It seems ages ago now, that I posted asking how my finished panels could have possibly gained 10 inches over the mockup I made. Thanks so much for the suggestion that I had turned pieces around. I don't know how I managed it, everything was marked and notched, but I eventually got all four layers sorted. This actually included removing the two center front panels (time crunch, and *still* too big in the bust even when things were correct.) It's no wonder the fit's off. It's still too big through the bust, too small through the high hip, and far too short (Oh, the bruising!)

Nonetheless, it looks and fits far better than my last attempt, and everyone who saw it thought it was to die for. I still don't have pictures of the (admittedly shoddy) dress it went under for the ball, but the following weekend I decided to take it out to the Pirate vs. Ninja bop at my uni.

( Fiddly Bits )


( More Terrible Photos of Me )

This Halloween, a friend and I are going to go to a party w/ our boyfriends. They're being cowboys and we're being saloon girls. My friend asked me if I would make a corset for her. We decided on Simplicity 5726, and I asked her to measure herself and tell me what size she wanted.

Usually, I don't go with the size I fall under for corsets because I'm interested in reduction, but she just wants a fashion garmet for this Halloween.

We're making it out of a plum satin and plastic boning because as I mentioned, she's not interested in tight lacing. I'm buying the busk and metal bones for around the grommets, just because I don't want the thing to be mis-shapen. I'm footing the bill on bones and the busk as a gift, so she pretty much just has the cost of the fabric as her investment.

I'm using the more durable plastic boning (it almost reminds me of zip ties). Does anyone see any major pitfalls in this plan?

Also, as a question, she measured herself as a size 12, but the bust is smaller than hers. I told her that I've heard this pattern is a little large in the chest, so it should be ok. I know that pattern sizes are different that the size clothing you buy in the store, but a 12 seems a little large for her. Does anyone know if, as a fashion garmet and not tight laced, this pattern runs a little big? Should I drop her to a 10?

I'm not super worried about her getting pissed off with the results, because as I mentioned, she just has about $15 in fabric invested in this, rather than me charging her all the materials and cost for labor.

Any suggestions for making garmets for other people would also be appreciated.

And here it is. :)

I used Simplicity pattern 5726, and made a size 14. I made as a single layer, exactly as per the pattern. The fabric is a heavy cotton twill, in a grey and black camouflage print. As you can see from the photo, I used hook and eye tape to fasten the front. I also used 4mm single piece eyelets, and plastic boning throughout. I only have one set of bones and busk, and I didn't want to have to rip the mock-up apart to re-use them, especially when it's come out so nicely! The back is fastened with a pair of 220cm bootlaces.

Now it's finished, the body measurements are exactly right for a Simplicity size 16 - 38", 30", 40".
So the corset pattern has 2" of ease in it, which seems a bit silly for a garment which is supposed to fit smaller than the body's measurements! ;)

The waist and hips fit me perfectly when completely closed, so next time I think I'm going to make a size 12. That should give me a 2" gap in the back, and allow me to pull the corset in a little more tightly.

The bust, however, is going to need a little more work! You were right about it being absolutely huge! It's definitely larger than the bust allowance on most Simplicity patterns, and as I'm only a 34B, I'm going to have to take out about 4" in the bust area to make it fit. This picture should give you an idea of how much too big the bust is!

The construction itself seemed pretty simple - I didn't run into any major problems at all. I do have a few questions though:

1) The "side front and side back" piece has two lines marked on it, so I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to place one bone or two at the side. I went for one, but should there really be another bone here?

2) Is it best to use flat-felled seams on every corset, even if you're making it in two or three layers? I'm going to make the next corset with at least two layers, and I wondered whether the seams might be a bit bulky.

3) I have a bit left over from my kit! I have a piece of 1" twill tape, which isn't accounted for in the instructions. It's not long enough to be a waist tape (well, not for my waist!), so what's it for?


Thank you to everybody for your help and advice before I started! I'd appreciate constructive criticism as well, if you have any. :)

There are some more photos here, showing the inside and the back, as well as quite how badly it fits me around the bust!

[edit] Just in cased I confused anyone in the comments - I have two usernames, designbyclaire and claire_wain. I forgot that I was logged in as myself when I replied to some of the comments!

About a year ago I bought a kit from Vena Cava, containing all the bones etc necessary to make the Simplicity 5726/9769 corset.

Having lost it and found it again and been afraid to know where to start, I finally got out the pattern and read the instructions, and it seems a lot less scary than I'd imagined! (Although you may all point and laugh later, when I have to eat my words!)

What I wanted to ask was this: Does anybody have any hints and tips specific to this pattern? Are there any common problems with the construction or the fit that I should know about before I start?

I'm a seamstress by trade, and I've worn corsets for a few years, but I've never made one before. Wish me luck! ;)


[edit] Okay, I should have read the memories first! Thanks for the warning about one of the pattern pieces being printed upside down! Anything else like that I should know about?!

In regards to Simplicity 5726, does sewing boning casings over a flat felled seam create three lines of stitching on the outside plus a pressed open seam? Doesn't that result in too many unsightly lines? Does anyone have a close up of a corset made with this pattern so I can get an idea of how the seams look when finished?

Well! In preparing the fourth corset on my 50-corset project (it's still going, my livejournal has all of the details), I've learned something about the pattern I'm working with for the first few corsets.

It's awful.

No, really! It's horrible. Here's why:

I've been having trouble with it from the start. I thought the sizing was wrong. I thought I was doing things improperly (that's always my first assumption). I went to the Farthingale's site, and learned that there is some minor confusion with this pattern and which piece belongs in which direction. I tried again, and thought maybe I had one piece wrong.

I've now sat down and really looked at it, for a long time, and figured out what the problem is.

There are five pieces to this pattern. Front, Mid-Front, Side (Front and back in one piece), Mid-Back, and Back.

Now, ordinarily, the numbers should all be on the top of the pieces (Piece 1 has a 1 at the top, etc), and all the pieces should be in the same direction (printed on the 'right' side, so to speak).

That's not the case here!

According to the _notches_ they put on the sides of the pieces, the 'side front and side back' piece is UPSIDE DOWN. This is incredibly confusing, and irritating as heck, considering that my hips, waist, and bust are all different sizes.

Can anyone confirm once and for all which way this piece should go, so I can be sure of the sizing and shape I should be working with? If that one piece is fixed, the others all fall right into place - but I want to be sure it's that one and not something else I'm doing that's wrong.

If I hadn't worked with tons of Simplicity patterns in the past, this one experience would leave me never wanting to again. Sheesh!

Thanks,
Liellen