A friend and I made me a corset from the Past Patterns straight front corset
pattern. However, it was not a simple/easy project:
1) Following the initial sizing, did not give me the S-bend shape I was looking
for -- we ended up making the top much more tight fitting then the bottom which
causes me to relax into the S-bend shape. (This kind of fitting problem is
endemic to corset patterns, though - they fit too close to easily be slotted
into sizes).
2) The more problematic part of the pattern was insufficient instructions for
where to place the boning. There is a picture one is supposed to use, but it's
a drawing of the corset crumpled up... It's very hard to figure out exact bone
placement. Eventually we simply ignored the picture and marked where we thought
the bones should go while I was wearing the corset. The funny thing is we ended
up with a boning pattern that looks (when crumpled up as in the picture) a lot
like the picture.
As a side note, my S shaped corset/straight front corset is not one of my most
comfortable corsets - I think this is due to the S curve that it causes me to
relax into. I'm used to corsets giving quite a lot of back support, but I find
the S shaped corset gives me minor lower back aches - no worse then I get from
sitting at my desk at work, but not the lovely support that I have from my
hourglass (1890s) and regency corsets.
As to _Waisted Efforts_ -- I own the book, but it's mostly mock-ups and
comparisons of mock-ups of the corsets from Waugh's _Corsets and Crinolines_.
It uses a "block" technique for drafting the corsets to the right size...but I
couldn't make heads or tails of that method. But I think the real "trick" to
corsets comes in the fitting stage, in which millimeter differences in seams
are actually noticeable, both to the shape and to how the corset fits.
Unfortunately fitting yourself that closely is nearly impossible.
Hope that helps!
-sunny
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