New Corset!

I've finally completed a corset for myself! I've actually never successfully made a regular corset for myself (I did successfully make a gestational corset for myself)! I've successfully made corsets for my mom and sister and a few years ago I attempted to make myself a corset and it was an UTTER failure! 

My first corset was a gently used, $30 eBay buy (which actually fit my pre-baby body really well).  At some point after having a baby (or two, I can't remember when), I had gained a bit of weight (thanks to a chemical that I'm now rid of--but that's a post for my other blog)! ;)  My mom had lost a lot of weight and so we decided to swap corsets which worked really well for me for a while--still working well for her!  About this time last year, I was back to about the weight I am now, if not a little less, and I could lace the corset closed (NOT good, since it doesn't leave any room for your spine to move between the steel bones) and I "knew" I'd need to make a new corset before the Spring, BUT, I got pregnant in December so plans changed since I actually wouldn't need a new corset for a while!  Fast forward to early September when we went to a reenactment (3 weeks postpartum) and discovered that it wouldn't be too much longer before I, again, could lace it closed (Thanks, breastfeeding!), so I knew I needed to get on this project!

I started out trying to make my own corset pattern from a duct tape pattern (directions in Mrs. Clark's The Dressmaker's Guide) that my sister helped me make.  I had already done one or two mock-ups;  It was going okay, but not great.  Then I remembered that corsets with gussets come highly recommended for us "curvy types" on The Sewing Academy and decided I'd give it a shot.  I had Kay Gnagey's Simplicity #2890 underthings pattern and decided to cut a muslin out and see how close it came.  It was perfect without alteration! HAH! That was easy!  So I made one up in some twill that I'd bought a while ago for this very purpose!  Another benefit of it fitting right out of the package was that I could order Kay's boning kit. 

The only mistake I made (that I know of) was when I was setting grommets, I was watching Les Miserables and it was a really intense part and I set one backwards, lol! Oh well! No one's going to see it.   (It was where Javert comes to arrest Jean and Jean asks for 3 days to go get Cosette.  Who else is (extremely) excited for the Les Mis that comes out this Christmas?!?!?)

The corset actually fits me a lot better than it does Genevieve.  She's a lot less curvy than I am.  :P Anyway, I hope this will be a serviceable piece in my wardrobe for years to come! :) I don't mind corset-making, but fitting yourself is rather difficult! It is much easier to fit someone else! ;)