a real little corset

Here it is:

My own corset belt from that free pattern from corsettraining.net. I only finished it today. If I had just used normal fabric and followed the instructions, it could have been done a lot quicker. 

This corset pattern is made up from only two pattern pieces. That's a very low number for a corset so I didn't completely trust it at first. And I know I have a rather large "hip spring" (difference between waist and hip) naturally so I would never assume a standard pattern, even one for such a short corset, would just work for me.

The pattern comes in a whole range of sizes based on waist measurement. For those who are between sizes, the recommendation is to either cut the pattern between sizes or "pick the smallest for a more dramatic waistline". I don't really agree with that last statement. A corset, even such a small one, is more than just that tight waistline. It won't fit well if it cuts at hips and ribcage. Of course, you could alway lace it a bit looser than it is supposed to be (Scarlett's recommends to wear these with a 2 inch gap at center back).

I made a muslin to test the pattern in relation to my body and compared it to that black satin RTW underbust corset I showed in the previous post. Based on that, I went with a waist size 10 (I'm between sizes, this was the closest one, and 1 cm down from my measurement) and a size 12 at the top and bottom edge. 

The leather I used was left over from a project from years ago. Fairly small pieces and I couldn't even use all of it because the leather was thick and weird in places. Like the sheep had had a skin condition ;)

This corset was a small enough project to finally use it. I even managed to make the binding from the leather. 

And all the boning and the fabric for the lining were from my stash too. The only things I had to buy were grommets and ribbon. 

I didn't just do things differently because I'm stubborn and like to do things my own way. Working with leather meant I had to deal with the different qualities of the material. Like the thickness of the material and the fact that you can't press it. After sewing the seams of the panels, I topstitched the seam allowances on one side of each seam. On the fabric lining, I stitched them all to the other side, then I matched up the seam lines and stitched through all the layers, once at the seam and once at 8 mm from it (on the side where there was just a single layer of leather but three layers of fabric), creating boning channels. Oh, and there is waist tape in in the side panels. In the front and back pieces, the boning channels are just made by rows of parallel stitching. 

There are flat steel bones at either side of the grommets at the back and 5 mm wide spiral steel ones everywhere else.  

This corset isn't designed with a busk or any other means of front closure. It gives it a nice smooth line but putting it on and taking it off is a bit of a struggle. On the other hand, it is quite comfortable so it is not really a problem to keep it on for a while. The comfort of it has a lot to do with that super-short shape. Usually, the main thing with wearing a corset, even more so than pressure at the waist, is the way it changes your posture and freedom of movement. The longer the corset, the more restricted you are. Standing and walking in a corset is usually not a problem. Sitting can be a different matter, especially if you try sitting on normally comfortable low, deep seats. You just can't slouch in a corset. 

I can't slough in this one either but it does allow for a greater range of movement than any other corset I have ever worn.

Unfortunately, today is one of those dark and rainy autumn days so the light was pretty bad all day. And I was not at my best when it came to posing either...

I think I got the fit right though. A smooth line at the ribs and hips and a nipped-in waistline. Great for a 1950's silhouette...