Jenni alters the antique "Hearts" corset pattern to emulate the archetypal “Edwardian” posture on a modern body, and weighs up the effect on comfort.

Sandra Stuart tackles re-creating a gusseted and gored corset using an 1878 patent diagram, from pattern enlargement to construction and fitting. 

Jennifer shows us an intuitive way to take a pattern from an existing corset. Includes the pattern and shopping list for a simple, authentic 1910s corset.

There have always been pregnant women, and women nursing, but what they wore during these times is harder to know. Amanda Lerum Faulkner investigates.

Last month a very decisive 73% of you wanted to see the pattern re-worked twice for the model.  This month, we will focus on the first version, as it came off the pattern block.

Re-creating a real Edwardian corset pattern for a modern body, using antique drafting books to find elusive clues.

A tatty old Ebay find leads to a fascinating journey of discovery, recreating both the corset itself and its owner's story.

“Signed by me this 22^nd May, 1906. DANIEL KOPS.”

Almost exactly one hundred and four years later, this unusual and sophisticated corset design is still of interest. Sinuous pieces curl around the body in a way we've never seen before, forming charming heart shapes at the centre front and over the hips.

Interpreting the Edwardian patent into a contemporary corset is a wonderful challenge that I am thrilled to share with you!

In this first article we look at the patent and re-create the pattern by draping. In the second article, we'll use a different method (drafting), and in the third we'll compare and contrast toiles from each pattern.

A skeleton corset has no fabric between the boning channels, just a few horizontal tapes to hold the bone casings together.

Most examples are late 19th to early 20th century, but they can be found mid-century too.

 Amanda Lerum Faulkner shares photos, details and a pattern for an 1869 American skeleton corset in her collection. Next month she'll share a step-by-step tutorial to reproduce its unique busk.

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.

After the October issue, in which the article Pattern Challenge- Thomson Glove-fitting Corset about Patent 611,116 issued to T.S. Gilbert was published, David in the UK wrote to me asking:

"Are you certain that this patent is for a Thomson Glove-fitting Corset?

This led me to look more closely at the patent and realize that he was right! So I did a little (ok, a lot) more research into T.S Gilbert, the owner of patent 611,116.

I'll share what I found about him, along with my method of patterning this corset, and next month I'll show you the finished piece.

Naturally I noticed the vintage corset lying in the antique store, but since extant pieces are usually cut for Scarlett O’Hara, I passed it by. A few minutes later, my companion was brandishing it about. “I think this would fit you,” she exclaimed. It had to be late 1880s... she held it up to me, and she was right. Even over a t-shirt, it was clearly a perfect fit.

Danine looks in detail at this extraordinarily lucky find, and then makes us a pattern.