1878 Strauss Patent Corset Mock-up
It seems this forum is pretty dead. However, the post archive is still a really useful resource for people learning to make corsets, so I’ll add my experience with this particular pattern for posterity.
This is my second mock-up. I’m really in love with this pattern! I tweaked it to fit my figure in the following ways:
-took in the waist a bit at the sides
-let out the hips a bit at the sides and back
-lengthened the pattern at top and bottom.
-raised up the bustline a heck of a lot.
-took in the bust
The biggest problem with the original unaltered pattern was that it was extremely short in the torso, a common problem with period patterns. The first mock-up looked like it was meant to be an underbust. The part where it flared out to accommodate the breasts sat down around my ribcage. However, even then it has really nice, flattering curves around the waist and hips. So instead of slashing every pattern at the waistline and adding in a couple inches, I only redrafted the front pieces to have a higher bustline. I wanted to preserve the overall shape of the corset.
I am extremely pleased with how this second mock-up came out. I actually need to make the bustline even higher, but that’s about the only adjustment needed. This pattern gives a great 1870s/80s silhouette, curvy and rounded. Although it is a fairly standard vertical seam pattern, and similar ones are commercially available, I highly recommend this pattern for it’s flattering shape. I’ve never seen anyone else use this particular pattern, so I wanted to give some feedback on it for other corsetmakers out there.
This is my second mock-up. I’m really in love with this pattern! I tweaked it to fit my figure in the following ways:
-took in the waist a bit at the sides
-let out the hips a bit at the sides and back
-lengthened the pattern at top and bottom.
-raised up the bustline a heck of a lot.
-took in the bust
The biggest problem with the original unaltered pattern was that it was extremely short in the torso, a common problem with period patterns. The first mock-up looked like it was meant to be an underbust. The part where it flared out to accommodate the breasts sat down around my ribcage. However, even then it has really nice, flattering curves around the waist and hips. So instead of slashing every pattern at the waistline and adding in a couple inches, I only redrafted the front pieces to have a higher bustline. I wanted to preserve the overall shape of the corset.
I am extremely pleased with how this second mock-up came out. I actually need to make the bustline even higher, but that’s about the only adjustment needed. This pattern gives a great 1870s/80s silhouette, curvy and rounded. Although it is a fairly standard vertical seam pattern, and similar ones are commercially available, I highly recommend this pattern for it’s flattering shape. I’ve never seen anyone else use this particular pattern, so I wanted to give some feedback on it for other corsetmakers out there.