----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeanne Willis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 3:03 AM Subject: [h-cost] elizabethian corset
>I just purchase a pattern for what I think is an elizabethan corset. Butterick B4254. Is anyone familiar with this >pattern? My question is what type of boning do I use?. The pattern just say's "boning". I assume that it's a >plastic boning since you need to cut it to length. >Any suggestions as to type of boning or a better elizabethan corset? I'm a plus size hour glass type figure. I'm going to disagree with everyone else here and say, even though it is 18th century the lines are not so dramatically different from an Elizabethan corset that people will notice underneath your gown. I'm halfway through making this pattern as an 18th century corset using cable ties (which are roughly the same strength as the rigilene you buy at the fabric shop) but I've filled in as many gaps as I can with extra boning channels. I'm also using a steel busk in the centre front (http://www.farthingales.on.ca/spring_steel_bones.php #50-8518-27 through to 50-8518-36) which I used in my first Elizabethan corset based on Drea Aleed's corset pattern generator (I had replaced my steel busk with a wooden one so I had a spare busk lying around). So you can use plastic boning if the corset is fully boned and you have a couple of stronger bones placed in strategic places like the centre front and beside the laces (in the 18th century this was achieved with thicker pieces of whalebone so instead of buying steel boning you could just stack 2 or 3 layers of plastic boning in one channel) If I were using this pattern for a 16th century corset the only major change I'd make would be to make all of the boning channels vertical (as you can see in the two surviving 16th century corsets) as that will help to reduce the prominent bust that was popular in the 18th century (the ideal was a small waist, cleavage and a narrow back though this pattern gives you more room in the back to allow for the freedom of movement modern people expect). There are other alterations you can do to this pattern but would take less effort to draft your own using either Drea Aleed's corset pattern generator (I've got a similar size 18-20 hourglass to pear shaped figure and I find shoulder straps and boned tabs is the most comfortable style, but you need to raise the back to stop the shoulder straps from slipping off) or Tammie Dupuis' directions http://www.vertetsable.com/demos_corset.htm which, although a little more difficult to follow (you've got to do your own maths and it requires more measurements) will produce something more period. HTH Elizabeth -------------------------------------------- Elizabeth Walpole Canberra Australia ewalpole[at]tpg.com.au http://au.geocities.com/e_walpole/ _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
