How To Make A Corset
No- I am hopeless with a needle and thread! See results I recently decided to attend a corsetry course. Obviously, I wanted to learn how to make corsets from scratch, and how to alter them later if need be. The course also covered the history of corsets, giving an insight into their origins and future.
I thought it would be best to show my progress, step by step, so that other aspiring corseteers have more than just a pattern to follow. Be aware that making a corset does take a lot of time and effort, so be prepared for sore fingers and wonky eyes! This hub will show you, step by step, how to make a corset.
While I will be making a standard 6 panel (on each side) corset, the steps can be used along with any pattern, and I will share any issues I had along the way. Waisted Efforts: An Illustrated Guide to Corset MakingThe Waisted Efforts book (while expensive) gives a really thorough look at all of the different methods of corsetry and their historical use.
It is a really thick book and written well. It explains the practicalities of corset making and also shows how to draft patterns. Everything you need to know about corsetry is here. It's worth the investment if you are serious about becoming a corsetiere. The first step is to cut out all of the pieces of your pattern. Ensure that the pattern you are using is for the correct size, by measuring, just incase it has printed out wrongly.
This is especially important for print at home versions. If not, scale up using a photocopier. Once you have cut out the pieces, lay them out onto your Calico fabric, and secure with plenty of pins. We used 2m of calico fabric, and folded it in half, so that there were enough layers to strengthen the corset. Once folded, the fabric was ironed to ensure that the pattern transferred onto a flat surface. When laying out your pieces onto the fabric, make sure that you allow extra room for your seam allowance.
This should be 2cm around the sides, and 1cm around the top and bottom. Draw around each piece, and then draw round roughly for your seam allowances- 2cm at the sides, and 1cm top and bottom. A nice dark pencil is best for this, and remember that these layers will not be seen!
Like many corset patterns, the pattern I used only had one side on it, so to get the other side, I flipped each piece over. This ensures that all of the corresponding pieces for each panel are the exact same size. A2, B2, C2, so that you can easily tell which pieces are which and know that they are the correct side up. The photo below shows how it should all look once it has been drawn out.
SewingWhy are Embroidery Scissors Shaped Like Storks, Sign in or sign up and post using a HubPages Network account. 0 of 8192 characters usedPost CommentNo HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites. Thanks, Julia, that looks quite good, with video links too!
I don't usually allow links in comments, but I will make an exception in this case! Im sure I will refer to this later! It is so helpful! I made my first corset and it was beautiful, thanks to tutorials I found there! Tatiana is a great teacher! It's easier than you might think, as long as you go slowly, and have a stitch unpicked at hand, you'll get there in the end!
