Sorry to be awkward and a huge pain straight off the bat, but I need some help with the pattern if at all possible.
I had a read of the article and I think I'm right in that posting here is the right thing to do but if not I will gladly take the slap on the wrist haha

My measurements are currently 36-24-39 without a corset so in theory it will be a great fit if I can drastically change the size of the waist. I don't mind it only giving a very small amount of cinch because I'd rather give myself an easy task when it comes to resizing this to keep it an enjoyable fun thing to do instead of becoming a chore, but from the look of the instructions it'll be a tad tricky to change only the waist measurement so drastically.

Could I please get some advice?

I'd be happy to wear it at 23" so it's doing something but isn't going to be such a massive pain to try and draft, but would prefer a little smaller if possible.

I'd be happy to be one of your fitting guinea pig images if I can get the pattern to my size

Hi! Definitely right to post, no wrist slap required. This isn't some guided lesson - we're all just hanging out working on the same project together.

So you basically need to take 2" out of each side? Here's how I would do it:

- You can probably do 3/4" out of the NH/LK pieces, just like I described. You'll probably want to slash L and K and overlap them several times, rather than just overlapping in the middle like I suggested in the article.

- You could adjust the back curve of N to nip in at the waist a bit more and flare back out over the hip. It would be shaped less like a long arc and more like a standard hourglass. I bet you could take out between 1/4" and 1/2" from there.

- You could adjust the curves of F and G - I wouldn't fiddle with the front edge of F too much, but in the seam between F and G you could probably get yourself another 1/2" there, and maybe a bit more from the back side of G (the side that sews to H).

- So you're at about 1 1/2" to 1 3/4" - Probably the remainder can come out of the back piece I - again, you'll shape it more like a standard hourglass.

If any of that doesn't make sense, let me know and I can sketch you up some diagrams.

That definitely does make sense

Thanks so much for the help - things from this era are way out of my comfort zone so I really appreciate the advice!

Of course! It also helps that I've altered and sewn up this corset already.


This is how I almost always approach alterations - don't try to get the whole chunk in one go, just start figuring out where to take little nibbles, and keep a running tally of the total. Probably you'll need to make some adjustments when you're actually working on paper, but it gives you somewhere to start.


You'll probably find F and G easiest to play with if you match up the top and bottom corners and line up the waist parallel to the edge of the table. It'll look weird and slanty (and the seam edges will bow away from each other in a long slant), but it will give a much clearer idea how to change the curves to affect the waist and not the bust or hip.

Plus bonus diagram! I was working up a bunch of stuff for the next installment, and decided to throw this in. I'm sure you won't be the only person with the question, and it's one I didn't really cover in the original.

I have redrawn only the waist bits, but for H, N, K, and L I would definitely recommend slashing and overlapping rather than just redrawing the lines. It'll give you a more accurate top and bottom edge and not mess with the seam lengths as much. If you need more space in the hip after you've done this, take a hip curve to the straight seam between K and L and bow it out symmetrically. That'll pop the hip open faster which may be more comfortable. That's one of the changes I made, and I have no regrets at all.