1850's-1860's Corset

It's been a few months since I have made this, but I decided to post about it as I haven't been able to find if anyone else on the internet has made this.

My pattern for this corset comes from 'Corsets: Historical Patterns & Techniques' by Jill Salen. I absolutely adore this book. There are things about it that I wish were different, but it doesn't really matter.

My old American Civil War Era corset was falling apart (the grommets had almost ripped through the fabric - stupid me for only using one layer of fabric), and I needed one for a reenactment. I didn't want to spend any money on new materials, so I decided to rip my old corset apart and put the bones and busk into a new corset. I used the 'Red-and-black Lasting Corset, 1860' pattern in the book as my base. It is entirely corded with a wooden busk.

I was pleased to find that I didn't have to change the pattern much in order to fit me - I am rather thin and usually these things are too big. I followed the cording guides and used casings and my spring steel bones at intervals instead.

1860's Corset from 'Corsets: Historical Patterns and Techniques' by Jill Salen

The materials of the corset are a tweed-like denim (2 layers - I didn't want any mistakes this time), and a light blue silk for the top and binding. I also used some crochet lace beading that someone gave me for the top decoration. I was thrilled to discover that it is the exact same pattern as the original antique corset!

I've posted this because I have found that other people's postings about the corsets in this book have been invaluable in learning how to make the corsets. I hope this helps someone! If you have a question about the make of this corset, or anything else, drop me a comment below!