Do you struggle to get the correct fit across the bustline? Are you stuck making underbusts because the battle to create the shape and support you need has left you completely exhausted?

Breasts, for me, were the hardest fitting hurdle to overcome when I first started out. They were either squished down to nothing or they were spilling over the top. This section was originally designed to come last in the series, but as many of you have asked for help in this area, I've decided to jump in and deal with it first.

However, it does come with a small caveat – I find that it is easier to leave fitting the bustline until last, as changes to other areas of the corset toile can have an effect on the bustline. So all advice is written assuming that all other fitting concerns have been dealt with. I have included an overview of the fine-tuning process, which details the order in which I tackle fitting issues and provides some basic advice on working out what is wrong and how to fix it.

For this section we will look at corset fitting problems that utilize bust gussets and princess seam style construction to create the curve of the bust.

So why is fitting the bustline such a battle?

The answer lies in the anatomy of the breast and the fact that the corset must work against its natural purpose in this area.

Think about it for a moment. When you fit the waistline of a corset you are ideally looking for a certain amount of reduction, and to create shaping in the surrounding area that accentuates the reduction at the waist. When fitting the hips, often the goal is to create a single smooth line that corrects double (or even triple) hips and compliments both the waist and the hip area directly below the bottom of the corset. The function of the corset is often to reduce the roundness at the stomach and minimise any sagging ("mum tum"). All of these use compression to reduce and reshape. But - and here's the problem - the bustline will not tolerate such man-handling (pardon the pun!).

This is due in large part to the anatomy of the breast. Unlike the waist, stomach or hip area, the breasts are not spread across a skeletal structure. Put bluntly, they are mounds of flesh that exist outside of the skeletal influence and support that affect the waist, stomach and hips. Anatomically they are also distinct and so they behave differently when constricted. Often the squish factor of breasts is much more sensitive than, say, the hip area. The slightest change in the amount of compression will have a dramatic effect on the bust, where the same amount of compression would have only a subtle effect in the hip area.

So the corset needs to behave differently at the bustline. Shaping is achieved by using mild compression to support rather than reduce, whereas in other parts the corset must use greater compression to reduce and reshape. This may seem like surplus information, after all you just want your corset to fit, not a combined biology/physics lesson. But understanding the contradictory functions you require from your corset is key to achieving a great fit.

 

A Word on Design

As mentioned in the previous article, design plays an important part in the fitting process, whether you are using a commercial pattern or drafting your own. Selecting the right pattern can mean the difference between a few minor skirmishes and an exhausting battle when it comes to fine-tuning your toile.

Use what you have learnt from the Body Analysis stage to guide your decision. Remember, there is a corset design suited to every body, but not every body is suited to each corset design. If you are repeatedly having problems getting the correct fit, stick to a simpler design and build your confidence and skills before moving on to more complex designs. I find corsets with vertical panels are much easier to adjust than those with diagonal panels. And Victorian panels are much easier to adjust than Edwardian ones.

Choose your corset design carefully because the battle for your bust is won or lost here. A great supportive corset that makes the most of your "assets" is 80% design and 20% boning. Almost all of my mistakes when I first started making voluptuous corsets were because I thought the boning was the key. It's a losing battle trying to get bones to lift or shape a bust held within a corset that doesn't have the right design. It helps to think of boning as the scaffolding that prevents subsidence – but the shape has to be there in the first place!

A lot of people have asked me what the ideal corset design is for supporting larger bustlines. I've searched for years to find a commercial pattern that provided good support combined with a natural, flattering shape. I found most historical patterns had a minimising effect – compressing the breasts against the chest. Most modern or "fashion" corset patterns are often bodices designed to imitate the features of a corset but rarely provide the compression, support and shaping abilities of a true corset without a lot of alterations.

The problem seems to lie in a shift in focus for the desired silhouette attained when wearing a corset. For example, in Victorian times the focus was on minimising the waist, which was contrasted against the hips and bust. Today corsets are no longer a staple item in all women's wardrobes and are often worn for special occasions or as part of a woman's collection of "going out" clothes. In line with modern fashion, the focus is often shifted to maximising the size and shape of the breast and contrasting this against the waist. So it is small wonder that historical patterns often fail to create the desired modern silhouette.

Changes in fashion silhoettes from Le Mannequin by Léon Riotor (1900)
1794, 1799 and 1801	1810, 1813 and 1825
1830, 1837 and 1848	1850 and 1867
1872, 1877 and 1880	1883, 1884 and 1893

 

As a result, a choice has to be made between historical patterns, which generally require a Full Bust Adjustment for anything larger than a B cup (although some patterns do accommodate larger cup sizes) and a fashion corset pattern which can involve a lot of adjustments to create the required compression and also a Full Bust Adjustment for the curvier woman.

In my experience those designs that incorporate gussets and gores are ideally suited to curvier women. I find they make it easier to get the correct shaping and fit. Please see the article Wrinkle free insertion of bust gores and gussets for more information.

Designs without gussets or gores can be used, but you need to make a few more adjustments. I find those corsets whose front panels use a princess seam construction the easiest to adjust. We will be looking at both types of corsets and common alterations required during this fitting series using the following patterns:

1. Dore Historical Corset (Laughing Moon pattern #100)
2. Silverado Historical Corset (Laughing Moon pattern #100)
3. New York, New York Fashion Corset (Vogue V2810)

The advice given is suitable for these corsets and those with a similar construction. Please compare your panels to those depicted in the solution sections.

I also find designs with more panels easier to fit than those composed of fewer. This is partly because alterations spread over a larger number of seams create less distortion to the direction of the seamlines as seen from the outside of the corset, and partly because you have more options as to how to distribute the changes needed. If you have one large panel you may find that the area needing alteration lies in the centre of it, posing a problem, whereas if you used two panels you could simply alter the seam joining the two panels together. If you had three panels you could alter the seams joining the panels together and the alteration would be less noticeable than for the panel scenario.

 

---

The Fine Tuning Process

Ok, so you've picked your pattern, made your toile, laced it on and it doesn't look like you imagined. We've all been there and I know all too well the rising sense of panic, frustration and self-doubt that this quickly leads to. The important thing is to stay calm and take it one step at a time.

The first thing to do is to identify whether the breasts are correctly positioned within the toile. This may solve some fitting problems, but in some cases it may appear to make them worse. Don't worry, this is normal, and we will look at the steps required to correct it. What is important at this stage is to achieve the correct positioning of the breast. If you jump straight into fixing other problems you will most likely find yourself going round in circles (fixing the initial problem, then correctly positioning the breast only to find this has created new fitting problems) or worse, the corset will be uncomfortable to wear.

Correct positioning of the breast, check 1:

The section where the toile starts to curve outwards at the base of the bust should correspond to the point where the curve of the breast begins. On a correctly fitting bra this should correspond to the position of the underwire (left).

 

 

If the corset toile starts to curve either above or below where the curve of the breast begins:

1. Note how much the curve needs to be raised or lowered by. 2. Transfer design of the front panel pieces onto graph paper; make sure you include all markings.

3. If the pattern does not include a lengthening/shortening line draw a line approximately 3cms from the waistline on both panels. Make sure this line is parallel with the waistline.

 

4a. If the corset toile starts to curve above where the curve of the breast begins:

On both panels: Cut along the lengthening/shortening line and join the pieces of the panel back together, overlapping the pieces by the amount the curve needs to be lowered by. Taper to rejoin the seams:

 

4b. If the corset toile starts to curve belowwhere the curve of the breast begins: On both panels: Cut along the lengthening/shortening line and tape both panel pieces to a piece of paper/card. The distance between the panels should correspond to how much you need to raise the curve by. Taper to rejoin the seam lines.

Correct positioning of the breast, check 2:

Wrong Underarm Fit	Correct Underarm Fit

The fullness of the bust must not extend past where the outside curve of the underwire finishes on the client's bra. This differs according to each bra size but the maximum cutoff point is the mid-underarm point. This is why a correctly fitting bra is so important during the fitting stage.

 

If the fullness of the bust does extend past where the outside curve of the underwire finishes on the client's bra, there are two possible reasons for this scenario:

1. The breast has been squished sideways when you put the toile on, in which case, loosen the lacing at the back and manually reposition the breast.
2. There is not enough room in the front panels to accommodate the fullness of the breast. In this case, try letting the seams out on the front panels (around the bustline) or any gussets, and taking the side seam in slightly.

Solution
If the seam allowances are not big enough to widen the front panels sufficiently, you will need to re-cut the front panels or gussets using a larger size in the bust area. 

OR

You will need to perform a Full Bust Adjustment (FBA) which will be detailed in the upcoming Full Bust Adjustment article.

 

---

 

Final Thoughts

Remember: for each of these solutions you are only correcting the initial problem, as listed above. In some cases this may solve other problems too and you find that your bustline now fits correctly. But you may also find that the problem seems to have gotten worse. Again don't worry, as long as the breast is now correctly positioned in the toile you can move on to the next phase and fix any remaining issues.

If you are getting into a pickle when tackling fine-tuning problems, you may be trying to tackle more than one issue at a time. It is hard to see where you are going wrong when you try to do this. it is important to break the problem down into stages and then focus on one at a time. It will seem like it's taking longer to fit your toile, but the process will be a lot smoother.

add