Waisted Efforts: An Illustrated Guide to Corset Making [Paperback]

Robert Doyle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1997

Waisted Efforts compliments the classic "Corsets and Crinolines" by Norah Waugh. Thirty years in the preparation, it contains the largest collection of corset drafts of any publication, with extensive details in construction. Among costumers, Waisted Efforts has become known as the "corset maker's bible."

Editorial Reviews

Review

Mr. Doyle clearly knows his business, offering the most constructive information on corsets yet in print. -- Renate Anderson, The Costume Journal, 1998

About the Author

Robert Doyle was the creator of the animation program at the restoration of the 18th century Fortress Louisbourg in Nova Scotia. He went on to create Canada's first and only Costume Studies Program at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

Thirty years of research and teaching has produced this extraordinary work; shedding new light on this ancient garment, now entering a new renaissance in contemporary theatre and fashion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 235 pages
• Publisher: Sartorial Press Publications (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0968303900
• ISBN-13: 978-0968303900
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,271,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Waisted Money, March 4, 2005

By 

Lady Kalessia (Laura) "Historical Costumer" (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waisted Efforts: An Illustrated Guide to Corset Making (Paperback)

This book has been in and out of print for years, and there's a reason.

While the method described is very useful for the making of corsets, it's no different from the general sloper method taught by any sewing course - the only benefit is the gridded pattern layouts. Of course, for the entire Victorian period, these are the same design sketches and gridded patterns in Nora Waugh's "Corsets and Crinolines", which is only barely credited for them. As other reviewers have said, the text is awkward and confusing, which I attribute to it being poorly translated out of the original French.

A small saving grace of this book is the massive collection of pattern diagrams and sketches for corsetry from about 1890-1910, but while these diagrams are interesting, they represent such a small period, which is so seldom reenacted, that they're mostly of scholarly interest. I might add that while they seem to have been taken from a museum sketchbook, the notes are never fully explained, leaving us to wonder what the long string of numbers and designations means.

Combine all of this with the high price, and the fact that most of the "research" is available elsewhere, and I'd reccomend the aforementioned "Corsets and Crinolines" hands-down every time.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars hmmmm...., March 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Waisted Efforts: An Illustrated Guide to Corset Making (Paperback)

I had really high hopes for this book, as it's been called the "corset maker's bible"
I am a designer looking to go into corsetry professionally and was under the impression that this would be more how-to and less historical prattle.
If you want a book about period styles and practical advice on how they were made back "in the day" this is a good reference. But, if you really want to see explanations and pictures of step-by-step corset construction (like how to apply boning or how to reinforce seam allowances) this book is not at all worth the price. I'm really terribly sorry.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little disappointed, May 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Waisted Efforts: An Illustrated Guide to Corset Making (Paperback)

"Kepharel" from Louisville (see review below) couldn't have expressed it better. The text is extremely awkward and badly edited; in truth, I had to stop reading the material because the grammatical errors were grating on my nerves! Almost every single sentence has misplaced commas or something else wrong with it. However, the book is filled with nice photographs and drawings of original corsets, pattern pieces, and corset construction steps. The photos also show how to make a muslin to "draw" the corset on your own body.

"Waisted Efforts" would be a nice pictorial resource for a person with prior pattern drafting and corset construction knowledge, since it doesn't offer sewing instructions. It also spans a wide time range, from the 16th century to the present. However, many of the corsets featured are re-drawn from Norah Waugh's "Corsets and Crinolines". I would suggest Norah Waugh's book instead (although she doesn't offer sewing instructions, either).

The price for "Waisted Efforts" is so much higher than its quality -- I would try to request it from the library, if you're really interested. You won't want to be surprised that you "Waisted Money".