Past Patterns #213 Victorian Corset

I started making this a few months after having my son. I underestimated how quickly my figure would change and by the time I finished it I was several sizes too small to wear it.

This was a lot of fun for me to make. The body of the corset was very, very quick to cut out and sew together; I did it in one of my son's rare 2-hour naps. I was also able to cut out the 40 strips of fabric used to make the stay casings during this nap! After the basic body assembly, the casings were simple and wonderfully tedious to sew on. This is a VERY good project for someone like me who has a great deal of very short breaks throughout the day. Each casing is first basted on which done carefully, only takes about 2 minutes. I basted all of the casings here-and-there over the course of about 2 weeks. Sewing them permanently is a snap after that.

I also like this pattern because you assemble the hardest parts first: The center busk. Every time I've done this (a total of three times) I am reminded of what an incredible Pain in the Ass it is, not to mention very hard on the fingernails. Perhaps I'll illustrate why on my next project.

I will be making this again with the following adjustments: reduce waist by 5", reduce back/neck length by 1 3/4", reduce bust by 2", reduce hips by 4". Overlay fabric in black silk or silk-satin, reduce the number of bones by about 10. Double-sided grommets instead of eyelets.

Dress-form isn't flexible. The pictures show the basic shape of the corset but do not accurately examine the garments shaping possibilities.