Victorian Corset

This is the first period Victorian corset I have made for myself. I drafted the pattern based on pictures of extant corsets and patents for patterns from the era.

The top layer is cotton with a slight plaid-like pattern woven in, it used to be curtains. The middle layer is a heavy cotton and the lining is from old cotton towels. The only thing I spent money on were the bones and busk, ordered online from Farthingales LA. The binding is satin ribbon and the lacing is the same set I use for all my corsets. I bought a grommet setter and it made things much faster (though the grommets seem more weakly set). The flossing is from a tapestry of flossing samples from the era, a simple design.

Alas, there are several shortcomings in the finished product. It is too tight at the bust (as always things have grown a bit since I made the pattern) and slightly big at the hips, which makes it much easier to sit in but was unplanned. It needs more bones at the bust as well. It will do quite nicely until I get around to making another one. It gives nearly the right silhouette but in order to really get it right I have to lace much looser at the top, which will be bad for the corset in the long run.