Corset Building - Construction

Construction

The next stage was sourcing the materials. Everyone says Coutil is the best, but I couldn’t find any in Perth. Apparently the next best is to use drill, which is easily available, and I thought would be better than calico. I used eBay for spiral boning, busks and lacing.

Making the corset was easy for me, I have years of experience sewing bridal wear, and I really enjoyed the process. I made it from two layers of drill, with a waist tape. I wasn’t too sure about attaching the waist tape on a single layer corset, and I am not happy with the final result in terms of strength but I like how it looks. Since then, each time I make one, the process changes a bit.

Even though it was a toile, I couldn’t help adding some lace and finishing it off, and then it was time for the grommets.

I spaced the grommets 3cm apart, because that seemed to fit nicely into the back measurement. I used an awl to make the holes, which was nearly impossible and in the end I resorted to punching holes. Using an awl separates the fibers but doesn’t break them, but it wasn’t happening for me! I used my new grommet press, which worked a treat and saved my wrists. That was a good investment!

Fitting

When I next saw my student, I tried it on her and… it fitted like a glove! Wow! What an easy process! I wasn't happy with the shape of the front, I had cut it straight (for modesty) but from the side angle it gaped a bit. If I make it again I will make the front a sweetheart shape to solve that issue. Even though it was made to fit the model shown,  the actual shape fit the younger girls really well, even though it wasn’t made for them, which I found really interesting.

I have now observed that a lot of ‘Victorian’ style corset shave sweetheart necklines, so it could be that it is function and aesthetics at work.

I set to and made another, based on a corset I had been given, as I wanted to compare the shapes of a commercial pattern, a commercial corset (that I knew fitted well) and the 3D method.

I tried it on my daughter who has a gorgeous figure perfectly suited to corsets, and it really didn’t cover her bust sufficiently, although it was very close to the original (left pic, original not shown). I have subsequently altered the pattern a lot, so it is no longer anything like the original, so my conclusion is that the 3D method allows an individual approach to the design that is easy to achieve for the home sewer.