Adapting a Pattern: Making an Adapted Corset from an Existing Renaissance Pattern

Getting Down to Business: 

As I said before, this portion of my blog is dedicated to making a Renaissance gown for my cousin.  Like a lot of women she has been blessed by an ample bosom that makes it difficult to be comfortable at a Renaissance Fair while still showing off her womanly assets.  My cousin's measurements make an eleven inch drop between her breast measurement and her waist.  Since the Elizabethan corset is basically a tube, the traditional style gives her a choice--have a large waist or squeeze her breasts down to pancakes and pain.  

Historically, this wouldn't have been a problem, because every dress was made specifically to a woman's measurements.  However, in today's modern world, we have pre-designed patterns that assume every woman has the same measurements give or take an inch here or there.  It should be no surprise to anyone reading this blog that they are WRONG.  Especially when it comes to Renaissance wear.  

What do you do?

The simplest solution is to make your own pattern, just like in the days of olde.  Ha-ha, you might say.  I have trouble just putting the normal pattern together, you might say.  Really, you can do it.  To make it even easier to do, I will be teaching you how to take an existing pattern and fix it to fit your needs.  

What do you need?  

Start with some disposable fabric... This will not be a part of your dress, so it can be stained or water spotted, etc.  It needs only two conditions-- 

1.  It cannot be stretchy.  Stay away from anything that moves when you pull it.  It must be as stable as possible.

2.  It needs to be a surface where you can legibly write and read later.  I like bargain lining.  I was taught to use muslin, but I don't always have that on hand, but I usually have a couple end pieces of lining that I've kept for one reason or another, and because it won't be used for your dress, it doesn't need to be the same color.  

Second-- you need a pattern.  You want an Elizabethan style, so you're looking for the tube style.  I prefer patterns Simplicity 2589 and Simplicity 8881 for this type of work.  NOTE YOU WILL WANT TO BUY THIS PATTERN TWO SIZES TWO BIG.

Why?... because you want to have room to work with the pattern.  Two sizes will give you enough room to maneuver appropriately.   Most patterns come with three to four sizes in one pattern envelope, so usually you are buying the size that fits you plus it has two more sizes.  

Which measurement should I base my pattern on-- Bust... definitely bust.  If you were to go off of waist with my cousin she would be a size eight.  The bodice would simply not fit up top.  Go off of the bust to ensure you will have the best fit.  

Now what?

Lay down the pattern on your fabric and cut it out.  Sew the bodice together using the longest stitch your machine will do.  (Technical Term: Baste the Bodice together)  Yes it will look huge.  Don't let it bother you. In the end your bodice will feel better and make you look slimmer than the size eight.  For the purposes of this tutorial we will call this item THE MOCK.

Fitting: 

Now that your mock has been sewn together, you will need to put this on and fit it to you. To do this, you will need to have a mirror and a friend to help you.  The most important things you must remember when you are doing this fitting are---1) You can only take in SEAMS.  It will be tempting to take in the middle of the fabric where there is no seam.  If you do this, the Elizabethan line of the bodice will be lost.  2)  You may only take in the Seams with STRAIGHT LINES.  Think of every seam as being connected to a ruler.  You cannot bend or curve a ruler.  

How to do a Fitting: 

(Note: there aren't any pictures for this section.  I hope you can understand that my cousin didn't need to have her fitting put all over the internet, considering she was wearing lining and was in the altogether.  I hope the text will be enough, if you have questions feel free to write them in the comments, and I will answer them the best I can.)

1) Turn the bodice seams out.  

2) Put on the bodice the way you plan to wear it at the fair-- this includes your planned undergarments (or not).  Pin up the back as if it was laced with the corset.  This is usually one and a half inches in.  

Okay by now you have a large corset sitting on your body and you are feeling slightly self conscious.

3)  Using the rules given above, take in the Center front.  (Yes, Yes... I know, it might be in the middle of the fabric, so it breaks the rules, but you really need this part to be correct.  Make very sure you are dealing with a straight line.  It will be tempting to pull in the under-bust until it is snug.  RESTRAIN YOURSELF.  The front of the bodice must be flat.  It cannot curve under the bust.  Keep the line of the bust straight but pull it in toward the waist so instead of the corset being a tube it is more of a cone.  

You will not need to take it tight against the bust line.  At this point you are simply pulling in the front of the bodice to make a nice line.  Use the shoulder strap seams to measure what you are doing.  It is important not to try and take in the entire bodice through the front.  

4)  Using the rules given above, pin in each of the seams.  Do the matching side seams at the same time and make sure they are evenly taken in. Do the front side seams first then the back. This will stop the shoulders from being pulled of center and narrowing or deforming the sleeves.     

5) Using the rules given above, take in the back until it is snug and adjust the shoulders accordingly.  

6) Repeat, using the same pattern of pinning (Ignore the front of the bodice), until you have a bodice that correctly fits your measurements.  

6)  Now that your bodice fits, look at the fit and the styling.  I usually cut the armseye a little larger under my arm, because it is always tight in Renaissance patterns.  (Keep in mind, if you do this, you will have to adapt any tight sleeves you put on the dress.  If you plan to add billowy sleeves, or sleeves that have gathering toward the top, it will not be a problem.)  

If desired you can lower the neckline at this point.  leave it an inch and a half higher than you initially desire.  It is a good idea to look in the mirror head on when you make this change.  Best plan, cut one side of the bodice to the neckline you want, when you take off the Mock fold the bodice along the center front and cut the other side the match perfectly.  

Big Girls Need Support:

Ladies in the D, Double D, or Triple D etc range need a bit more support from their bodice than the average girl.  To gain that support add an inch to the bottom of the bodice in the back for each size up.  ie.  D=+1  inch, Double D= +2 inches, Triple D= +3 inches.  

How do I do that?  

Simple-- Take a pen and write on the bottom of the Mock, +2 inches where you want to add inches and +3 inches where you want to lengthen it three inches.

(My cousin wanted a longer front to her bodice because she has a longer torso, so I added two inches to the front and four inches (the two for the requested addition, and the two for the support) to the back.  

Writing Notes: 

When you are finished pinning your Mock, you will need to remember where the new seams go.  I personally like writing on the fabric.  It is more stable than pins.  It is simple, wherever there are pins, draw a straight line along the fabric   (Leave the pins in, just in case you miss something.)  

Since you are marking these lines right were the seams will go, you will need to add a note that you will need to add a seam allowance.  (Usually 1 to 2 inches) depending on how much room you need to sew. 

Make sure to mark all pins.  If you are planning to use my corseting technique.  (See the Red Dress tutorial) You will need to make a note to add the required material to the back of the dress.  

Once you are finished, take off the bodice by undoing the back pins.  Leave all the pins where they are.  I like to add a few pins where I pinned the back of the bodice together on both sides.

Next-- This is important-- Label all of the pieces right now.  Front, Left Side, Left Back, Right Side, and Right Back.  When you pull the Mock apart to be pattern pieces, you want to make sure that you know your right pieces from your left.  :)

Following the Rules: 

Now that you have the bodice off, and you have returned to your normal clothes, you need to take your pinned bodice and look at your lines.  Inevitably, you might have made some curved lines in your fitting.  It is time to take a ruler and make straight lines.  Take the top mark and the bottom mark and connect them with a straight line.

This straight line will maintain the look of the Elizabethan corset while fitting to your measurements.  No, you can't leave the curved lines without throwing off the line of the dress.

Go back to your sewing machine and sew the Center Front line of the bodice and cut off the excess.  From this point the center front of the bodice will stay intact.  the rest of the bodice needs to be cut along the straight ruler lines you just made.

Volla, you have your pattern.

If you pull out the original pattern and lay your new pattern on top,  It should still have the basic lines of the original shape of the pattern.  As you can see, my cousin's bodice pattern narrows quite a bit toward the base, but still keeps the general lines of the starting pattern.  The gap you are seeing is where I took down the back of the bodice-- the neck line looked a bit high for her torso.

Just like on the front, I cut one side, and then placed both sides together and made the other side to match.

Cutting it out: 

Now that you have your pattern pieces, you will need to cut it out on the fabric.  To do my style of the bodice, you will need to cut out one outer layer and two linings for each piece.  The most important aspect of cutting out these pieces is remembering to add the needed seam allowances.  If you forget, the bodice will be unwearable, since it will be at least three to four inches two small all around.  

Lay the fabric out on your fabric.  Make sure that the stripes follow the arrows on the original pattern if you are using a striped or patterned fabric.  Notice the stripes do not follow up the bodice through the shoulder.  It follows the center of the bodice.  This way your stripes do not look like they are angling.  

Notice: I added the four inches to the back as indicated by my writing on the pattern and I added the extra width to accommodate the inner corseting of the gown.  

The side pieces were a little different.  Since in the front I lengthened the bodice two inches, and I lengthened the bodice four inches in the back the side seam needed to navigate that discrepancy.  The easiest way to do this is to cut out the fabric with the four inch allowance.  (I used the back piece I had already cut out to define that length.)  Next I measured out the two inches needed to match with the bodice front, and cut the material to meet those two lines.    

To be honest I am a little concerned about the angle here.  I have my cousin's measurements and when I put it on the dressmaker, I will have to make sure that this bottom portion does not dig into her hip.  If that is the case, I may have to curve the line, but for now I want to keep it as straight and Elizabethan as possible.

To make the other side, I laid the angle I had already cut over the second piece and matched the angle.  

To double check; I placed the back piece and the side panel together to make sure the lines matched up.  There is some give, but it will work out just fine.

On to the lining:   Double the lining and cut out each piece.  

You may have noticed that the center front is missing from this tutorial.  That is because I am going to modify the front of the pattern to slim the front of the dress.  I will be providing that tutorial in the next blog.  

If you do not want to modify the front, cut out the bodice front by folding the lining, fold the pattern in half and cut out the lining along the fold.  If at all possible, you don't want a center seam in the front of your bodice.  

UP NEXT-- Adapting the Bodice Front to look slimmer while keeping the Tudor cut.