How to draft a really simple underbust corset pattern
By Jasmine | November 8, 2008
This is a simple corset underbust pattern and some instructions to go with it. It is a way of doing an underbust without needing to draft and fit a sloper/block.
The instructions are a little rough but should give the basic concept to get some one started. If you get a little lost half way there is another method that is even simpler at the bottom of this post.
The point was to post some basic instructions that don’t require to much fluffyng around or a degree on mathematics to make a little waist cincher.
Measurements…
Essentially take front and back (natural) measurements of your underbust, waist and lower belly and a line about 2″ above and 2″ below your waist. Your underbelly line (just above your public bone) should be no lower than where your thigh muscle attaches to your hips, if you sit down and tense your thigh muscle you should be able to feel it. If your corset is too long there you will have a hard time sitting in it, same with your pelvic bone…
(If you don’t have someone to help with the mesurements, use a texta/pen to mark the lines on your body and take all the measurement twice and use the average. Marking a line down your side (side seam), will make it a lot easier to get front and back measurementsfor example)
Get your waist to underbust measement at the front, side and back and the same for the waist to under belly (this is where the pen markings are handy too. Make sure you stand up straight when doing this.
It is also worth checking how much give(squishy-ness) you have at 2″ above and below the waist. The 2″ above/below are used as a guide when reducing the waist measurement, some people can squish an inch or two at the hip/ribs others squish a lot less. Too tight at the hip or rib will be really uncomfortable,
Create a block…
On a large peice of paper draw the waist line and a line 2″ above and below. Draw a vertical line for the front (busk), then on the waist line make a mark at half your under belly measurement, use that mark to draw the back vertical line. Use half the ‘Front underbelly’ measurement to find the side seam line.
Mark the vertical measurements (waist to underbust and waist to underbelly at the side, front and back). Use these to add the underbust and underbelly lines. You should have a sort of square-ish shape with three lines across the middle.
on the side seam line mark 1″ either side on the underbust line (more or less depending on how curvy you are), then draw a line from that mark to where the side seam and underbelly lines meet. These lines become the new side seam lines, and will help give a better hourglass silhoutte.
Create the Panels..
Draw a line 1″ from the center back line, (this is lacing gap) and another line 1.5″ from the centerback (this is for where the eyelets/boning will go)
On the underbelly line mark 2″ (personal preference) and at 3″ (3.5″ for taller people/boys, on your body it should be on belly not on a hip bone). On the underbust line mark a line at 3″ (personal preference) and another at about 6″ (should be where the the outer edge of your breast is, use the underwire of a bra as a guide). Use the marks to draw a straight line between the underbust marks and the underbelly marks.
The ‘personal preference’ is because there is no reduction/shaping on the first panel and seam, you can make the first panel straight or have the first seam on a bit of a diagonal, which ever you prefer.
On the second vertical line from the front (outerbust one) mark at 1.5cm (1/2″ inch) either side along the waist line and then draw a line to the underbust and underbelly lines (this is the shaping for the 2nd & 3rd panels). (note for adjustments, if you have a big [waist<>hip] ratio you may need to add put more shaping space here and add the same amount to the underbust line. Just be careful not to end up with the 2nd panel narrower at the waist than the bottom. See below for the side seam being too tight a curve)
Now measure from the Center front on the underbust line and mark half your ‘front underbust’ measurement (add shaping amount it you added any). Do the same for your waist but add 1″ (or the amount taken out for shaping), then draw the a line from the underbust to the waist to the underbelly (this is the side seam line). The side seam should be reasonably vertical from the underbust to the waist and then not more than about 45degree angle out to the underbelly, if it is you may need to take more out of the second seam line (see above note). If it is too tight a curve on the side it will sit funny.
Use a ruler to get the measurement along the waist line from the ‘new side’ line you drew to the line that marked the eyelet section, divide that measure by three. and mark the amounts along the waist line, draw two verical lines on these marks (this turns the back evenly into 3 panels, with the back panel larger for the eyelets).
Use a ruler to measure along the underbust line from the ‘new side’ line to the center back. Deduct half your Back-underbust measurement from this, (this is how much you have to take out) and divide it by 5. Mark the ‘diff/5′ amount on underbust line from the ‘new side’ line and on either side of the two vertical seam lines.
On the Front half measure the distance between the the side seam line and the ‘new side’ line, and mark the same distance on the back half. You want the seams on the front and back sides to have the same curve over your hip. Now measure from this mark to the center back along the waist line and deduct half your back waist measurement from it and divide the remainder by 4. Mark this amount either side of the two vertical lines on the back.
Draw the lines from the underbust line to the waist and to the under belly line to create the three shaped back panels.
The back side seam should match the front side seam exactly below the waist and be pretty close to the same above the waist.
You now have a basic corset pattern with no waist reduction.
Adding waist reduction…
if you want a 3″ reduction take half an inch out of the side and two back seams (1/4″ on the side of each panel) and taper it back to normal just before the underbust and underbelly line using the 2″ above and below measurements as a guide. You want to aim for smooth even curves, a little bit of reduction is overall is good but REMEMBER that a 1/4″ on a few seams will add up to a few inches overall!
I also try and keep a 1″-1.5″ band around the waist (1/4″ below >> +1″ above) where the waist tape goes that is the same measurement rather than having the reduction at the waist come to a sharp point. It is more comfortable, easier to sew and will put less stress on the bones.
Draw the top and bottom lines (top and bottom of the corset) as you like them, making sure that the bottom front is not too long.
The distance between the panels along the top and the angle of the seams at the bottom will make it tricky to get a nice even line, but don’t fuss too much as it is easier to correct these in the next step.
Cut along the seam lines but don’t cut the top and bottom lines yet, also cut off the lacing gap section from the back panel.
With the peices cut out double check that the peices are the same length using the waist as the reference point. Square the ends by making sure the bottom and top edge lines don’t have points at where the pieces meet (on the seams) by putting them next to each other and adjusting the top/bottom line to get a smooth curve around the top and bottom. Doing this now will make sewing a lot easier as the peices will fit together like a professional pattern.
When you are happy with the top and bottom line cut along the line, you know have a corset pattern with no seam allowance.
Add seam allowance…
Trace these onto another peice of paper and add seam allowance to the seams including the center front and back (not the top and bottom). Mark the waist line and the lines 2″ above and below (add more reference notches if you think you’ll need them when sewing it together too)
Keep the pattern that does not have any seam allowance as it will be handy for making adjustments or changing the style a little. I usually try to write all the measurements on it too, if you go back and use it in 12 months you will know what size it is.
Do a mock up to iron out any fitting issues and then make your corset.
Notes that should be noted…
if you are a larger/rubanesque shape you may do well to deduct an inch or two from your underbelly and underbust measurement to account for the squishyness.
A huge waist reduction may require re-jiggering the lines/spacing etc to not end up with a really sharp curve at the side waist.
You can use this method to do Overbust corsets by taking your front bust measurement and adding the difference (Front bust minus front underbust to the first two seams on the front starting 1-2 inches below the underbust line. (the first front seam should be moved to about 2.5″-3″ from centre front and the second to just inside the underwire of your bra. to allow the extra needed for the bust to be spread over the two seams without it ending up in you armpit.)
If you are feeling lazy…
the following will also work. (only needs whole underbust, waist and underbelly measurements and the vertical measurements)
Follow the instructions to get the Square block shape but don’t bother with the side seam or the ‘new side’ line.
Add the lacing gap and eyelet space lines. (see above)
Draw a vertical line on the front 2″ from the center front, this is ’seam #1′. (This can be diagonal or curved too, it doesn’t matter it is just a style line that you add boning to…)
Measure from the seam #1 line to the eyelet space line and divide it by 5, use this measurement to mark along the waist line (this makes a 6 panel corset) and then draw vertical lines on those points for where the seams will go.
Calculate ‘underbelly mesurement’ minus your ‘waist measurement’ and divide the result by 8.
Mark this amount on the waist line either side of the four vertical lines you drew (not on seam#1 or the eyelet space line)
Calculate ‘underbelly mesurement’ minus your ‘underbust measurement’ and divide the result by 8.
As was done for the waist. Mark this amount on the underbust line either side of the four vertical lines you drew (not on seam#1 or the eyelet space line)
Draw a line from these marks to join the underbust to waist to the underbelly line to create the panels.
Then use the above waist size reduction and finishing to complete the corset pattern
This is all pretty vague but has been put here to encourage people to take a stab at making corsets for themselves.
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Odd post processing
By Jasmine | November 3, 2008
After wandering around the botanic gardens all day I took this on the way home.
I had to do something to get the brightly coloured signs out of the background
Topics: Photography, Musings | No Comments »
Macro Photography
By Jasmine | October 1, 2008
click on the image for larger view.
Topics: time and lethargy | No Comments »
Posting lazyness
By Jasmine | September 28, 2008
I’ve not posted anything is ages, I’ve been tinkering with lots of things but not finishing much.
I did make a corset a couple of months ago but I’ve yet to get any pictures of it..
I got part way through making a pair of boots, well the uppers at least before l lost interest.
Currently playing with latex, so far I’ve made a skirt, a top and part of a neck corset/posture collar, and cut a pair of stockings… Again no pictures, and having split the seam on the shirt I think I need to get some solvent based glue and thinners before posting any construction techniques.
Other than that just tinkering, not much productivity.
Topics: time and lethargy | No Comments »
Barcode Goodness
By Jasmine | July 30, 2008
Yep barcodes.
Topics: Musings | No Comments »
My own little jungle.
By Jasmine | July 30, 2008
I bought a cheap fish tank on ebay last month and after the spine destroying train trip back from Laverton I had little faith in it’s ability to keep the 50+ litres of water off the floor.
After much thought about the pro’s (lovely fish in nice tank) and con’s (50+ litres of water ruining the floor boards and all the electrical devices currently plugged in via the various nests of powerboards scattered around the lounge room) the thoughts moved to other critters that don’t need a large body of water.
Other critters are a nice idea but unless you have a fondness for eight legs, six legs or scales and the smell of fresh meat there really are not many options. I considered frogs or lizards but with most needing a license and a great deal more attention than I could feasible give the critter options were all but exhasted.
At the end of all this I still had a water free aquarium and a lack of inspiration.
So I turned to plants.
Initially I was going to grow a collection of carnivourous plants, the most obvious of which is the Venus Fly Traps followed by Pitcher Plants and Sundews but again the prospect of having them whither and die shortly after planting due to a lack of attention on my part put me off. Also most varieties have different soil requirements that would have required sectioning off parts of the terrarium into peat/spagnum/dirt/sand patches all of which seamed a little too planned for my liking.
By the time I had done enough research to work out that my black thumb would likely make short work of most carnivourous plants the supplies were starting to pile up. I purchased an LED light on ebay which in theory uses the correct spectrum of blue and red light (NASA research, isn’t it wonderful) to grow plants, with no other light the plants turn very dark green (almost black) but still grow. As our lounge room gets no sun what so ever I needed a light source for the plants that was not going to cost so much to run that I would need to consider cultivating plants with a market value to subsidise my terrarium.
I also had a little difficulty locating clean gravel in the CBD that wasn’t full of cigarette butts or other refuse. So I bought some fish tank gravel (yes I paid for rocks… and yes I feel cheated) which added to the left over gravel I had from the last fish tank experiments was just enough to put a 5cm layer on the bottom of the tank for drainage.
Trusting the internet, which is usually a bad idea. I belived I needed a spagnum moss layer to ensure good water retention while still allowing drainage. Further reading highlighted that a). Spagnum moss is not required and b). often does more harm than good. Unfortunately this was discovered after I had purchased a bag of Spagnum moss.
Having now spent more than I had anticipated on the terrarium adventure and still not having any plants I decided to fudge my way through the rest of it because fuck it essentially it is a glass pot plant. I probably should have found some charcol but I guess time will tell.
So after putting the rocks in the bottom I used the Marine stainless steel mesh that I have had lying around for years (most resources recommended shade cloth or other non-biodegradable mesh) to keep the above layers from washing through into the rocks and preventing the soil from draining. Then I added a good layer of Spagnum Moss.
I took some photos at this point. If for no other reason than I couldn’t do anymore to the tank until the weekend when I could find a nursery.
As always, click on the image to enlarge.
I came accros a dead plant in a pot on my way home last week which saven me from needing to either steal or buy potting soil. So on top of the Spagnum Moss I added the layer of potting soil.
All up the layers were
Dirt (potting mix, fairly sandy)
Spagnum Moss
Stainless Steel mesh
Small Rocks (1cm diameter, fish tank pebbles)
Last weekend after much hunting online I went out to Heidelberg on the Train and hiked to the two nurseries that sit either side of the Yarra parklands.
Of the plants that I wanted I came home with the following plants.
Baby Tears (Soleirolia)
Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii)
Pteris Hendersonii (a small fern)
‘Jack in the Pulpit’ (Arisarum Vulgare)
Dark green (Will insert name when I find the pot)
Moss (taken from the footpath while waiting for the lights to change)
I came across a book on ebay for cheap called ‘Terrarium Gardening’ by Jack Kramer that was quite inspiring if not hidiously 70s, in part it is why I ended up going with the normal style plants. One thing it did have that was useful was advice to plant things with a more random layout to better simulate nature. Size and composition is still important but the overal effect must appear organic.
The planting wasn’t too hard… The tank is tall enough on the bench that I had to stand on a stool to be able to reach the bottom but other than that it was kind of like having a real garden in a real back yard.
I took some photo’s after it was planted, getting the light in the tank without reflections on the glass was a bit of a pain but this was the end result.
Topics: Useless Things, time and lethargy, Musings | No Comments »
Spam spamity spam.
By Jasmine | June 23, 2008
Due to the utterly fucking unreasonable number of spam posts that I received over the weekend, commenting has now been tuned. I feel that 82 posts about porn, smut, viagra, teen starlets and Ass fisting is a little too much to deal with on a Monday afternoon.
I have now added a cryptograph plugin that should limit the amount of shiite that lands in my inbox.
Topics: Musings | No Comments »
Silicone Moulding project.. Yeah I know another fucking project…
By Jasmine | March 30, 2008
Yeah I know another fucking project… Art ADHD
So the plan is to mould chunky platform boot soles for boots.
We to Barnes in Richmond on Wednesday to investigate the cost and materials for shoe soles and a small batch of silicone for a coule of test mouldings for experimenting and learning.
Barnes are pretty good in the sense that they have a huge selection of different plastics and casting materials.
I picked up 1ltr of Pinkysil to make a mould with and 2ltrs of banana skin for casting
Topics: Footware | No Comments »
lazyness and the art of doing nothing..
By Jasmine | March 13, 2008
Well,
I have done very little of anything productive in the last few months. I think the closest I have come to making any thing was to make a lol cats version of Magnetic fridge Poetry using Magnetic Paper. Now I have lots of little words on my fridge and I can write “Can has taco” and many other stupid things.
In short I’ve had lots of ideas but little to show for it.
I’ve done a little drawing, did these up the other night after doing some research on plastic moulding. I think it could be feasible to do platform or at least chunky sole shoes by hand. Previously I’d though of carving a sole from some think rubber but after the last experiment with rubber I think I’ll give that a miss.
Not the most original things I’ve done but you can get the idea
.
Topics: time and lethargy, Musings, Footware | No Comments »
Next project, little black underbust corset
By Jasmine | January 28, 2008
I made an underbust corset about four years ago out of a corduroy that looked almost like velvet . When I made it it was a little too big for my liking, it fit but didn’t have that much waist reduction and the top edge was only a tiny bit smaller than my actual measurements.
Having gained a few kilos in the last few years it now has a good waist reduction and the chest area is a much better fit, but the bottom edge is a little too small across the front hip.
The corset was 4 layers, one layer of Corduroy and 2 layers of cotton poplin for the structure and one layer of popln for the lining.
I made the centre layer with the two poplin layers and sandwiched the boning in the middle. The corduroy and poplin lining were sewn separately including top stitching the seams on the corduroy layer.
I then stiched the all the layers together inside out along the top and bottom edge and the centre back. I then turned it right side out and stitched the centre front together and top stitched around the top and bottom edges.
I modified the original pattern a few weeks ago while re-drafting the S-Curve pattern, and made the torso a little longer and increased the front hip measurement a little. I also redrafted the back two panels so that the 3cm panel for the eyelets and the back panel were one.
I also added a cup shape to the top edge and raised the back edge so that it would be a little higher than the back strap on a bra.
I will need to use a very similar method to the original to finish the top edge as the cup shape will not be able to be edged with bias tape as the curves are too great. I will sew binding on the bottom edge like normal but stitch the centre front, top and back edge together and turn them.
The cup shape follows a similar shape to the underwire of a bra. The busk extends just above the underbust line and the cup drops slightly under the breast before curving up around the outside edge of the breast like an underwire.
The idea was to create a shape that would enable the corset to be worn with a cami or tight singlet without the need for a bra as the top of the corset would act like an underwire.
Topics: Corsets | No Comments »