Product Description

Progressing through almost two centuries of corset-making, this fascinating collection showcases an astonishing range of period pieces, from the 1750 whale-boned corsets, through the invention of the sewing machine and mass-produced corsets of the 1850s to the makeshift corsets of World War I. Reflecting the changing fashions and attitudes of women throughout the centuries, the collection includes corsets for pregnancy, riding corsets for sportswomen and hard-wearing corsets for housemaids. There are even corsets for small children and their dolls. The book is packed with practical information on how to recreate these stunning period pieces for yourself. Each corset features an annotated pattern, a detailed drawing and close-up photography so any historical detail can be captured accurately by the maker. A brief overview places the corset within its historical context and explains any features or alterations necessary for making up the patterns. For those new to dressmaking there are two step-by-step projects - one for a hand-stitched, pre-1850 corset and one for a post-1850 corset made using the sewing machine. There is also invaluable advice on a range of corset-making techniques, from cutting and fitting the patterns to adding historical detail. Information on lacing the corsets, inserting eyelets, gussets and split busks and on stitching and flossing is all included.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23372 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Review
"Although aimed firmly at costume makers, there is still much to interest the historian, textile connoisseur, or indeed, closet corset-wearer." --Embroidery magazine

From the Author
The description of the book on your Amazon page is wrongcan it be ammended please

About the Author
Jill Salen is a lecturer in costume, and has been producing patterns of corsets from private and museum collections for many years. She is widely employed in the theatrical costume industry. Jill lives in Cardiff.

Customer Reviews

A welcome addition to corset making
Corset making is a suprisingly large subject, and this book is a welcome addition to the range.
It opens with some thoughtful comments about dating corsets and how typical are surviving examples, among other subjects.
The main body is devoted to an interesting selection of corsets, including finely boned and half-boned stays, hand stitched corded corsets, and later ones with a 'zone' waist band or gussets as well as the usual vertical panels - not forgetting the underbust and ribboned. Each corset features a full page colour photo, half a page or more commentary, and two page pattern. The patterns are generally to half scale, and all on graph paper with balance marks, grain lines and boning etc. indicated.
There follows a section on corset construction, including step-by-step guides for two corsets and how to insert gussets, floss and cord as well as the usual binding and busk insertion etc.
The book ends with lists of references, museums and suppliers.
If you know nothing about sewing but want to knock up a fashion corset, then this book is probably not for you - until you've got the bug! However, if you can follow a sewing pattern and want to recreate a period corset, this is the best single book available due to the large patterns and colour photos and the wide range of construction tips, including some not published elsewhere. Yes, more could be written about construction (where does one stop?), the 'close-up' photos touted in the blurb do not zoom in on any unusual feature, and the photos of the black corsets could be clearer, but I am happy to recommend this book: it is a steal at full price. 4+ stars

Save your money and borrow it from the library
Corsets: Historic Patterns and Techniques

As a professional corsetiere, I was keen to see this book; I'd heard some good things about it and managed to get a copy several months in advance of its release date.

Alas, for me it turned out to be a big disappointment!

For someone claiming to be a lecturer in historical clothing, Ms Salen appears to be lacking in both knowledge and the ability to reasonably hypothesise. What she does seem to be good at is hyperbole regarding her own talents. I'm actually wondering whether this was self-published because given that there are several excellent books on the subject, I can see no reason for a publisher to take this one on.

I'm not sure what this book actually has to offer beyond a handful of nice photographs (which can be found online or purchased from various museums). For the beginner the information is far too basic, and for the experienced it offers nothing new. In addition, certain information is missing from the 'patterns', e.g. grainlines on some pieces, tabs or straps on others. For the experienced sempstress or corsetiere this isn't a problem but a person with limited or no experience could well be left scratching their head.

The photographs, whilst clear and generally well presented, are selective at best. Some of the corsets aren't shown on mannequins, and almost all of them show only one view. Given that the accompanying copy in some cases describes certain design elements (one being that the left and right busts are different on a particular corset), one would expect the imagery to reflect and compliment the text. Certainly there ought to be close-up photographs of details. As for the cover image, one can only wonder why such a dreadful example of the corsetiere's art was used.

For a book that claims to inform and educate the reader about historical techniques, this book just isn't up to scratch. Granted there are a few sections relating to cording, gussets etc. but again, the information given is sketchy at best. My advice would be to spend your money on Norah Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines, and borrow this one from your library.

great detail
I'm a profesional corsetiere and I found this book inspiring. This is less a book about how to make corsets, although that is covered, instead, it's a much more valuable deconstruction of several historical corsets. Each corset is dissected and presented piece by piece, so that we can recreate each one. Fantastic!