Mock-up #1C

[mala_14]

The waist and hips are pretty good, I think. But my bust adjustments aren't quite right. It probably sounds crazy after all my gusset trauma, but I think bust gussets might give a better shape. However, while there are 1880s corset that have just bust gussets, the earlier styles of the sort that I'm trying to copy don't seem to have this and I really don't want to mess around with hip gussets. I probably just have to fiddle a bit more with the seams at the bust. I'm definitely getting a rounder bust, but there are some weird pull lines making a V-shape to the underbust. Any thoughts on how to fix these?

Maybe I raised the underbust a bit too high. Hmm...

Edited to add: I changed how I was tightening the lacing, tightening from the waist instead of the bottom and got a better waist reduction. The bust still has wrinkles though. 

Comments

[starlightmasque.livejournal.com]

I want to help, but don't know how! Just chiming in to give you moral support! You can get it right!

[mala-14.livejournal.com]

Moral support is always appreciated! :)

[kaesha-nikovana.livejournal.com]

Something to think about...once your bones are fully encased at the top and bottom, the tension they put on the corset will help sort out some of those wrinkles at the bust. It's hard to say if they'll all go away until you've got the whole thing fully complete. Alternately, you could trim your bones to size and sew a single line of stitching at the top and bottom of your mockup and probably get a better idea of what's really going on there. Corsets can be such finicky things!

[mala-14.livejournal.com]

I think that you're right and this is part of what is contributing to some of the wrinkling. Pulling up on the bust did eliminate a lot of the wrinkles, which leads me to believe that more and more secure boning will fix a lot of it. But I'm going to play with the bust shaping a bit more because I'm not quite happy with it.

[chocolatepot.livejournal.com]

That's looking really good!

[mala-14.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

[tigerweave.livejournal.com]

I think the more secure boning will help, but I also think perhaps smoothing out the bottom cure of the 'cups' will help. Those wrinkles look like a mismatch between the amount of fabric in the base of the bust curve versus the amount over the fullest bit of the bust.

Looks like the centre front is set on the grain of fabric so you couldn't 'give' more to the underside of the bust there. I'm figuring the next seam along, the one coming up from directly underneath the bust has to be that tight to support the breast? But if you made the underside just a bit more of a curve out to add a tiny bit there?

I'm curious as to what would happen if you unpicked the three seams - centre front, under bust and just to the side of the bust, and let the fabric do what it wants, what would happen?

Actually I could be saying the long way round that perhaps the underbust is a bit high. But it looks like there's not enough fabric somewhere too. Grrr. So hard with fitting from photos!

[mala-14.livejournal.com]

I've unpicked the over-bust and side-bust seams and changed the curves as well as lowering the underbust a tad. I'm thinking that maybe the curve needs to be spread out over more seams instead of being concentrated in one spot. About to try out the new adjustments, so we'll see!

[tigerweave.livejournal.com]

Oh yep that sounds like what I was trying to say, but couldn't really tell anyway coz you know, pictures not irl. And also not sure how much leeway for adjusting which seems for what in a corset.

Good luck with the new adjustments!

[mala-14.livejournal.com]

That's what I thought you meant. Thanks! :)