Victorian Corset
The Symington company began to make corsets in the 1850s and quickly became one of the biggest corset manufacturers in britain. The company kept an outstanding collection of pieces for reference, which is why today they are a reference for seamstresses wanting to recreate these historical silhouettes. The company was particularly known for making ready to wear, affordable corsets for people from all walks of life, and one of their best-selling designs was the 'Pretty Housemaid' a versatile and inexpensive piece of shapewear for the active woman. I have had this pattern in my files for ages, dreaming to recreate it, but somewhat daunted by the amount of work that goes into it. However, about 2 years ago I finally got around to making the first mockup and have been working at it on and off since. I am delighted to say that it is finished, along with a chemise to wear it with, and I am very happy with the result!
The pattern is shown here, though I made a few adjustments for my figure. I made it out of cotton coutil, polyester taffeta and cording. The bones and busk are steel, custom ordered to the correct length on Sew Curvy, a truly wonderful website. The lace also comes from this website, a great find to go with the fabric.
The chemise pattern was taken from the Tudorlinks free online patterns database, and though there were a few bits I was very confused about, I made some assumptions and eventually managed to put it together. The fabric is a simple cotton lawn and the yokes and sleeves are reinforced with fusible interfacing. All edges were finished by hand, which was somewhat insane because it took me a whole day... I just wish I had mocked up the sleeves before cutting because they are a bit short on the top part, but then again maybe I didn't read the pattern properly. If you want to make this chemise, feel free to write me, I am happy to share my take on the sleeve pattern.
Photography credits to to my friend Marek Chojecki.
