Adventures in Corsetry - Where I got the "Pattern"

I'm finally doing it. I'm finally drafting my own pattern from my measurements and using spiral steel boning and making a victorian-esq corset.

What I hope to get from my corset:
- An amazing outerwear costume piece
- Something I can coordinate with for years to come
- A workable pattern to make many more corsets
- KNOWLEDGE! Knowledge of the proper way to fit a corset and draft a pattern.

Now, a confession: I've already started. I have the pattern drafted, traced, allowanced, and cut (all together took 4 hours), the mockup shell pieced (1 hour), and the boning cut and tipped (1.5 hours). Time: 6.5 hours so far

And I have pictures of the whole process! Yippee! But the terrible part of that is that I have no way to get the pictures from my camera to my computer. My cables and card readers are all in storage and I don't have a clue how to get to them. So today you get the fruits of my research.

I wanted something that would give me some reduction, cover my hips a little, and go over my bust. This ruled out the conical Renaissance stays that seemed to be popping up in all of my searches*. After 2 full days of searching, I stumbled across exactly what I wanted.

Your Wardrobe Unlock'd.

On this wonderful website I found a .PDF file of 54 pages that goes in depth on how to draft your own Victorian corset pattern based on your measurements. Click here to download it yourself.

I took my measurements, wrote them down where I wouldn't lose them, and them went to have the document printed. Like I said, it's 54 pages long, and I wasn't about to subject my parents' printer to that. For less than $10 I had it printed, covered, and spiral bound. Go check with your local printer (mine is at the college) to see what kind of sweet deals you can get!

So, that should save you 2 days if you're trying to find the same thing I was. It's worth the time and the money to have a pattern this good. I'm so very pleased with my mockup at this point.

*This seems to be the go-to for drafting "corset" patterns. It isn't what I wanted, but I drafted one anyway and it looks like it would be a great one. This resource truly is a gem, if not quite the one I was looking for.