Foundations Revealed

Last month we covered drafting the pattern for this unusual corset design. This month I take you, step by step, through the construction, including how to sew some very tricky seams! (Suitable for beginners.)

I used the drab coutil that I wrote about last month for the corset fabric, so if you were curious about how it would work made into a corset, read on.

In Letters, Questions and Advice this month:

Laura sends in a great lighting suggestion Rachelle asks about 1840's corset resources  Hanna wonders how to make a 1950's style bra for her new dress

We glance briefly this month at the Royal Worcester Corset company, maker of Bon Ton, Royal Worcester and Adjusto corsets.  

 Marion shares what she's discovered about the company, patents, corsets and where you can learn more about the company.

In the last two months I talked about the different decorative techniques used to trim Belle Époque petticoats (here and here); now I will discuss the different factors that combine to create the shape of the skirt, and the petticoats that support it. Patterns of the six petticoats are included this month.

There are many factors that affect the shape of the skirt, and I will be discussing all of these in this article, particularly as they relate to the six 1890-1910 petticoats described here. Next month I will be talking about the basic sewing techniques (plackets, seam finishes, etc.) that were used in these six petticoats.

My corset to share with you this month is a drab coutil corset. (The word "drab" refers to its colour, rather than inferring that it’s a boring corset!)

It uses machine corded fabric instead of bones to stiffen the panels into an impressively curvaceous shape. It also has a sturdy spoon shaped busk.

There is no maker's mark inside it, but it has clearly been created by a professional corsetiere.

Photographed by Andrea Hausmann Model Shien Lee / Lucus Lanthier Corset by Electra Designs

Fabric with an asymmetrical pattern has an image printed on it that is not the same on both sides. If you were to fold the yardage in half lengthwise, the halves would not be a mirror image.

The goal when working with asymmetrical patterns is to reconstruct the image to the best of your ability in order to form a pleasing, “seamless” picture, but this requires a lot of time, patience, planning, and extra fabric.

In this article I will show you how to lay out and pattern match a corset made from asymmetrical printed fabric.