Many of us have been tempted to try some of the wonderful antique corset patterns available online. Unfortunately, we sometimes stop short of attempting these patterns, as they often lack the clear measurements, indications of size, and different size options that are included in commercial patterns today.

Some of these old patterns are drawn from patents, which were designed to give the patent office only a basic idea of the garment's construction. Pattern diagrams in patents were a visual explanation of how and why the inventor’s idea was new, and therefore eligible for patent protection; the inventors never intended for these to be made into commercial corset patterns in the first place!

How would someone enlarge a small diagram to the correct size for the creation of a working pattern? This is the first question I asked myself when I began reconstructing the D.H. Fanning 1878 corset patent.

This tutorial outlines a step-by-step process of how I resized Fanning’s 1878 patent, in particular, and offers an alternative method to the one given in the free "Corsetmaking Revolution" tutorial on this site. Although I’ve used this specific patent as an example, this method should theoretically work the same way with other old corset patterns.

The only requirements are:

• measurements
• some simple math
• a computer with a suitable image editing program
• a standard 8½”x11” [UK: A4] printer.

There’s no need to run back and forth to the print shop or use the photocopier at work, no enlargement by percentages, and no costly large-scale printouts. Everything can be done from the comfort of your own home, and takes about an hour or two. (So brew yourself a nice cup of tea, and we’ll begin!)

Software

I used the basic capabilities of Adobe Photoshop in the scaling of this pattern. (Specifically, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended.) I’ll be referencing features common to most versions of Photoshop throughout the tutorial.

For those of you who don’t have access to Photoshop, you can search for one of several similar freeware programs online, (such as GIMP). I encourage you to download and try a few different programs, then use the one that feels most comfortable.

Whichever program you choose, it should be one that allows you to:

• dictate the specific dimensions of a new file.
• view rulers along the edges of the file (in inches or centimetres).
• draw straight lines to create your own printable grid, and to mark out measurement lines.
• use layer capabilities, so as to keep your grid and pattern separate from one another.
• scale images, so that you can adjust the size of the pattern beneath the grid.

 

Taking Your Measurements

A well-scaled pattern begins with accurate measurements.

Measure all relevant distances around:

• your bust
• underbust/ribcage area
• natural waist
• high hips
• low hips
• Also note the vertical distances between these measurements.

Additionally, you should measure out the approximate desired heights of the front busk, underarm, and back of the corset. (I say “approximate” because, although it’s wise to keep the desired height of the corset in mind, we will be working primarily with horizontal measurements to find the correct scale. The height of a corset pattern is much easier to adjust later than is its width.)

Preparing the Workspace

 

Remember: save often!

1. Create a new file. File>New… or Ctrl+N 

Set your measurements to either inches or centimeters. I chose inches.

I used a 36”x24” workspace. Generally, using a width that is close to your widest horizontal measurement should give you enough space to work with. My widest measurement, for example, was 34” at the bust, so I opted for a 36” width. (It doesn’t hurt to add a couple more inches!)

You may want to increase the file’s width if you are using a pattern with a large number of pieces. (More pieces need more spaces between them, and more room overall.)

The resolution does not need to be high. You shouldn’t need more than 100 pixels per inch.

 

2. Make the rulers visible if they are not already visible. View>Rulers or Ctrl+R

3. Make the grid visible. View>Show>Grid or Ctrl+’ This grid is not printable, so we will need to make our own by using it as a guideline.

4. Draw the gridlines.

Ensure that the “Snap [To Grid]” function is turned on. View>Snap To>GridorCtrl+Shift+;

Select the line tool  and set your line weight to 5px in the options menu. (If the options are not visible, click Window>Options)

I used the default colour, black.

Draw vertical and horizontal lines at one inch intervals.

Once finished, you can turn off the “Snap [To Grid]” function View>Snap To>GridorCtrl+Shift+; and Photoshop’s grid overlay View>Show>GridorCtrl+’ as you will no longer be needing them.

 

5. Merge the line layers to create a single grid layer.

Once the lines are drawn, you will notice that Photoshop has created a separate layer for each line.

Select all of the line layers (do not select the background layer).

Click the layer options menu  and choose Merge Layers (or use Ctrl+E)

Once the lines have been merged into a single layer, you can double-click the layer text to change its name to something more appropriate like grid.

I changed my grid layer’s opacity to 20%, so that the grid lines appear grey. Not only does this make it easier to tell the difference between the grey grid lines and black pattern lines, but it also saves ink when it comes time to print the pattern!

Merge the grid layers into one layer	Rename the new layer to grid	Change the opacity to 20%

 

Now your workspace is ready to receive the pattern file. It should look something like this:

 

Importing the Pattern

1. Save the pattern file to your computer. (Fanning corset patent, 1878)

 

2. Open the pattern file in Photoshop. File>Open… or Ctrl+O

3. Select the relevant area of the file using the marquee tool 

4. Copy the selected area Edit>Copy or Ctrl+C and close the pattern file.

5. Paste the pattern into your gridded file. Edit>PasteorCtrl+V will cause the pattern to appear on its own layer as Layer 1. Click and drag the pattern layer to make it your middle layer: position it below the grid layer and above the Background layer. Change this layer’s name to something creative, such as pattern! 

Scaling the Pattern

This is the tricky part, and the reason that most of you are reading this article.

1. Decide which horizontal measurement to use for finding the right scale. My theory is that a corset pattern should be scaled up or down according to the measurement where the body is the least squishy and/or least forgiving. (For example: if you have bony hips like I do, you want to make sure that the corset fits over the hips perfectly without squeezing them. If you want to breathe easily and avoid too much rib compression, you need to pay attention to the area between the underbust and waist.) Peoples’ priorities and body types will differ; choose the measurement whose accuracy is most important to eventual wearer of the corset. In my case, I chose the high hip measurement of 33”.

2. Check the alignment of the pattern pieces. Once you have decided which horizontal measurement will be used for scale, you must ensure that the pattern pieces are lined up correctly. In the case of his 1878 patent, Mr. Fanning was kind enough to arrange the pieces in Fig. 2 so that their horizontal measurements can be taken straight across. Sometimes an old pattern will not be laid out this way. If you are working with a pattern whose pieces are all jumbled up, you will need to reposition them.

Select each piece with the marquee tool and/or lasso tool (add to a selection by holding shiftas you draw, subtract by holding alt) and paste it into your gridded file on a separate layer.

Identify your pieces by renaming their layers accordingly.

Draw a horizontal waist line with the line tool  (Hold down shift to draw it nice and straight.)

Use the move tool  to reposition the pieces along the waistline, using it as a guide.

Note how the bottom corners of the Fanning patent’s pieces are almost touching each other: this is another method you can use for aligning your pattern.

If you need to rotate any of the pieces, do so with Edit>Transform>Rotate (Do not scale or resize any of the pieces just yet.)

 

3. Determine whether or not the pattern has seam allowances.

Our 1878 patent seems to have allowances already drawn in: look for those telltale squared-off corners!

If you are working with a pattern that has no apparent seam allowances, or if you’re unsure, treat your pieces as though they were seamless. If you find yourself working with a seamless pattern, refer to the “Patterns Without Seam Allowances” section. 

4. If the pattern has seam allowances, decide what their width will be. (If your pattern has no seam allowances, skip this step.) This is where I made an intuitive leap in my own process, and I believe that as long as you’re not using very small (¼” (6mm) or less) or very large (greater than ¾” (19mm)) seam allowances, it should turn out fine. I personally chose a 3/8” (1cm) allowance. Use the width you feel most comfortable using, because for this method of pattern scaling it’s your choice.

5. Draw and position your horizontal measurement lines using the line tool  (hold down the shift key to draw nice straight lines). I made my lines red, so they would stand out. Since each line will appear on a separate layer, rename these layers according to the measurements they represent (bust, underbust, waist, high hip, and low hip if applicable). You can reposition these lines as many times as you like with the move tool . Make your best guess as to the positions of these lines.

Look for signs such as:

• Inward curves at waist-level to indicate the waistline.
• The tips of gussets and gores, indicating the beginning of significant outward curves in the corset.
• Many hip gussets and gores taper to a point close to the waist, while bust gussets and gores will taper to a point near the underbust line.
• The widest distance across a set of bust gussets and/or gores (such as gusset e and gores c and d) indicates the fullest part of the bust.

Optional: When the lines are in position, rasterize the line layers by right-clicking on the selected group of layers and choose Rasterize Layers. (I find it easier to work with rasterized objects.)

6. Count the seam allowances along the measurement you chose in step 1. (If your pattern has no seam allowances, skip this step.)

In the case of my high hip measurement, for example:

• I have fourteen edges to be joined together with 3/8” (1cm) seam allowances.
• I will also allow 3/8” for the back edge.
• I plan to make the front edge my leading edge, and no allowance is necessary. (I plan to add some width for the installation of a busk later on.)
• I need to account for fifteen 3/8” seam allowances, total.
• 3/8” (1cm) multiplied by fifteen equals 5 5/8” (15cm) of combined seam allowances.

7. Divide your chosen measurement by two (because the pattern represents only one half of the corset) then add the totaled width of the seam allowances.

This will give you the total width that the pattern pieces must add up to along this particular measurement line.

Using my example:

• I need a 33” high hip measurement.
• Half of 33” is 16½”.
• 16½” of corset width plus 5 5/8” of seam allowance width equals a total width of 22 1/8”.

 

8. Link your pattern layer and horizontal measurement line layers together. To do this, click the layer options menu  and choose Link Layers. This will allow you to scale the pattern and measurement lines as though they were all on one layer.

A chain icon  will appear to the right of each linked layer, to indicate their linked status. Now, whatever is done to one of these layers (editing, moving, scaling, etc.) will be done to all of the layers.

9. Scale the pattern.

Select your group of linked layers.

To bring up a scaling box around the pattern, use Edit>Transform>Scale

Grab onto one of the corner handles of the scaling box with your cursor. It’s very important to always hold down the Shift key as you resize the pattern, so that its proportions do not change.

Look at your chosen horizontal measurement as you scale the pattern: periodically do a visual count of the number of squares along the line, ignoring portions that fall outside the boundaries of the pattern pieces.

If the total square count is less than you need, (as shown in the example,) scale the pattern up and count again. If the square count is higher, scale it down.

You may need to rescale and count the squares several times before you get the size right. Have patience!

Eventually, you will get the scale just right:

As you can see (below right), I ran out of vertical space while I was scaling up my pattern. To fix this problem, I temporarily unlinked the pattern and line layers, drew a close selection around gore pieces c and d with the lasso tool and moved them down with the move tool . I moved the short red lines belonging to these pieces downward as well. Then I re-linked the pattern and line layers. (This just goes to show that it doesn’t hurt to make yourself a larger workspace than you think you’ll need!)

Scaled too small	Just Right!

 

10. Check your vertical measurements. Simply count the squares between each horizontal measurement, and see how these compare to the vertical distances you obtained by measuring. If these are off by more than an inch, you might want to reconsider the placement of your horizontal lines.

11. Check the remaining horizontal measurements.

Once again, you will need to:

• Divide each measurement in half.
• Count the number of seam allowances along each line.
• Multiply the number of seam allowances by the width of seam allowance you are using.
• Add the halved measurements and their corresponding totaled seam allowances together.

Now, count the 1” squares along the lines: how do they compare to the totals you just added up?

On my pattern, the difference between the estimated size of the bust and the actual (counted) measurement is only 3/8” (¾” total, when you multiply the difference by two halves of a corset).

The underbust shows the most deviation. With the actual count being less than the projected count by about three inches, the underbust area appears to be roughly six inches too small.

The waist is 1 3/8” smaller, and when this is multiplied by two it gives between 2½”-3” of reduction.

The measurements for the bust, underbust, and hips should hopefully come close to your initial measurements.

The waist should ideally measure somewhat smaller than your natural waist.

 

(Note: If you’re comparing the measurements in this tutorial to the measurements I found in “Fanning's 1878 Corset Patent, 1” you may notice that the tutorial measurements are a little different. This is because I re-did the entire scaling process to document it, and I changed the positions of my horizontal measuring lines slightly. I also added a measurement line to the bottom of the bust gores, which I neglected to do the first time around.)

Patterns Without Seam Allowances

In many ways, scaling a “seamless” pattern is easier than scaling one with allowances already included. Naturally, steps 1, 2,(3,)and 5. still apply. Do not add seam allowances in step 7.Follow steps 8, 9,and 10.Check your other measurements as described in step 11 but don’t count, multiply, or add any seam allowances. You will simply halve the widths of your horizontal measurements, then count the squares along the lines to see how their numbers compare to those of your halved measurements.

I find it much easier to draw the seam allowances onto a physical printed pattern than to do it using Photoshop. Just remember to leave plenty of room between your printed pieces for any seam allowances you’ll be drawing in, later.

If you need to move your pieces around to space them out, making room for seams, I find it easiest to put each piece on its own separate layer in Photoshop, here's how to do it:

• Select a piece with the lasso tool (add to a selection by holding shift as you draw, subtract by holding alt)
• Cut Edit>Cut or Ctrl+X the piece out of the image.
• Paste Edit>Paste or Ctrl+V the piece back into the file, where it will appear on its own separate layer. (It’s a good idea to rename this layer according to the piece’s designating number/letter or description.)
• It’s best to space out your pieces after the have been properly scaled.

 

A Note About Accuracy

This scaling method is meant to create an exact unaltered copy of the old pattern you’re using, scaled as closely as possible to your measurements. However, this method will not produce a perfect corset pattern immediately!

If you find that your measurements (besides the one you used for scale) are off, don’t worry: the body type you’re working with may easily be wider, taller, stouter, slimmer, rounder, more petite, firmer or squishier than the one for which the original pattern was created. I find it best to print the original pattern, then modify things like relative piece size, heights and widths, proportions, edge shaping, etc. on paper.

If you want to do as I did, and create a toile based on the unaltered pattern, this will give you an excellent visual idea of any changes need to be made. I found this very helpful (and also very interesting, to see what the original corset might have looked like). On the other hand, if you are comfortable with measurements and pattern drafting, you may have an immediate understanding of the changes that need to be made. Experienced corsetmakers may choose to make changes to the printed pattern before even cutting out the pattern pieces to make their first toile.

 

Printing the Pattern

1. Save a copy of your pattern file using File>Save As… or Shift+Ctrl+S and checking the box marked Save: As a Copy under Save Options

 

2. Flatten your pattern file. Click the layer options menu  and choose Flatten Image. This will combine your grid, horizontal lines, pattern, and background into a single layer.

 

3. Select an area of the pattern no more than 8”x10½” wide. Use the rectangular marquee tool  and refer to the grid for selection size. I’ll use the bust gores as an example.

4. Copy the selection Edit>Copy or Ctrl+C

 

5. Create a new file File>New… or Ctrl+N The dimensions and resolution of the new file will be exactly the same as those of your copied selection.

6. Paste your selection into the new file Edit>Paste or Ctrl+V (Optionally, you may wish to flatten your image, as in step 2, and save the file as something like “print1”)

7. Print the new file File>Print… or Ctrl+P After it has been printed, measure to make sure that the squares in your printed grid are 1”x1”. (If they are not 1”x1”, check your print settings and ensure that your software isn’t automatically resizing or distorting the image in some way.)

8. Repeat steps 3 through 7 until the entire pattern has been printed. I divided my pattern as shown, into nine pieces. Your selections can and should overlap slightly. (Overlap is helpful in positioning and joining the pieces after they’re printed.)

9. Trim off any excess white space from the edges of your printouts. There should be no white borders left on the prints. Trim with a guillotine, or a straightedge and a blade, so that only the gridded areas of the prints remain.

10. Tape your printed pages together. Line up the pages carefully, and use a straightedge to make sure that the gridlines run straight throughout the entire pattern. Taping the individual pages together will produce a physical version of the pattern you saw on your computer screen.

From here, you have the option of making manual adjustments such as drawing in your seam allowances (if applicable) or altering the shapes and/or sizes of the pieces. If you’re like me, you may choose to leave the pattern unchanged. When you’re satisfied with your first version of the pattern, cut out the pieces. If you don’t want to use a thick taped-together computer paper pattern, you can trace the outlines of the shapes onto whichever type of pattern paper you’d prefer to use. Now you’re ready to make your first toile!

 

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I welcome any questions, comments and discussion on this scaling method. Let me know if there’s anything that needs clarification. If you used a program other than Photoshop, which program did you use, and how well did it work? If you tried scaling a different pattern than the one I used, how did it turn out? These are just two possible topics for discussion, and such information might prove very helpful to other readers.

I hope this tutorial has helped you overcome the hurdle of initial pattern resizing, and that you can finally begin working on that antique corset you’ve always wanted to recreate!

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