Corset making - 1911 Edwardian corset

One of the reasons I had to find a bigger workspace is so that I can concentrate more on my corset making business and have dedicated space to see clients for bespoke work.  As you know I'm doing corsetry and vintage inspired fashion.  My new space has enabled much ''freedom of mess'' which as you know is essential to the creative process - I can leave my stuff out  before I go to bed at night, and it's as it was where I left it in the morning .. Essential for not losing ones place in the process.

I've been  experimenting with design, so I took an Edwardian pattern from 1911,  from the book "Corsets and Crinolines" by Norah Waugh, and scaled it up according to the scale given.  The real life measurements are bust: 34, waist 24, hips 39.  I changed the hip gussets, added peplums to give a further illusion of hourglass shape, and took off the suspenders.

I used a reversible spotty Thai silk for the outer fabric, but the strength of this corset comes entirely from the coutil layer underneath the fashion layer.

This is an Edwardian style corset characterised by the curved seaming.  The bone channels are straight and usually would be sewn right over the curved seams (which are lapped) ... however, I don't want bone channel lines to spoil my nice curved lines, so i've hidden the bone channels in the coutil layer.

I'm quite pleased with this result and will be refining the design further in order to make some sort of wedding ensemble...

You can try this pattern yourself, by using one of Ralph Pinks scaled up patterns from the same source. Click HERE for more.