r/corsetry

I thought this community might enjoy seeing one of the most remarkable pieces currently on display at the Palais Galliera in Paris: this green silk corset, believed to have belonged to Marie Antoinette.

According to current research, experts continue to attribute this corset to Marie Antoinette. They date it to the 1770s–1780s, during her early years at Versailles, when she was between 15 and 25 years old. Its cut and silhouette are also consistent with that dating.

The corset was previously exhibited in 2017, but due to its fragility and historical significance, it cannot be displayed permanently.
It is currently on public view for what the museum says will be the final time, until July 12, before returning to the museum's archives.

If anyone happens to be in Paris before then, I'd definitely recommend the exhibition. And for those who aren't, I hope you enjoy seeing this surviving piece of 18th-century fashion :)

(These are my photos, but if you'd like to see higher-quality ones, here's a link to the museum's website : https://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/collections/les-collections-du-musee/xviie-xviiie-siecle/corset-de-marie-antoinette )

Edit : I know it doesn’t look green on my bad quality pics, please stop saying « Green?? » and check the link for the museum’s official photos ! Let’s not have a new blue and black or white and gold dress debate lmao
Thanks !

Started stringing beads last night. Just thought I'd share the progress. The show girl side of this is really starting to show. Any advice while I move forward?

Hello helloooo!

So about a week ago i asked for help solving some fit issues with this pattern I've been working on. I'm new to corset making so i really appreciated all of the amazing advice people here gave me.

I have since implemented many of the suggested changes (plus some extra) and I would love to get your guys thoughts on my most recent mock up.

1. I changed to a sweetheart neckline, which is gaping a bit. It is too low, i will have to raise that. I also feel like I'm spilling out at the back and under the arms, defo too low under the arms as well.

2. I added more bust projection as suggested, maybe i still need to add more though?

3. I added more hip spring as suggested, maybe i added too much? When its laced, it overlaps at the hip

4. I cut the boning to be the correct size and closed the channels as suggested

5. I attempted to cut the side panel in a way where it's not on the bias getting stretched (as suggested) but idk if I did it right bc there seem to still be drag lines on that side panel around the hip - but that could also be a patterning issue.

6. I got rid of the straight panel i had before at the centre

For my next attempt i would ideally like perhaps more waist reduction, plus I will fix the stuff I know I did wrong. Any and all feedback is very welcome, keen to hear any tips you have for me!

Also i will be wearing a bra underneath or possibly i will sew in cups.

Thanks again to everyone who helped with the last one!

Huge huge thanks to u/Shalrak , you were absolutely right!

I followed the advice and seam ripped the seam boning channels, down to just the seams holding the shell together.

I then took in ~0.5cm from each seam (not included the busk or grommet seams) to total to ~1 inch taken in. Finally I put the channels and bones back in place and viola! Also got flat steel in for the back grommets.

It fits so so much better. The wrinkles still slightly appear when I hunch over a little (my default pose 💀) so this should help me keep my posture in check 😅

Any other critiques? Do y'all think I'm ready to move on to coutil? Thanks!!

I started sewing in January and I already sew a few clothes that I am really proud of, but the design and materials were chosen so that it wouldn't be so noticeable if the stitching or damage was ugly somewhere. I've been wanting to make a corset for a while now, but in my country (Hungary) a corset-making workshops or classes are very expensive, or there aren't any.

I will be honest, I made like 2-3 easy wash bags/makeup bags from TikTok videos and with some hand-made "patterns" with zippers and pockets to practice straight stitching. I was in a 1-day sewing workshop where they showed us how the sewing machine works and everything we need to know about sewing basics. It wasn't about clothes but I want to make clothes so I skipped some steps on the way of learning sewing. And I jumped into clothes immediately.

So I need your help how to make my first corset, I thin I don't want to make it with zipper because that needs to be perfect on my body. I have big breast and I saw a lot of sewing patterns on Etsy but I think none of them was made for my upper body. Like in Zara I cannot buy myself clothes that are similar to a corset, which has a formed chest.

Can someone please tell me how should I start so I can wear it proudly (I really do not care i it looks ugly but it doesn't fall apart :D).

For the material I was thinking about some thicker black satin. I also don't know where should I buy the braces for the project, and should it be stainless steal or that plastic thing?

If you have some really good YouTube videos for this project i would appreciate that. Or some really good sewing pattern with instructions.

The corset should have strap!! I love ruffles and beads and sequins so if it will look ugly (because it will look ugly) I think I can touch up the corset with some ruffles or beading.

I have a Singer 4432 Heavy Duty and a Brother 1034DX interlock sewing machine.

Thank you very much everyone for your help, I welcome any other advice!💖

P.S.: Unfortunately, my ego doesn't allow me to go from course to course, so I definitely want to learn and make the corset by myself, either with video help or with your help.

The pictures are for inspiration!!!

This thing involved many cardinal sins- from a lack of mockup, to just absolutely winging the structure, to some of the cruddiest seam binding I've ever done. Nevermind the fact that I sewed the modesty panel before the eyelets causing an awful lacing.

I purchased this 70s Bicentennial fabric in a vintage shop when I first started sewing a few months ago and realized I absolutely wanted a fit for the 4th of July this year. I purchased the pattern from French Meadows... and waited. I was absolutely paralyzed by fear of failure and was overwhelmed by the amount of resources on corsetry. By the time I sewed the lining, I had lost enough weight that I was able to stitch what was supposed to be a front and back lacing into a sole front-lacing.

Last night I realized I just had to start- if anything it'd be some good practice for the pattern for the 18th c stays I purchased. Welp, here we are. I'm proud, I'll wear it this weekend, and it's not up to my own craftsmanship standards.... but I hope the fabric is cool enough to get some enjoyment out of yall. And here is some appreciation from a silent lurker for the patience many of you exhibit to us newbies! ❤️💙

I’m starting with the bridal corset and this is the third mockup I made, I like the fit finally and now need to decide on how I’m going about the final one, I have coutil for the structure layer and 100% silk for the fashion layer, then lace on top after.

Should I use double sided fusible Interfacing to fuse the silk to the coutil or should I use dommet/batting between to make it more structured to look like the image I’m modeling off of? And should I use single sided interfacing to add structure to the silk in that case so it’s smooth and doesn’t wrinkle when it’s pulled at the seams?

Also how should I make the skirt so it’s not super gathered or huge? I like the way it is in the reference photo where it falls nicely with some structure. But my silk is very thin, should I use interfacing or another layer of something else underneath?

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated as I’m fairly new to sewing!!

So I just finished making the first official mockup of my wedding dress corset. I attacked the straps and tried it on. Now, I didn’t lace it up exactly the way I plan to on my wedding day, the skirts aren’t attached, and I could have laced it a bit looser. However, the first thing I noticed is that my armpit fat sticks out, and the front edge of the corset is also hurting my armpit area. I had it on for a total of five minutes. I don’t want to be uncomfortable when I’ll be wearing this for 9+ hours on my wedding day.

The wedding is on August 8th so if I need to re-cut and reassemble the corset, it needs to happen soon. Any tips on the fit? Will it fit better once the skirt is attached and sleeves added on? I used my own pattern from a previous corset I made that fit decently well.

I just posted earlier today here but forgot to snip the tabs in my enthusiasm for feedback so:

• tabs cut
• it was loose in the bust and waist so I did a quick alt of taking in the side seams (3/4” on the double at the bust and tapered to high hip) just to get a better sense

my original post has a lot more info!

its already feeling better! there’s a lot of bulk at the side seams right now so more finessing is required! The neckline issues has also improved. I’m inclined it could be dropped just a hair more?

thanks in advance for any and all feedback 💘

General notes:

• Size Large with no alts from pattern
• the fabric is a cotton upholstery fabric that is a seersucker on the tan lines so some of the puckering is from that. i thrifted 18yds of it for 5$ so it’s my go to first mockup fabric I’ll move into canvas for future mockups when I get closer to a final
• bottom channels are stitched shut, tops open in case I needed to adjust
• i used three layers of heavy duty Pelon interfacing for the stomach area
• the fabric has a little bit more stretch on the warp and bias than canvas so side front panels have some slight channel weirdness

Initial Alt thoughts:

• I’m inclined to take in the side seams, a little at the waist and little bit more at the bust. The bust feels like I could lace up a little tighter
• shorten straps and adjust for curve of my shoulders
• id love to tighten/flatten the center front stomach area, so im thinking of taking in the front side pieces but not sure if that will resolve that issue.

Anyway this was a fun first go! Def a few learning curves, mistakes, and few spots messy sewing but I’d love feedback and tips!

I’m wondering for doing future mockups can I get away just doing one layer and twill tape boning channels or will it affect the structure?

Also to save time is useful to slice this one down the center front and just work on patterning one side?

Thank you and sorry if this is too many questions and information!

Hi everyone! I made an Aranea Black corset for the first time—the Dolores overbust pattern—which I sewed for a friend's dress.

While it isn't historically accurate, I kept the silhouette so I could use it as a foundation for a dress. I couldn't find coutil fabric, so I used a rigid interfacing that I fused to the lining, and kept all the boning on the inside. I also added foam cups and omitted the front closure (if I'm not mistaken, the original Dolores pattern comes with a front busk/closure).

These are the photos from the first fitting. The first thing I noticed is that my friend's bust is larger than what the mock-up accommodates. Do you guys notice anything else? Or is the fit issue coming from somewhere else?

Since she wants me to make her wedding dress in a year, I'd like to try this pattern again (or maybe the Dahlia), but with a better understanding of the fit. She told me that even though she loved the dress, she felt uncomfortable because her bust was overflowing.

I will also definitely change the fabric. I was insane and used a stretch polyester satin, so I had to cut the top layer on the cross-grain to minimize the stretch and fuse the shit out of the inner layer so it would work as a kinda strength layer. Sort of worked, but for her wedding dress, I will use taffeta!

Anyway, thanks for your comments!!

Sorry this is a repost my other pics were bad haha. So this is my first mockup of redthreaded 1860s, since my last post I realised it wasn’t sitting right so now the bust is at the right height I think but still big in the cups and the side bunching is gone. I think I need to add to the hips but am not sure how. Also this is me with my straightest posture as I have scoliosis. Any advice is greatly appreciated and thankyou for your time ❤️

Please excuse the wrinkles on the left bust, the boning poked through 😅 also the messy threads and sewing

This is made out of duck canvas I had lying around using Aranea Black's Dolores pattern. I'm pretty pleased with it so far but I want make this mock as wrinkle-free as possible before moving on.

It's all 6mm spiral steel because don't have access to flats yet for the back. I did use safety pins to close one end of the boning channels so the puckers on edges are probably because of that.

I suspect that the waist line is too high or something about the grain on the panels are off? Or possibly even because the two sets of boning in the back grommets are not flats? Maybe I laced it wrong?? What is life???

Very new to corsetry, so would like some expert opinion on this 🙂‍↕️🙏 Any other fit advice is more than welcome also!

I am making my wedding dress from scratch (in collaboration with a seamstress). I’ve only made solid corsets with coutil, and never a cupped sheer corset. I’m mainly doing the design, pattern/cutwork prep, and material sourcing.
I love the lace design of this bodice and was wondering if anyone had advice on how to approach the inner construction/what type of materials. I’d like to do something similar with the symmetrical lace appliqué over a chantilly lace.

I am a DD cup and the original dress is not cupped with foam bra cups, but has boning instead with lace covering the cups and apex. I am also loving the neckline. I would mainly change the bottom to be more of a drop waist the whole way, without the large hip gore.

I noticed the boning channels come up next to the “cup” seam and there’s no CF seam, and I like how it complements the layout of the lace appliqué, but having trouble finding a pattern I could use to go off of.

I have attached some photos of the dress when I saw it in person. If anyone has tips or advice please let me know!