Ok, so I'm planning on making Butterick 4252 view A, the back lacing stays. I'm very, very new to corset making and am planning this for my second corset (planning a second before I do the first, go figure). For the first I'm using Truly Victorian 110. For both I will be picking the brains of the people in my college's costume shop. Since I figure someone here will know, I thought I'd ask this here.

 I was wondering for any who have used that pattern before, how much boning did it take. I plan on using spiral steel BTY and need to know a rough estimate on how much I should get. Thanks

Hi all--I've made a few corsets (stays) before, but they were all 18th C. style.  I am presently working on a Victorian-styled garment as a favor for someone else, using Butterick's pattern B4254.  The wearer would like some waist-whittling effect, and I thought adding a waist tape of petersham might be a good idea--but I can't find any step-by-step instructions for where or how to place it.
Should it be a 'floating band', attached just at the back edges of the corset and maybe with a few stitches along the front middle seam (for ease and expedition, we're omitting the front busk and just making it back-lacing)?  Or should it be stitched top and bottom all the way around?  Is a single length (It's a proper cotton petersham, 1 1/2 inches wide) appropriate, or should I be using shorter lengths stitched individually?
I am thinking of sewing it to the interior side of the cotton duck, so that it would be between two sturdy layers, or should it go on the very inside, next to the wearer?
The easiest option is to be preferred, as I'm getting a bit tight on time.  I appreciate yours!

Thanks!
M

My first corset

I finally finished it! Sadly I cut it a size to large (it overlaps at the back) so there is no reduction. Since it was my first time making corsetry I used plastic instead of the proper steel for boning it, and didn't use a busk. It was one of the fiddliest things I have ever made.


( more under the cut )

I thought I'd show off the 18th century stays I made for my friend. It's made from scrap fabric, plastic zip ties, and love :-p Oh! And the worst grommets in the entire world. It's not completely finished yet, as you can see the tabs haven't been bound yet.

*Edit:*I should point out that this is my friend wearing it, she came to visit so I had a chance to try it on her. She's never worn a corset before, and we didn't have much time for her to try it on so it probably could've been laced up better and tugged down a bit lower but we got the grommets all finished the night before she had to leave so we didn't have much time.




Haha, excuse the silly face, I was teasing her.

( More pictures and measurements and such behind the cut )

 I've been lruking for a while on corsetmakers and I thought you might be interested in some eye-candy of the corset that I finished a couple of weeks ago. I used the Butterick 4254 pattern, lengthened it by 3 inch and added a sweetheart neckline so it would be safe to wear without the risk of showing unwanted boobage. Then I removed a couple of cm. from the waist while keeping the hip/chest measurements the same. Constructive critisism is always appreciated! I'm very happy with the overall shape but since I didn't feel like making a mock-up, the corset turned out a few cm. too small around the hips and a little bit too big around the ribcage (I have a narrow ribcage).  

I've made underbust corsets before, but this was the first time that I've tried an overbust. I was clearing things from my fabric stash and I wanted to use this piece of fabric. Overall, I made this corset in 12 hours. 14 pieces of steel boning, 36 cm steel busk and prym grommets. Four layers of fabric: fused the butterfly fabric with fusible interfacing, sturdy fabric for strength, then black cotton as lining. I also added a waisttape when I aadded the boningchannels.
 

Well, after wearing my newly made stays out for the first time to an event that included singing, dancing, and eating, I've come away with two impressions: a) they are quite comfy and b) that plunging neckline needed something done about it because yes, I was in danger of spilling out by the end of the evening, and since it wasn't that sort of party, this called for action.

In came delirium71's wonderful suggestion for a 'modesty panel' for the Butterick 4254, and even though adding it has landed me with something as wildly historically inaccurate as criss-crossing bone channels (!), the shape it gives my bust far outweighs any seamstressy qualms.

( Two curved lines say it all. )

Yep, newbie corset maker here - but since I have a keen interest in historical styles (with precious little regard for historical accuracy though) and some experience at making clothes that Bloody Well Fit, I thought I'd try my hand at making the stays I've always wanted... and they turned out rather nice:



( Rear view and blather behind the cut )

Hey, does anyone have experience with the next corset pattern: Butterick B4254?



I'm especially intrested in experiences with the corset left-under, is it a half or a overbust? Also photos of already made corsets with any of the four patterns are very welcome. Thanks!

I'm about to purchase Butterick 4252 to attempt View C (18th century stays). I plan to modify it to shave about 3" off my natural waist, but it looks like the waist on the smallest pattern size won't be small enough, as it is 24". How should I approach making the waist smaller? I've done a little drafting, but this pattern has fewer pieces and doesn't drop as low on the body/hip.

I've read about other people's experiences with this pattern and the particular view, and it seems the biggest complaints are how far apart the shoulder straps are and how low the neckline is. I'm going to watch out for those issues, any other ones I should know about?

Also, what should I use to bone it? I was thinking 1/4" spring steel, but some people have suggested 1/4" flat steels. I'd rather use steel than plastic. I'm unsure if the 1/4" flat steels will be too stiff and uncomfortable, but then again, the 1/4" spring steels might be too "wimpy" for 3" of cinch. I'm not incredibly concerned with historical accuracy since I'll be using metal grommetts anyways, just the right shape.

I'm a little ashamed to be showing this really, as there have been some great 1st corsets on here recently.

I used the Buttericks pattern B4254 (which I actually don't like, it's not a very nice corset shape, it's not long enough for my torso and it's one of those hips skimming ones which I hate, as they dig in)

Because it was my first and I had cheap material, I didn't make a mock up. but I will make a mock up for next one I do.

I have intermediate experience in clothes making, heading onto experienced. I'm far better at Tailoring to making bodices, and now I guess corsetry.

I used the two layer method, one fashion layer interlined with strong cotton, and then a even stronger polyester/cotton layer for lining. i put the boning chanels on after, steeled bones where used of course, spiral mostly and waist tape. I used a straight front unflexible corset busk.

it looks better off than on :S

( this way for bad bad corset )

needless to say I won't be wearing this out... EVER. It hurts to wear even with a top underneath it.

oh well better luck next time...

I posted a while back that I was working on a version of Butterick 2454 4254 in yellow minky-fur. Well, it's getting close to done. I've marked and sewn all those boning channels, I flatlined the (unfortunately stretchy) fashion fabric, I've done all the assembly, I've cut the bias binding and I have one big task left... binding the edges.

And now I'm stuck. I was intending to use the method outlined here, until just now when I finished trimming the seams and opening up the slashes. The problem is, several of the slashed tabs do not have any appreciable seam allowance, the edge of the slash runs along the edge of the boning. If I machine stitch along the trimmed seam line, the bias tape is going to have 1/4" along all the other edges and 1/8" to vanishing at the slashes. Does this make sense? I'm not sure I'm explaining it clearly...

I have a sinking feeling that the answer is going to be to apply all the bias binding by hand. Unfortunately, my hand stitching is not so pretty, and I was hoping to have a neat, clean machine edge on the outside and keep my uneven hand stitches hidden on the inside.

Edit: ( Picture with further explanation )

I finally almost finished my 18C stays. I went through so much hassle for this and literally shed blood for it (stabbed self whilst hand sewing the binding ... ^_^;;) Anyway, after two botched mockups from a marquise.de pattern, I gave up and used Butterick 4254, View B, slightly edited.

After reading about the other examples from this community of the pattern, I still had some similar issues. I lengthed the waist by an inch but it needed a lot more than that... took 2" straight off the CB, narrowed the shoulder straps, cut off a chunk out of the top centre back part, and added a stomacher-type bit in the front after finding that the bust was too small. I made it up in a size 10, which corresponds to my natural bust measurement, and the pattern measures exactly to that bust width without any ease... I must have lost a few cm with the boning or something.

Fabric is two medium-weight layers of cotton, with rigilene boning (I know, it wasn't ideal). Metal grommets have been overstitched with matching thread, ribbon lacing is tipped with heatshrink tubing. It's practically reversible; the lining is a pink colour. It's obviously not meant to be period, but I did spiral lace. It's made as underwear for a costume I'll be wearing at the end of the year, so I'm not too fussed about it. Laced here with about a 1.5" -- 2" reduction.

Photos by mihatenu_juri ♥, who also lent me the chemise/nightie.



:: Cosplay.com Gallery ::

Here are pictures of my latest corset (my third) - they're made from the Butterick 4254 view B made in size 10, with little or no adjustment.

The fabric is teal and purple "silk" brocade, interlined with canvas and lined with white coutil - I've no pictures of the inside, sorry. Seams are flat-felled - my first attempt at this. The ribbons and binding are purple , although the colour doesn't show well in the pictures, and the boning channels are also stitched in purple while the binding is stitched in teal.

( Cut for pictures and my thoughts )

Overall, I'm fairly pleased with the way this turned out, even if it doesn't fit well in the back. If nothing else, I've learned that I ought to bone my mock-ups in future! However, I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts and suggestions on it.