albert...@aol.com wrote:
> I find the Past Patterns corset pattern #708 to be a very useful >
pattern. I know they mark it as 1840-1880, but I find that it could work
> for 1829. It's that gusset construction... basically a cylinder with
gussets added to compensate for the swell of the bust and hips.... that
kind of construction lends itself to the earlier part of the mid-19th
century. For the 1820's you might want to elongate the bottom of the
corset some. Maybe not put a split busk but a solid wide one in front
and even add shoulder straps. But the basic (and really lovely) shape of
this corset can easily work, even with a waist 1" or so above natural level.
--------------
When I was researching 1820s stays, for the earlier style, the one from
the 1825 source I used, I could definitely see the philosophy of
starting with straight pieces of material and then adding bust and hip
gussets to accommodate the body curves.
You are right about the shoulder straps. I found instructions and
diagrams for 13 kinds of 1820s stays to put in _The Lady's Stratagem_,
including half stays (also known as morning belts), night stays (also
known as brassieres), elastic stays, and various put-them-on-by-yourself
stays. Every single one of them has shoulder straps.
Fran
Lavolta Press
New book on 1820s clothing!
http://www.lavoltapress.com
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