I spent longer than I would care to admit today making tiny corsets from "free" or public domain patterns and construction paper. Each one is about the size of my hand (pattern was sized to fit on an 8 1/2" by 11" piece of paper).
This one is from Tygodnik Mód 1869, pattern floating around on Pinterest. Really interesting three piece design.
This one is from Die Frauenwelt 1874, also floating around on Pinterest. I like the simple two piece body with gores for shaping, much easier to alter than seams. Note how this cups the stomach rather than flaring out? The longer line dresses of the 1870s required corsets to have more structure below the waist, opposed to 1860s styles that ended there.
A little later on, this is from a 1878 patent. I made this mostly because it combines the gores and full length pieces. I love the side profile, front and back, not so much.
These next two are both from "Complete Guide to Ladies Garment Cutting" c. 1883.
I think this one has the "best" shape which is interesting since it specifies it is for stout ladies lol. The back is very flat too which surprises me, I'd expect there to be more volume there to support the bustle.
This one I made mostly because it doesn't have gores and is different for that era. The pieces didn't line up well and it feels almost like this should begin below the bust? That top line is SO ODD.
But! The side profile and volume over the hips is pretty great. Something to revisit eventually, maybe, it will just require more work.
The next three are from the Symington Corset archive which is very fun to look through if you never have before! A hundred+ original patterns from the 1890s.
I picked three, starting with this earlier design which didn't end up being very shapely at all. I wonder if this is for juniors? This was an instant "no" for me, has no redeeming qualities for what I want in an 1890s corset. Maybe for the 1920s, lol...
(edit; I wonder if what I thought were narrow bones in the seams is actually cord? making it even more lightweight in terms of support.)
I love the front and back of this sooo much. It is so waspy and easier than the others to alter IMO given the simplicity of the piecing. It is very straight in the back, though, which probably won't work for me.
Lastly, is this guy. Which I think is the best rounded--this could work for the 80s and 90s. I like the side profile of this a lot but not so much the front. I also feel like the narrow pieces with centered bones will be harder to alter than the wider pieces shown above. But the back slope on this one would be better for me and the rise on the hips looks more comfortable.
This was a fun little test! Some looked very different than I expected based on how they looked flat and gives me some insight on which to use as a base for altering to my measurements.
Which is your favorite?
