I have been dreading and fearing the corset-making process more than any other aspect of this project. I even bought a pattern (Laughing Moon #100 'The Dore' version). I was originally going to try out a spoon busk design from Corsets and Crinolines, but balked at how fast all the materials were adding up and mostly the idea of drafting out the pattern. I decided to go with something a bit easier for my first attempt.
Here is the mock-up I made to test out how well the pattern will fit: the striped affect is just because I'm using scraps and didn't have enough of any one color. I kind of like how it looks, actually. Unintentionally Carroll College-ish in the colors.
I obviously didn't complete it, but I think it is good enough that I can start on the real thing. I only had to adjust one set of seams so far--we'll see if there will be future adjustments. Without the boning, it's hard to tell what it will look like in the end--the dress form is just ever-so-slightly different than me (and she doesn't suck it in very well). I do have it coming up a little too high at the moment. I am weighing historical accuracy vs. controlling a large bust. My current thought is to leave it higher at the front, then trim so it is low enough under the arms to be comfortable. I have to see if this messes with the waist. I suspect it will be fine since I have a pretty short torso anyway. It all seems to work on my toile, so we'll see from here.
Big deep breath--now to start the final draft!
