a Corset from 1890

Making the pattern.

   `CORSETS´ Jill Salen   p. 63

Actually drafting the pattern in itself was good fun, and less difficult than I had anticipated. The challenge turned out to be to transform the original petit corset (-waist 53 cm) to a much larger corset. (I decided to deduct 11 cm from Linda`s natural waist of 107cm to 96cm.) I enlarged all the corset pieces proportionally to fit on the basic block I had drawn from Linda`s measurement.

This approach turned out to work well, but only to a certain point, as not all areas grow larger as we our bodies does. The most significant mistake was CF. in fact a very small must is likely to have a wider flat area CF than a large bust.

I could see it looked wrong when I had made up the first toil, and was able to make an alteration already before the first fitting. This was lucky because CF was still too wide between the breasts but no more than we could make the other alterations keeping this in mind.

As a bonus I realized that I need to learn more about drawing plus size blocks.  The front shoulder looked more like a beak than a shoulder part due to the bust measure of 122cm and X front 39 cm, and I wouldn’t have known how to make it work for a blouse or shirt.

Making the first toil.

It took me a day to sew the first toil, this was with all the pieces cut out. I really really must learn to sew faster! To learn from this is to keep very! clear marking on all! parts at all times as it will prevent a lot of wasted time re-sewing toils 

To save time I tried to replicate the cordet gusset and panel with stayflex and stitching. I think it served the purpose for a first fitting with many alterations in waiting, but as it also shows in the pictures it doesn’t have the structure to hold the weight of the body.

First fitting  

CF needed to be lowered, because it was pushed out by the bust, this created more of a sweatheart-shape in the design line than the original, but this was an accommodation to the different body shape.

 

The biggest issue was the bust. I had not thought of the fact that a bigger bust weighs more than a very little one and for that reason alone needs more bones to be held in place. By altering a seam between one of the gussets and under the arm, and putting in a lot more bones in the side I hoped to bring Linda`s great bust forward instead of it coming out to the side as it shows in the picture.

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The side seam above the waist was pulled back and needed adjusting, and below the waist it needed shaping/taking in, for the hemline to sit nicely on Linda´s hips.

  

Because I didn’t secure the bones in the channels, the fabric gathered under the pressure.  The fitting would have shown the corset better if I had cut the bones in the right length and secured them.  I didn’t seem a problem at the fitting but because of the pictures I decided to add 2.5 cm in each side seam for the next fitting. All together I was positively surprised by the general fit of the corset and I was happy with the fact that the CB met neatly all the way down

Making the second toil.

 I was able to sew this toil in one day with all the cording in because I this time

For the gussets that were fully corded I cut 4 cm seam allowance around the pieces and it proved to be enough to accommodate for the shrinking, and I could trim the pieces into the right shapes after.

The cording in the body pieces proved a little trickier.

Because there is a mix of bones and cords decoratively next to each other I had to sew one bone channel at the time and then put a cord in, starting from the middle of the piece and working out wards. I had not forseen that each cord channel would make the fabric shrink 1-1½ mm depending on how tight I sewed it, and with 28 cords around the whole corset it has to be taken into account while making the pattern.

Even with this considered in the pattern it could be a problem with handing over the sewing to another maker. Putting in cords for piping of decoration is something one `set of hands` does different from another and if the cutter has allowed for 1½ mm for each cord and the maker only use 1 mm and there is 20 cords around the a corset it is a difference of 1 cm in the final garment. This would perhaps not be an issue in a corset of the size I am making this time, but if an actress is having a dress made for a waist measure of 64 cm and the corset turns out to be 65cm. Perhaps I am being too particular…

Anyway, I ended up pushing the paper pattern along and extending the non-corded areas to make up for the 3 cm I would have lost in my toil.

Second fitting

The bust and the CF was at the second fitting the only real issue to address.

Another 5cm was taken away for the cups to sit only the width of the busk apart and the design line over the cups had to be higher.

The line of the slits, in which the cups are put in where adjusted in order for the bust to be held in better.

To accommodate for taking width out at CF I added a centimeter    -with a bone in, at the CB and the look at the back benefitted from these two bones.

The decorative effect of the bones and the cords showed up nicely in the fitting.
The curve in the hip panel was adjusted to hold in the tummy.

I learned from the fittings:    To make sure CF sits precisely at CF while lacing up, as it can`t be adjusted when the corsets sits tightly.

Good words for addressing the  issues that arise with fitting on a plus size model.  
To   have some good points on the lace, saves time in lacing up.

An assistant is almost necessary

That a false back is absolutely necessary

That Dexter`s technique of grabbing the model by the waist and shake her, in order to make the body succumb further to the shape which the corset dictates, take a lot of strength, diplomacy and confidence.

                     

A corset for a heavier body needs more bones to hold the shape, than a corset for a slim body

It is difficult to make alterations on the corset. When it sits so tight one cant open a seam to alter, and there needs to be at least a few cm to take in, in order to pin it and that is only areas with no bones. This means notes are very important to support the drawn-on lines.

Because there were so few alterations for the second fitting I decided to make up the corset from the toil.  I died it with bones in it witch was interesting because it shrunk in hight where there were no bones and I had to smoothe both hemlines. It shrunk in width also but no more than it could be compensated for with and extra cm at CB. I trimmed and herringboned all the SA and edged hemline with cotton bias binding. The corset ended up pretty enough for a photo shoot to go in a portfolio. I didn’t just do this for the photo, but I have never before tried to sew in a busk, and I would like to keep the corset for reference for the period. -and a messy toil wouldn`t be worth keeping.

  This could lead to think that the second fitting, another time, could be done in top fabric and the time spend on sewing up the calico toil could be saved. But not only was I lucky that the alterations was mostly taking in, and the letting out was within the plenty SA, but the stitching in the fabric and the strain put on the seams during the fitting  leaves marks in the fabric and a delicate fabric would end up too damaged. Even this calico shows the marks for the original design line over the bust and the hip panel.


                 

I am exited and very pleased with the silhouette I created on Linda in the final result. She is laced in 14 cm from her natural waist measurement and the corset was generally a little more comfortable for her when left open 5 cm at the back. The pictures also show that there still is an issue with the curve under the bust. -where the wire would sit in a bra, This could only had been fixed by making a whole new corset as the slits which the gussets are fitted into are too deep. I have altered this in the pattern but this alteration is of course not tried out and that leaves a little 

`unknown` for a final making of a real corset from this pattern.

Looking at the back view it is also clear that the corset should have more width across back.

If the corset should go under a dress it could just be laced more open at the top but as this corset is made to be seen it really should have this alteration.

-I learned from Graham while making the corset that for performance purposes one would rarely put this much work into a corset that wasn’t to be seen.

The extended width across back would not only ease the sense of tightness under the arms but also create a stronger hour glass figure in the back, as it has so greatly in the front. I have also chosen to alter this in the final pattern but as with the under-bust curve it is guess work.