Victorian Corset Making 3/4 - 1890s Symington Pretty Housemaid Corded Corset - Phase Three detail

[@sandrareed9640]

Can't wait for part four! Do you plan on making a pattern to sell? This is exactly what I'm looking for.

[@24Washington]

Thank you so very much for your comment. The poor corset looks longingly at me every time I enter my workroom, but I just haven't got around to dismantling it and making the final adjustments. Truthfully, weight fluctuation hasn't helped at all, as I am frightened of making something to fit perfectly today that won't fit in a month or two (I guess this goes to show my lack of experience!!). I have no plans to make a pattern to sell, but I can go through the process of merging the two original Symington patterns in a post on my site. I need to finish part 4 first, however! hahaha. I presume you watched through part 1? There was a lot of talking, I know, but I did explain which of the two available patterns I chose and how I chose to mix/match. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Thanks for stopping by! :)

[@sandrareed9640]

@@24Washington yes I did watch all three. I get the weight fluctuations, ugh. Thank you so much for the videos!

[@valentinacruz6326]

Me too!

[@elisabonetti408]

Great job! I’m working on a pair of linen stays for summer right now. I already made wool ones, but they’re not good for hot weather.

[@24Washington]

Thank you so very much. I cannot wait to put the "aftermath analysis" together. I learned SO much wearing it for four days - and should I confess that I immediately started gathering ideas for ventilated summer corsets? hahaha

[@carakiller2103]

Looking forward to part 4 and seeing it finished.

[@24Washington]

Thank you. I really hope to have it reviewed, adjusted, and completed soon!

[@theverbind]

I hope to see part 4 soon!

[@24Washington]

Yes ... I keep hoping to have the opportunity when we have our school breaks, but it's looking like I'm going to have to be more aggressive about it. Thank you for the prod ☺️

[@QCRonsyn]

I love your sewing machine!

[@24Washington]

Thank you! 😊 I certainly loved it enough to bring it across the ocean with me!!

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

I was mowing in 95 F yesterday, if I’d been wearing all those clothes I’d be dead. I had ice packs strapped on.

[@kimt2au]

Nooooooo! I can't see a part 4 😭😭😭

[@24Washington]

Ughhhh... I know :( I still haven't finished it. My weight went up and down while I was making it, and it began to not fit the way it did originally ... and I lost the motivation to see it through. With the cording, it makes it very difficult to simply resize the panels ... (the ideal solution). I haven't abandoned hope of finishing the project altogether. One day... Please keep your fingers crossed for me xx

[@kimt2au]

@@24Washington It must have been the work out from all that mowing you do.

[@24Washington]

@kimt2au hahaha - followed by winter hibernation ... and repeat 🤣

[@carolempluckrose4188]

What beautiful work. Please be pleased and proud of your work, I certainly am for you. I have yet to be brave enough to tackle a corset, although I have drafted one out from Corsets and Crinolines by Nora Waugh. It's going to need many mock ups and some major redesigning/surgery first though. All good experience I think, but I might not be saying that half way through the process! I'm really looking forward to part 4.

[@24Washington]

Thank you for your very kind words ❤️🙏

[@wendymalik6784]

Did I some how miss the 4th video? I didn’t get the final review.

[@24Washington]

Thank you so much for your question. You didn't miss the 4th part - summer outdoor demands took priority to extensive sewing projects, and I'm sad to say that my corset has been hanging awaiting a revisit. I deeply appreciate you asking about it and hope to have it completed before too long.

[@trampledbygeese]

@@24Washington looking forward to it too. These are great videos.

[@biblicallyaccuratecockroach]

Although corset making (or any major sewing in general) is a distant idea as of now for me, your adventures in this kind of reconstructive archeology are fascinating! When (if) I get around to making one I hope I remember to check back here. It's a full tutorial! I've tried checking on that website you linked to on you website, but for some reason it loads then whites out... Bummer, I was hoping to check on those patterns :( although my skills aren't at the level required for this quite yet XD All those channels for the cording sound daunting to make! Not because they're hard with a sewing machine and a steady hand, but because they're so many! Can't wait for the continuation of this series, and I've subbed, so if you make more fashion/sewing videos I can watch them :) But I have a question, I didn't quite understand how you made those cording channels? Maybe my English failed me there, but did you sew a few channels, put cord on them, then did more channels until you had all of them, was that it? If so, why not sew all the channels at once? Because I assume that would also reduce the "shrinking" of the outtermost layer. Or was that method one of those test runs you didn't like? Maybe it sounds dumb, but I didn't quite get that part :/

[@24Washington]

Thank you so much for your comment and your subscription! I'm so glad that you've enjoyed this series - I love research projects :) I'm so sorry that the Symington Collection site isn't loading for you. It's such a wonderful resource. I will try another way to link to the site - maybe it will work: imageleicestershire.org.uk/index.php?a=QuickSearch&q=Symington%20Corset%20Pattern&WINID=1592754589431 To try answering your cording question (and don't worry, it was not a dumb question at all), I found that the outer layer was shrinking much more than the under layer because of the style of the fabric. It was so much lighter-weight than the inner layer. While the stitch line would trap some of the fabric weave, it still would allow the other direction of weave (or "grain") to pull through a bit. If you imagine this multiplied 30 times, the end effect could have been quite obvious. I did not wish to put my suspicions to the test, because I did not want to do 30 channels again!! hahaha So I sewed a few channels, corded them, made sure that the outer layer had adjusted, and then proceeded with a few more. IF I had a similar weight/style of fabric on the inner/outer layers, then as you suggest - the overall shrinkage of one layer would probably have been reduced. Please let me know if you have any further questions!! I will do my best to answer.

[@biblicallyaccuratecockroach]

​@@24Washington That was a quick reply! Thank you, I understand it better now :D And thanks for giving me a new link to try. Seems it's a problem with the browser, Chrome won't open it, but Edge will, so I can finally check them out. So thank you! Looking forward to your videos!