Understanding Basic Corset Making
When you understand the principle of how a tight-lacing corset works, the steps needed to create the best-fitting garment will become clearer.
The following are the basics. Once you understand them, they will help you succeed in your corset-making.
Understanding fitting ease and negative ease.
Understanding your basic measurements and how to adjust a corset pattern to fit you.
Recognizing the importance of using quality fabrics, cutting out pattern pieces correctly, and practising patience.
Understanding Ease in Dressmaking
Most sewing patterns for everyday wear will incorporate some positive ease for comfort. This simply means there is extra space between your body and the garment.
Anything made from a non-stretch woven fabric requires some positive ease to enable normal movement without causing seams to split or straining the fabric.
The most common application of negative ease in sewing is when you work with stretch fabric. This may involve cutting the fabric smaller than the actual body measurements, but the fabric has enough stretch to comfortably conform to the body shape.
When sewing a tight-lacing corset, you are crafting a garment with negative ease along the waistline, and sometimes, the full bustline to reshape the body effectively.
Most modern tight-lacing corsets are quite moderate, typically reducing the waist by 2 to 3 inches (5-7.5 cm) at most.
The rest of the corset is tailored to fit the body size, allowing for some positive ease along the top and lower edges when necessary for displaced flesh to adjust.
Compare the two pictures to observe how a tight-lacing corset alters the body shape.
Picture 1 features a mannequin, approximately USA size 16, with a natural 35-inch (89cm) waist before wearing a tight-lacing corset.
The corset will be tailored to cinch the waist and flatten the tummy without squeezing the hips or upper bustline.
After a bit of Photoshop editing, Picture 2 illustrates the transformative effects of an over-bust tight-lacing corset on the body.
The waist is cinched, the bustline is raised and shaped, and an hourglass figure is achieved.
It’s not about extremes unless that’s genuinely what you want
Most people wear a corset for its elegance and the sleek silhouette it provides.
Remember, a corset is traditionally considered a foundation garment. You can build a wide array of dress styles atop the corset
The main areas that will have negative ease are the waistline and lower waistline.
These two measurements will result in a smaller size than your actual body measurements. Avoid making them excessively small.
We have made and fitted a huge number of corsets and always recommend that a reduction of 2 inches or 5 cm is optimal for your first corset.
It’s more flattering to have a comfortably fitting corset that you’ll enjoy wearing. A well-fitted corset should feel like a firm hug rather than causing pain or discomfort.
These areas correspond to the softest parts of the body and begin just below the lower edge of the ribcage.
You may choose to incorporate a slight negative ease along the full bustline.
This can be beneficial if you wish to lift the breasts for a more voluptuous effect.
The reduction in the waistline alone will naturally begin to elevate the bust, but if you want a higher bustline, a small amount of negative ease along the full bustline will help in achieving this.
Avoid incorporating any negative ease along the top edge of your corset. The top edge should have a small amount of positive ease to allow the lifted flesh and breasts to settle comfortably without being compressed, like a muffin in its paper case.
You may opt for some positive ease along the back top edge line.
This will prevent flesh from spilling over the top, a common occurrence when the corset doesn’t account for the changes your waistline goes through when cinched.
Usually, just a small amount of positive ease added to each seam will suffice, allowing the back flesh to comfortably sit inside the corset rather than being pushed upward and over.
This is particularly important to consider, especially for larger sizes. A size US 6 will have very little movable flesh, while a size US 26 will have more curves.They will both look fabulous if you take the time to adjust the pattern for your body shape.
If you plan to wear the corset as an outer garment over fuller skirt gathers, you can also adapt the lower edge accordingly. The original pattern is designed to fit the body, so make adjustments based on the clothing you intend to wear over it.
Adjusting the corest pattern for fit
Very often your corset pattern will need some small adjustments to your own unique shape for the best fit.
The first things to consider are:
Will the corset be a foundation under garment or a main outerwear garment?
Will the garment have any other clothing underneath, such as petticoats or a skirt, blouse etc?
The volume of clothing to be worn under a corset needs to be taken into account.
You should know your back length. This is the measurement from the nape of your neck (actually v7 vertebrae) down along your spine to your waistline.
Even though your actual torso length does not change Your actual sewing waistline may vary in position, particularly if you are carrying more weight. Your body shape may also be more pear-shaped or apple-shaped.
You may well find your corset waistline is higher up than say for a skirt waistband. Practice with your mock-ups to find what suits you best.
If you are interested the average torso length for women is 16 inches (40.6 cm) as measured in 2015 for standard sewing block measurements.
As so many sewing patterns will be made with this back length as their standard, once you know if yours is slightly longer or shorter you know what adjustments you will need to make to the lengths of your patterns to get the best fit.
The high bust measurement will be the best indicator of the top edge measurement when making an over bust corset.
If you plan to have the bustline lower you can trim the corset pattern after you have done your first mock up.
The full bust measurement is very important to work out your sewing dress cup size. Click here for more details on your dress cup size, this is not the same as a bra cup size.
The length from your high shoulder point to the bust apex in a natural position.
The high shoulder point over the bust to the waistline is also very useful.
Your natural waistline for corset making is at its narrowest part. This WILL vary and there is no hard rule.
For slimmer figures, it may well be in line with standard dress dummy proportions, just above or level with your belly button.
For curvier figures it is often higher up. The waistline in this picture is fine for a skirt or trouser waist band, but i would have thisline as the lower waistline and make my corset waist about 2.5cm 1 inch higher.
Experience shows that the waistline on most people will rise higher for larger sizes. The exception to this is for a pronounced apple shape.
The length from your high shoulder point to the bust apex in a natural position.
The high shoulder point over the bust to the waistline is also very useful.
Your natural waistline for corset making is at its narrowest part. This WILL vary and there is no hard rule.
For slimmer figures, it may well be in line with standard dress dummy proportions, just above or level with your belly button.
For curvier figures it is often higher up. The waistline in this picture is fine for a skirt or trouser waist band, but i would have thisline as the lower waistline and make my corset waist about 2.5cm 1 inch higher.
Experience shows that the waistline on most people will rise higher for larger sizes. The exception to this is for a pronounced apple shape.
This tutorial is still in the making, I will add more info for fitting, measuring and different types of corset patterns etc very soon.
Please message if you have a question not covered.
