October 19, 2009

corselet pattern


The pattern has been enlarged on the copy machine, first at 200%, then 207%.


I was flipping through my copy of Corsets and Close-Fitting Patterns, by Mark Brooks Picken, published in 1921 by the Women's Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences, and Miss Picken writes, "The woman with a full bust and heavy shoulders should select a corset that is loose enough above the waistline to permit the flesh to fall into the corset and thus make it appear less prominent." I don't think there is a way to say that any more elegantly. I'm not certain what "heavy shoulders" are, I don't believe I have them, but full bust does apply to me. The one way I can think of to make sure the corset is loose enough above the waistline is to not squeeze the waist by reducing it too much. So I won't.

I looked through the fabric stash and am not finding anything I'm thrilled with. There is this silk blend that may work.


The sunbursts are about 1 3/4" diameter. I love the color, and the design seems vaguely 1920's, but more outerwear than underwear. That is actually the wrong side of the fabric. Here is the face.


That side looks too bold for an undergarment. But even using the wrong side I'm not sold. I don't think the fabric will be strong enough so I'll have to back it with something, which doesn't seem quite right for this corselet. And it's a brocade so I worry about threads catching and pulling. I might go searching for a lightweight broché. 

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