site.) After giving this method a try, I hope you will start to see the awesome designing and dressmaking power that drafting skills can give you. I've devised these instructions for you based on corset designs of the late 1870s. Thank you very much, the [beginner's corset drafting] tutorial is really wonderful and easy to follow, even for a beginner like me!
Easy Pattern Drafting | Your Wardrobe Unlock'd by Cathy Hay “Using your individual measurements, a pattern is drafted by scratch using the most exacting of standards. It's very clinical and scientific. Everything is measured with a ruler to the greatest degree of precision possible, much like an engineering drawing, using a drafting square and a scale formula. The bespoke clothing industry and the patternmaking industry make pattern drafting seem terribly complicated and mysterious, and why not? But let's cut them a little slack. Although patterns are made and sold for our convenience, available in a range of convenient sizes, most of us know that this still does not guarantee a well-fitting garment. And so the single most freeing skill that a sewer or costumer can have is to learn to draft his or her own patterns. To begin, a basic “block” can be produced. Yes, the traditional process of pattern drafting is complicated and mysterious. Before we begin This block would not be suitable for coats or jackets, however.