Customer Reviews

Corsets: Historical Patterns & Techniques

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderful book for those interested in Historical Stays and Corsets.

You will not find modern overbusts or underbusts in this book!

Things I love about this book:

clear patterns on graph scale. they are only 1/2 scale so easy to enlarge.

2 doll corset patterns which are full scale.

an 1880-5 child's stay band

18th century stays with side lacing which could have been used for pregnancy.

At least one color photo of each corset

small section on construction

Things that would have made this book totally awesome:

Not switching between the terms "stays" and "corset" for the 18th century. (I hope this was an editors change, not the author's error)

more photos of the back, insides, details!

giving the museum accession numbers for the garments so we could contact the museums for more photos.

Info on adjusting the patterns to fit individual bodies

marking the bust, waist, hip position and measurements on the pattern somewhere for ease of alteration.

More construction information.

a nursing corset or a later maternity corset (but that would be just me)

You will need Linda Spark's book for more on construction and fitting of corsets. Fore more information on the construction and fitting of 18th century stays, see "Fitting and Proper" and "Costume Close Up"

The graphed patterns are great if you want to reproduce historic styles but there are no measurements of the original garments, a major failing. I've sewn two of the corsets in the book, they went together easily and then I was able to figure out the size and grade it to the size my client needed but a two step process that would have been faster if basic specs of the original garments had been provided. Pictures of the corsets are lovely but are minimal.....no inside views, often only a photo of the front (no side or back views for several, although line drawings are clear and fairly accurate). Minimal construction information although the projects in the back are good for explaining different construction methods, they are not very detailed. Overall, a must have for the patterns alone, much easier to use than those by Waugh and can't beat the price!

I love this book. It was so easy for me to follow the patterns and the photos are beautiful. I only wish the pattern to the 1875 corset on the cover page had a pattern (it's my favorite in the book). I don't recommend it as a pattern book for an inexperienced stitcher. Being able to flat pattern and grade it to size are important skills to use this book.

This book was written by a theater costumer, so while the traced patterns are decent and an experienced designer can work with them, the scholarship backing up her assumptions on the history of the corsets is completely nonexistent. (Primary and secondary sources, what're those? *rolls eyes* You may know something from years of experience, but you *have to back up your suppositions with actual, verifiable facts and sources* for the information to be of any use at all, and Salen--unlike Norah Waugh--most definitely did not do any of that in this book.)

The photos are universally mediocre and not good enough to give you enough detail to be able to reproduce them on your own--most of the museums didn't seem have good pictures of the pieces and she wasn't allowed to photograph many specifically for the book.

The patterns Salen created are decent enough if you're an experienced designer. She's inconsistent about the information that's provided on them, however--there is no one pattern of crosshatching used on the designs to indicate locations of boning, for instance. (Half the time you have to guess based on where flossing is located.)

Finally, I really, really wish people would stop repeating how to incorrectly lace corsets from the 1800s--you don't lace them like tennis shoes, for crying out loud!

This was a gift and I absolutely love it! There are marvelous detailed pictures and great information about when and where the corsets are from. The current collections in which the corsets are kept are also mentioned so if you want to see them in person you can plan a trip accordingly. Gave me some answers to questions I'd had regarding structures over hip areas. Great book, worth buying!

I took a previous reviewer's advice to not buy the book at an inflated price but wait for it to be in stock and I'm glad I listened. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this book and my only complaint is that it doesn't have fifty more corsets in it! But as valuable as this resource is, it is perfectly reasonable at the retail price, but no more.

While it's a smidge annoying that sizes aren't spelled out for every corset, a little simple math has worked for me because she plots out the finished sizes of the pieces rather than adding seam allowance. :)

For enlarging the patterns, I've been scanning the pages into my computer and tracing the outlines in Photoshop to create vector images and then printing them full scale. This is really great for me because I can make my alterations in the computer and am hoping to build up a fitting library for my favorite patterns.

This book is best paired with a more basic how-to for beginners, but an experienced sewer should have no trouble replicating these corsets.

Now if only she'll come out with an expanded edition...

I bought this book along with two others and loved it. The patterns are well drawn and the addition of the details on the patterns helpful. I got this book and at ones started to make up the one on the cover. not only was it easy to fallow the pattern and enlarge it, but it being on the graph paper made it much easier on sizing. The graph paper also made it easy to alter of a better fit. I only needed to make one mock up before making the finely corset.

I suggest this book to any experienced seamstress who wishes to make corsets.

Corsets have become more popular in the last few years but have always been near and dear to historical costumers' hearts. Salen has produced a beautiful and useful book that will be sought after by collectors and costumers for many many years.

I actually ordered the wrong book, but this one is very good. Might not be the right book for someone who does not understand advanced pattern making as you only get one diagram and one photo per corset. I will be keeping this one since I have constructed corsets before.

This is one of the better books about corsets. It includes some fabulous pictures of antique corsets and patterns and information about each of them. My only problems with the book is that there aren't all that many corsets in the book (which is reasonable given how big the book would have to be to add more but an overview of the styles of each period, preferably with photographs, would have been good. Particularly since some of the corsets whilst of the time period they represent do not appear to be representative of it.)

My only other problem is that I find some of the corsets quite ugly so whilst they are historically interesting I would not want to reproduce them. Still, this is quite a personal reaction and does not detract from the book too much especially since some of the corsets are quite stunningly attractive. Overall a great book.