I have been getting ready to make a new corset for Civil War reenacting for the past few months and at last have decided I just need to make it! This is my sixth reenacting corset that I've made for myself (I have made a few others for other folks) but for some reason I always have difficulties rememering how to construct it. For that reason I decided to do a step by step documentary on how to make one of these things.
Corsets are the foundation that almost every woman needs for a proper 1860's impression. There are a very few cases where not wearing a corset may be permissible but for the vast majority of the time a corset or stay would have been worn. A corset is meant to firm and shape the torso into a predictable shape so that highly fitted dresses can be worn over the top. A corset also takes the weight of your voluminous petticoats and skirts and evenly distrubutes that. A corset also lifts and supports the bosom so one does not flop unattractively around. :)
A corset is really not a hard garment to make. In fact, I think they are very simple to construct and only require a good fitting pattern and precise cutting and sewing. In the past I have used Period Impressions Light French Corset pattern, a drafted pattern of my own and the Laughing Moon Victorian Corset pattern. I currently use the LM pattern because it is very easy to fit, following the fitting instructions given in the pattern and makes a good shape. (There are two styles given in the LM pattern; one for a gusseted corset and the other for a gored or shaped seam corset. Both give a similar shape if fitted properly and I personally prefer the shaped seam corset for ease in fitting).
The first step in constructing a corset is to make a mock up of the pattern you are using out of old jeans or a similar weight material. Fit the corset. Once you have fitted it, trace out the fitted pattern onto fresh paper for future use. Here is my pattern, fitted from the LM Dore pattern, pinned onto the fabric I'm using for my corset:
The first step in constructing a corset is to make a mock up of the pattern you are using out of old jeans or a similar weight material. Fit the corset. Once you have fitted it, trace out the fitted pattern onto fresh paper for future use. Here is my pattern, fitted from the LM Dore pattern, pinned onto the fabric I'm using for my corset:
I am using a heavy weight cotton twill fabric in a slate blue color. I have 5 pattern pieces per side of the corset so need to cut 4 of each pattern piece from the fabric. This gives me a double layer corset and the bones will be inserted into channels sewn between the outer and inner layer. You can also make single layer corsets and sew in the boning channels on the inside for a lighter and cooler corset (I have made corsets both ways) but for ease of construction and sturdiness I like the double layer. Here are all the pieces cut out and stacked for one side; repeat this procedure of cutting and stacking for the opposite side of the corset.
Inserting the Busk:I like to get the busk out of the way next. This busk is recycled from my corset two corsets ago that I used when I was pregnant. It had a belly curve to it so I put it under our mattress and had David sleep on it for about a month or so to get it flat again. :) You will need your 4 center front pieces to insert the busk.
Lay your center front pieces right sides together to make two center front sections, each a mirror image of the other. On one side, align the looped edge of the busk with the straight raw edges. My busk is a little shorter than my center front corset length but that is all right. Just position it so that it is a bit down from the top edge and a bit up from the bottom edge. This will give you room to sew on your corset binding without a breaking a machine needle on the steel! Once you have aligned the looped edge with the straight front edge and positioned it how you want it, mark each loop on the outer edges with a marking pencil. 
Sew your front corset pieces together, right sides together for both sides. On the corset pieces you marked for the looped part of the busk, do not sew in the short areas where the loops will be inserted. Start and stop your stitching at the marks you made. On the other side, simply sew both pieces together, all the way down. Your finished sewn pieces should look like this:
Press both seams open, turn pieces right sides out and again carefully press, the seam being on the exact edge. Carefully slide the looped edge of the busk between the corset pieces you marked for the looped edge. The loops should fit into the areas you left open in this seam. It should now look like this: 
For the other half of the front corset, align the looped piece with the other piece, matching top and bottom edges. The loops will overlap onto the other side, showing you where the pegs on the other half of the busk needs to be. Use a marking pencil and mark these spots.
Using a knitting needle or awl, carefully work the marked spots open, strectching the fabric and not tearing threads (if possible). 
Slide the busk back into position and carefully work each peg through the hole, stretching the hole to fit over the peg. Once you are done, your pieces should look like this: 
To keep your busk from shifting around, use a zipper foot and closely sew around the busk, going slowly since you don't want to hit your needle on the steel by mistake!
Sewing the Rest of the Corset Shell: The technique I use to sew the rest of the corset shell is one that I really love to use! It sews all four layers together using just one seam and covers all seam allowances at the same time, making the inside of the corset look the same as the outside! No seperate making up of the lining and outer layer and deplorable "stitching in the ditch" to attach the layers together!
To do this, working with just one half of the corset, take the side front pieces of your corset. Right sides together, place the side front corset piece against your center front piece. Make sure all edges match and are even. Now take the other side front piece (what will be the inside layer) and lay that, right sides together, with the center front piece. You will have a "sandwich" of side front piece, center front pieces, side front piece.
To do this, working with just one half of the corset, take the side front pieces of your corset. Right sides together, place the side front corset piece against your center front piece. Make sure all edges match and are even. Now take the other side front piece (what will be the inside layer) and lay that, right sides together, with the center front piece. You will have a "sandwich" of side front piece, center front pieces, side front piece.
Sew all these pieces together. Trim seam allowances, clip curves and turn the side front pieces to the outside. 
You have a very neatly enclosed seam and are ready to sew on the side piece! Repeat this procedure for the remaining pieces and then repeat all over again for the other half of the corset. Here is what the corset looks with all pieces sewn together and with the busk hooked closed in the front: 
When you come to the back edges you will have raw edges left to finish. Turn each seam allowance to the inside on your center back pieces, align the folded edges and topstitch close the fold to finish off the back opening.
Mark your eyelet holes now. Make sure you mark them far enough in from the center back edge to accomodate a bone directly against the edge. (I put my eyelets about 1" - 1.5" in from the center back edge). 
Work your eyelets by hand or insert grommets. I have bad problems with grommets falling out so I always make handmade eyelets instead. It is a bit more time consuming to do but they wear like iron! To do so, simply poke the eyelet open with a knitting needle or awl, work it open with a pencil, trying to stretch (not tear) the fabric, and go around the hole with a closely spaced whip stitch. Here is the corset back with the eyelets worked:
Sewing the Boning Channels:Once your eyelets are in it is time to sew the boning channels! Boning placement is really a very personal thing and you need to do what is best for your figure but generally I always place a bone along the outside edge of the corset back, and one again on the other side of the eyelets. If you are small figured then one bone along each seam line may work for you. I usually put a bone along each seam and then an extra down the middle of any wider pieces so that the finished bones are no farther apart than 2.5" or so.
Once the boning channels are sewn (make them as wide as your bone, plus a bit extra), it is time to insert the boning. You can use steel boning and I have also sucessfully used cable ties as well. I haven't reached the point of inserting boning yet with this corset so I am still not sure if I will use cable ties or spring steels. Spring steels are a post-war invention and they really don't provide much support. Flat steels are better but I do not have enough of the right length on hand to use for this corset. I may just use cable ties since I can cut them to length and if, in the future, I want to upgrade to steels I can unpick my binding and put new bones in at that time.
Next post - finishing the corset!
Love,
Sarah
5-7-2010
Well, since my last post I have finished my corset! Yay! I didn't think I would get it done so soon but a little work each evening goes a long way towards getting something done.
I decided to use cable ties for my boning since that is what I had on hand. To pick up where I left off. . .
Inserting the Boning:
Stitch your boning channels. For this corset, I used one bone along each seam and a bone at each ceneter back edge and another on the other side of the eyelets. To sew channels next to a seam, I marked the placement of the bones on the side of the seam that did NOT have the seam allowance in it. Here is a photo of one half of the corset with the boning channels sewn:
Next, you need to cut your boning to the correct length. This is usually 1" shorter than the actual channel, which gives you a 1/2" seam allowance at the top and bottom to put on the binding. You *can* sew through plastic boning but most definitely *not* through steel. If you are using steel bones, they should already be the correct length since you measured each channel and ordered the right lengths, right? :) If you are using cable ties, make sure to round each edge off with a filing board to smooth the sharp corners away.
If you don't do this, the bones may poke you in uncomfortable places at inconvenient times. (Voice of Experience).
Next, you need to cut your boning to the correct length. This is usually 1" shorter than the actual channel, which gives you a 1/2" seam allowance at the top and bottom to put on the binding. You *can* sew through plastic boning but most definitely *not* through steel. If you are using steel bones, they should already be the correct length since you measured each channel and ordered the right lengths, right? :) If you are using cable ties, make sure to round each edge off with a filing board to smooth the sharp corners away.If you don't do this, the bones may poke you in uncomfortable places at inconvenient times. (Voice of Experience). Slide the bones into the proper channels. 
Here is a photo of the corset with all the bones slid into position:
Here is a photo of the corset with all the bones slid into position:Binding the Corset:
Horaay! The corset is nearly complete! The last thing to do is to bind the corset. This encloses the top and bottom edge of the corset to finish off all the raw edges. You can use a fabric that matches your corset fabric, or a contrasting fabric. A lighterweight fabric is best since using the actual corset fabric may result in a bulky binding that will give you "corset lines" when worn beneath a fitted dress.
I am using white Kona cotton for my binding. Cut bias strips from scraps, enough to bind the top and bottom edge. You may have to piece your bias strips together to make them long enough but that is fine.
Right sides together, pin a bias strip to each raw edge of the corset. Sew to the corset, using a 1/2" seam. 
Turn under the seam allowance on the long, raw edge of the binding.Turn the binding to the inside of the corset and pin along the seam line. Slip stitch binding to inside seam line to finish corset. Here is a photo of my corset with the binding on:
I have not taken a photo yet, but I did sew some white lace to the top of the corset. This is not only decorative but also practical. It tells you which side is "up" on your corset since sometimes it is hard to know! If you haven't done so already, thread your lacing cords through the eyelets and try your new corset on! I like to use 2 laces; one coming from the top of the corset to the waist, and the other coming from the bottom of the corset to the waist. This gives me a lot more control over my waistline than using just one long lace from top to bottom.
I have not taken a photo yet, but I did sew some white lace to the top of the corset. This is not only decorative but also practical. It tells you which side is "up" on your corset since sometimes it is hard to know! If you haven't done so already, thread your lacing cords through the eyelets and try your new corset on! I like to use 2 laces; one coming from the top of the corset to the waist, and the other coming from the bottom of the corset to the waist. This gives me a lot more control over my waistline than using just one long lace from top to bottom. Pictures of the corset being worn to come. . .
This is another mid-to-late 1820’s style dress. It has a dart fitted bodice with a scoop neckline and my usual dog leg closure. The sleeves are a variation from the ubiquitous gigot sleeve of the period, and are cut slightly wider and gathered at the wrist into a fitted cuff, following a period diagram. 
The skirt makes thrifty use of fabric and is cut as three gores in the front at the sides with a rectangular panel in the back. The gores were constructed of a straight panel folded in half. The front gore was marked out and cut, with the leftover pieces, after the gore was cut away, being turned and used as side gores. You can use this technique with any fabric that is not a one-way print. The skirt is lightly gathered in the front and is more tightly gathered in the back. 
To dress up this gown a bit more than the others I have made, I added a gathered ruffle or flounce to the bottom of the skirt. The join is covered with a bias band. I also made a cranberry taffeta sash to wear around my waist and two cranberry taffeta bows to pin at the shoulders for a bit of a dressier look. The sash and bows are not worn for everyday wear. 
This dress is made from a dull green cotton print that I found at Wal Mart. The base color is a lighter dull green with tiny dark green rectangles printed on it. I made the dress up in an early 1830’s style, with puff sleeves gathered to a fitted under sleeve, a V-neck and a full, evenly gathered skirt. 
All the bodice seams and the sleeve seams are piped with self fabric piping. The front closes with hook and eyes and the skirt is set with a dogleg closure. Dresses of this period usually closed in the back but I have chosen this method of closing because it is much easier to put on oneself (I find it hard to hook up back-fastening dresses on myself!) and I need a front opening to nurse my baby. It is a historical way of closing a dress but not necessarily correct to the 1830’s era.
Drawers were usually not worn in this period but since I feel a bit indecent without them I am wearing modern knit leggings in place of drawers. I ought to be wearing a collar or chemisette but usually do not use these for every day wear. The pin is an antique copper brooch, given to be my aunt, set with a green stone. I don’t know how old it is or what kind of stone it is but I like how it looks. I love green. 
I did not want to cut into this "master pattern" to use as my working pattern so I copied the shape and pieces and added seam allowances. Here is the new pattern newly traced onto brown paper, with the seam allowances. The center back edge has a 1" extension for the top layer of fabric of the stays, which is to fold over to the inside and finish the back edge for the last boning channel before I attach the lining and bind the whole thing. Otherwise all the other layers will be cut as normal. 
Here are the pattern pieces cut out and ready to go! 
I have been so blissfully content looking at my master pattern and traced working pattern that I have not yet started on the actual construction of these yet. I wanted to get started on them today, but anticipation is half the fun of creation, right? :) 
The folded edge of the back pieces will be used as a back finish. All I will need to do is sew a line about 1/2" in from the edge, and this will create my back boning channel. The folded edge of the bodice front could work the same way if I wanted a front opening on these stays as well as a back opening. I don't plan on making a front opening, so I opened up each front piece and layed the two pieces on top of each other. I then sewed all the pieces together, treating the two layers as one. I am doing all this sewing by machine since this layer will be hidden betweenthe lining and the outer layer and there is no way anyone will ever see it unless they take apart my stays!
Once I did that, I pressed all the seams towards the back. The Marquise 18th century stays instructions call for pressing the seams to one side since that strengthens the seam. However, some other costumers press the seams open and whip them down. I debated about what to do but in the end pressed the seams to one side. This DOES create a stronger seam. If you open up your seams, the stress is all on the threads connecting the two layers of the seam. I always press all my seams towards the side for almost all the historical (and even modern) garments I make. It just works so much better. I then basted around the neckline and the front lower curve on the stays so they would not stretch or distort. I marked all my boning channels, following the lines on my "master pattern" and sewed all the channels. I found I had to make my channels a little wider than I had originally thought since I hadn't taken into account the thickness of the boning material, just the width. Instead of a 3/8" channel I needed to make a 1/2" channel to allow the bone easy passage into the channel. Which brings us to: 
Stage 5: Boning Materials 
Next up is finishing the boning and cutting out the wool outer layer. 
Stage 6: Making and Attaching the Outer Shell
I then cut out one layer of wool and sewed the pieces together to make the outer shell. The back edges were cut 1.5" beyond the finished edge of the basis. I layed the wool layer on top of the basis and pinned it all around and folded the excess back width to the inside of the stays and whip stitched it down.
I debated for a while about how to finish the back edge and was at first going to just bind it, but I read about this method of finishing the edge in my JP Ryan Strapless Stays pattern so I decided to try this since it seemed like less work. :P I then basted the wool layer all around with loose whip stitch in black cotton thread to the canvas basis and attached the wool layer to the basis at each seam by "stitching in the ditch". I detest stitching in the ditch. But I got the disagreeable task accomplished and moved on.
One by one I stitched the lining pieces to the basis. Here you can see most of the lining sewn in with just a little left to go:
Once that was done I pinned the stays on my stuffed dressform to get an idea of how they would look. I am pretty happy with how they look so far! I need to steam shrink the wool layer to the basis since it stretched a little but otherwise so far so good!
Stage 8: Straps and Tabs
Last but not least I did what was the most tedious part so far - cutting the tabs. I laid out the stays on my work surface and marked the tabs with a fabric pencil. Then, one by one I cut out each tab. As soon as one tab was cut I quickly basted all the layers of the tab together with a closer whip stitch since I have dreadful fears of the tab layers shifting, stretching or fraying. Hopefully this will keep everything nicely in place until I get the binding put on.
So that is where construction now stands! I need to cut the binding strips and start binding this thing and then lastly work the eyelets. . .For the binding I'm using some gold/brown changeable taffeta I found that I had forgot I had. I don't think it is real silk taffeta but for binding it should work fine. It is very sturdily woven and is light and is pretty and was very inexpensive, being bought as remnants at a thrift store. (3 yards for $1.50!) This has all in all been a very cheap project, using mostly stashed materials! The only expense so far has been the extra cable ties, which were $6 or so for a big package (and I only used about a quarter of them).