Wendy, I know what you mean, I've also had problems when helping an experienced costumer, who has a large bust and a small ribcage, to make 1790s stays. In her case, the shape was too stiff and straight, and her "girls" tended to sink down inside rather than staying "up"! It *is* a challenge to make a curvy shape into a flat one!

As a further example that I can illustrate, the pattern I've used most successfully for stays is the slightly earlier 1776 Diderot ones in Corsets and Crinolines, on p40, so you can see for yourself whether it'd work for you. Only a three piece pattern, and that's including the shoulder strap, but they've worked well for me. They're longer at the front point, but if you'd like to extend that flat line down the front, perhaps it'd be worth giving it a try!

In the meantime, I'd say the fabric and the pattern aren't letting you down at all - I think changing the boning could fix it, though. I've not used cable ties in the past, but my understanding is that they're not ideal - I would use a good synthetic whalebone - perhaps in a wider size.

Most of all, I'd put some flat steels down the centre front, either side of the lacing on both sides, possibly in as much as an 11mm width. That will help it stay rigid. Also, perhaps, a stealthy steel down that main diagonal at the side front, from the front of the armscye down to the cf at the bottom. For extra credit, you can also put a steel in down the side seams, and perhaps the centre back. That should rein things in nicely and make it perform like it's supposed to.

These stays (above) were made with steel throughout, and it worked. It was what the client wanted and she loved them, but my goodness, they were heavy! Try that if you like, but using lighter, synthetic stuff with steel at strategic points could do the trick.

Hi Hollie,

Thank you for joining Foundations Revealed! I'm glad you're getting lots out of the site.

The easiest way to adapt an overbust into an underbust is as follows: First of all, take some measurements. Tie a string around your waist and bend from side to side until it sits naturally at your waist. Measure from the string directly up to your underbust line, where your breast meets your chest wall underneath. You may wish to take measurements up from the waist like this at the front, side and back if you want the top edge to curve up and down as it travels around the corset - they'll help you plot where the top edge should be.  Also, measure *around* the underbust line, just about where your bra band should be. Make sure the tape is level around the back.

Now find the waistline on your pattern. Measure up from this line to draw the underbust line, horizontally across each piece. You *could* just cut the pattern off here, but wait a moment!

As the lines of an overbust corset travel up from the waist to the bust, they curve outwards very gently. At the underbust level, the corset doesn't fit snugly and then spring out around your bust - it's actually quite loose as it expands on its way up to cover your breasts. In other words, if you just chop the top off, the new top edge will be too big. So measure each piece along the underbust line and add up the total. Take away the seam allowances and add 2" (5cm) to account for the gap at the back if you want one, and you'll see that the pattern's underbust measurement is bigger than yours. If you gently adjust the lines, mainly under the bust, you can bring them in a little and make it match your underbust measurement.

Alternatively, chop the top off, make a mock-up and pin it so that it's snug before cutting the real fabric. Even if you do the adjustment on the pattern, do still do a mock-up just to make sure!

Also, check out Laura Loft's article in Foundations Revealed a few weeks ago on adapting a commercial corset pattern to fit you perfectly. She takes you through all you need to know to make a bought pattern produce a perfect, professional fit.

Hi Sandy, my answer to the original question referred to this corset (right). I made it some years ago, and I wince when I look at it because I think I really messed up some elements of it (the shape I made over her bust is awful, for example, and I had trouble supporting its considerable weight).  I still fully intend to re-make it, perhaps this year, and as any corsetmaker, however experienced, I'll learn a bucketload of wonderful things when I do.

For now, let me tell you what I learnt from this one, and what you can notice and emulate if you wish:

1) I haven't attempted to push and pull Demi into the standard corset shape. We quickly discovered that putting pressure on her waist at the front is deeply uncomfortable for her. In fact, her underbust is the smallest part, and so I let it be the smallest part of the pattern. As I said in the original post, think of enhancing what your friend has, not trying to make it into something else.

2) She does have some shape at her waist at the back, so I let the pieces curve inwards there, but at the front I simply let the seams be vertical from her underbust downwards. This seemed to smooth her belly out to some extent.

3) It could, perhaps, have been a little longer at the front to cover her belly more, but do keep in mind that if you go too low, you'll have to curve the edge of the corset inwards to guard against the centre front point sticking out. And curving it inwards over the bottom half of her belly, of course, will only serve to advertise it. So do consider stopping at, or just below, the widest point. If a skirt was worn with this corset the effect would be wonderful, but unfortunately my fiancée would rather die than be caught dead in a skirt!

As for how to begin making such a pattern, I'd recommend working with my article The Corsetmaking Revolution, since you'll be able to use any pattern to construct one in the correct size. It works with the back and the front of the corset separately, allowing you to measure front and back individually and then curve the back inwards, while keeping the front straighter. The golden rule when playing with a pattern is simply this: take whatever you want from whichever piece, as long as you add it back in somewhere else - and leave the straight, vertical centre front and centre back edges alone!