This is my first corset, and it seemed surprisingly easy. I didn’t have help, so I just went with a size (14), and it actually fit. The main part of the work took a day – cutting, sewing the panels together, forming the channels. I chose to cover it, which was pretty simple – just lay it down, baste it on and bind around it. (But only at the top and the bottom – I had to guess how to finish it at the back.) A few glitches that might confuse a beginner – all the pattern pieces say cut one, when for all but the center front you need to cut 2 for each layer of fabric. The tabs at the bottom were strange to match up – some pattern pieces seemed to indicate they should be separated, some seemed to have seam lines – I had to make some guesses. The top and bottom are finished by binding with bias tape. There was no specific instruction to do this at the back, but it only made sense to do the same. As I write this, the corset is finished, except for finishing the binding on the tabs. It’s taking hours of hand finishing. All in all, I’m pleased, and have the courage to try more challenging corset styles.
Rated 3 out of 5
Alessandra Kelley –
This pattern was way too big. I ordered my size by their charts (Size 14) and my muslin was huge, huge, huge. I whacked an inch off both side seams and a half inch each off two other seams. It’s still 2″ too big at the bust and 4″ too big at the waist. And that’s if you lace it completely closed — or would do, because of course, I never finished the thing. With all the modifications I tried, I may as well have drafted my own from Fitting and Proper or Costume Close-Up.
Rated 5 out of 5
Angela Killiam –
This was my first attempt with a historical pattern apart from a chemise and a man’s shirt, and also my first attempt at something corset-like. Even though the instructions are sparse, it came together quite easily. I cut a size 6, but had to lengthen it to the length of a 10 and added another 3cm in front and 1cm in back. I also took out some width in the back side and back panels. All in all it is still a bit too big since I can lace it completely closed. If I had used boning with a smaller diameter, I could have taken out more width, but with the boning I had, I would have had to sacrifice boning channels for size adjustment and I did not want that. I used German plastic boning, and it works great.
The suggested placement for the bones does not make much sense and one is better off looking at pictures of extant stays to guess where to put the bones. I ended up keeping almost none of the suggestions because I didn’t want any bones to end in the waist but rather wanted to have them going from the upper edge into each of the tabs. The binding with bias tape is quite fiddly, but it worked out just fine when handstitching. I did not use leather as suggested but satin, but I guess that is a matter of taste.
I used two layers of cotton coutil and one layer of quilting cotton as fashion fabric. I also covered all seams in black satin trim. It’s not intended to be historically accurate, and I do not know enough about such matters, so I cannot say if the pattern would be okay for historical recreations, I only know that it gives a nice, period body shape.
Frannie Germeshausen –
This is my first corset, and it seemed surprisingly easy. I didn’t have help, so I just went with a size (14), and it actually fit. The main part of the work took a day – cutting, sewing the panels together, forming the channels. I chose to cover it, which was pretty simple – just lay it down, baste it on and bind around it. (But only at the top and the bottom – I had to guess how to finish it at the back.) A few glitches that might confuse a beginner – all the pattern pieces say cut one, when for all but the center front you need to cut 2 for each layer of fabric. The tabs at the bottom were strange to match up – some pattern pieces seemed to indicate they should be separated, some seemed to have seam lines – I had to make some guesses. The top and bottom are finished by binding with bias tape. There was no specific instruction to do this at the back, but it only made sense to do the same. As I write this, the corset is finished, except for finishing the binding on the tabs. It’s taking hours of hand finishing. All in all, I’m pleased, and have the courage to try more challenging corset styles.
Alessandra Kelley –
This pattern was way too big. I ordered my size by their charts (Size 14) and my muslin was huge, huge, huge. I whacked an inch off both side seams and a half inch each off two other seams. It’s still 2″ too big at the bust and 4″ too big at the waist. And that’s if you lace it completely closed — or would do, because of course, I never finished the thing. With all the modifications I tried, I may as well have drafted my own from Fitting and Proper or Costume Close-Up.
Angela Killiam –
This was my first attempt with a historical pattern apart from a chemise and a man’s shirt, and also my first attempt at something corset-like. Even though the instructions are sparse, it came together quite easily. I cut a size 6, but had to lengthen it to the length of a 10 and added another 3cm in front and 1cm in back. I also took out some width in the back side and back panels. All in all it is still a bit too big since I can lace it completely closed. If I had used boning with a smaller diameter, I could have taken out more width, but with the boning I had, I would have had to sacrifice boning channels for size adjustment and I did not want that. I used German plastic boning, and it works great.
The suggested placement for the bones does not make much sense and one is better off looking at pictures of extant stays to guess where to put the bones. I ended up keeping almost none of the suggestions because I didn’t want any bones to end in the waist but rather wanted to have them going from the upper edge into each of the tabs. The binding with bias tape is quite fiddly, but it worked out just fine when handstitching. I did not use leather as suggested but satin, but I guess that is a matter of taste.
I used two layers of cotton coutil and one layer of quilting cotton as fashion fabric. I also covered all seams in black satin trim. It’s not intended to be historically accurate, and I do not know enough about such matters, so I cannot say if the pattern would be okay for historical recreations, I only know that it gives a nice, period body shape.