Fix: Corset One

Fixing up Corset One

Unpicking the modifications

It's getting better.

I wasn't happy

If you've been following my sewing adventures I wasn't happy with the way things turned out for my first corset. The bust was good, but it just wasn't a flattering as I'd hoped at the waist.  I put it aside for a while to think about it.

What to do

My first step was to unpick the modifications I'd made to remove the supposed excess material I had at the back of the corset. And once I'd done this it IMMEDIATELY fitted better. So, the rule there is to trust the pattern I think...

I wore the corset around for a while like this but it was still too long at the front (even after taking out an inch in the initial fitting).  I laced my CS-426 over the my hand-made one and pinned along where the lower edge sat.  This gave me a good indication of how long I might want it.  I pinned a spot about an inch longer than the CS-426* and then marked along that line. Next, I unpicked the bottom, ripping off the terrible satin binding in the process, pulled out the bones and then trimmed about an inch off.

Then of course I needed to cut down most of the bones again** which took more time of course.  But when I stuck them all in and quickly sewed them in place the whole corset fits MUCH better.

More improvements to come

Once I'd laced into the corset again I was able to take another look at how it was fitting. The next problem to fix is that there is still not enough room in the hips, hence the hip to waist ratio isn't great enough.  Laced evenly along the back to about 2", the hips are just too tight, with a slight bulging underneath the bottom of the corset.

I'll need to add either triangular panels down the side seams, or possibly a slit and lacing, similar to the modified version of the CS-426. As a rule, from now on, I'm going to add at least and inch to my hip size for all future corset. Looser on the hips is better than tighter.

Time/Cost

Time: More time - I guess another 3 hours or so.
Cost: I bought a new product for tipping the corset bones, but I'll get into that later.

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* I have a REALLY long torso.
** Which has at least given me a chance to take more photos of how to prepare bones to write a more comprehensive How To.

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