The Curse of the Corset Pattern

Yesterday and today have been hell. I've been trying to figure out the corset patterns in "Corsets: Historical Patterns & Techniques" by Jill Salen, and alter them to fit some custom orders. It's been a disaster. First of all I'm trying to create a pattern for an underbust corset with straps for my first order - I thought the Black Corset with Blue Flossing from 1890 (looks like a modern day bustier) would work, skipping the bust gussets, but the waist is ridiculously small and the boobs seem to fit halfway down the waist. Hmm...that's not really normal. So I altered the measurements to see how it'd fit, and then even created a proto-type out of muslin to figure out the shape. It looked like poo, for lack of a better word. The back was saggy and the sides didn't sit right. I think I just messed around with it too much, and the pattern was wrong to begin with. But I think I've figured it out. If I put the front of this pattern with the sides and back of the Tudor style corset, then I get a Tudor Style underbust corset with a busk in the front. Pretty good I think, but not the style the order was for.

Using the back and strap of the Tudor Style corset, and the front of the 1890 corset with bust gussets, I redrew the side piece of the Tudor Style corset to fit both pieces. Seam allowances are only on the back piece, as I did not draw them on the side and front pieces.

So, I looked at the other patterns to see if I could alter another. One pattern I adore - it's the Black and Yellow Flossed Corset (1890-1900). It looks simple and has straight lines. But then I realized that the pattern cuts all the bones in half! That doesn't make any sense! So I had to redraw the pattern with the bones in full, or I could just use two 6mm bones instead of one 9mm bone and change up the style a bit but keep the same pattern. Oi. Confusing!

The Original vs. My re-draw

Original Pattern: See how there are boning channels on both sides of the pattern pieces? Well, they are supposed to be one channel, not two.

My redraw: I took off the boning channel on the right side of each piece and extended the boning channel on the left side of each piece to fit the full bone so they aren't cut in half. I also added the seam allowances.

So for the order, I will try to extend the back so it has straps and then cut down the bottom. The type of corset my customer wants goes to the hips, so an amalgamation of this corset plus the underbust and shoulder straps should work. I just want to figure out if this pattern works as it is before I go messing about with it again.

I also looked at the underbust riding corset - and the same thing happens! The seams split the channels in half. But this time there are supposed to be seams in the middle of the bones, but how I was taught how to create channels for bones, this technique doesn't work. Oi. I could do the same and redraw the pattern with full bones, or use two 6mm bones instead of one 9mm. With the riding corset, I think I'll use the two 6mm instead of redrawing the whole thing. Plus, it's only an underbust, so a little more detailing would be nice.

Again, see how there are boning channels on both sides of the seam? In the real corset, the seam does exist in the middle of the boning channel, but that's now how I know how to make corsets.

I need to wait a few days for all my supplies to arrive to actually figure out if these patterns work. I also need to go buy more muslin and canvas, as all this experimenting will eat away at my supplies. But I think that now, after I've sat and fiddled with these patterns, I'll be able to get something together. This experience has taught me a lot, and I'll be keeping the final patterns safe so I don't have to go through this again.

Also, if you have ANY idea how these patterns work - please leave a comment! Thanks.