good book but desperately needs a layout correction, Lest start with page numbers who approved page numbers on the inside of a page Its always in the outer corner to enable flipping through the book to find a page quickly.
Some of the pages have nice photos of a size of matchstick box and a half of a page is empty.
Why It would be so great to be able to study the photo in detail but not when its so tiny and clearly the lack of space wasnt a problem.
UghI didnt draft any of the patterns yet but flipping through it looks like somebody put a lot of work into it what a shame its so badly put together.
I have recently just bought the publication, Stays And Corsets by Mandy Barrington and have been using the book in my pattern cutting classes for the past few weeks.
I primarily cut on the stand however I encourage my students to initiate both flat pattern and stand cutting within their work.
The book collates a varied range of previously unseen examples of Corsetry from the Early Eighteenth Century to the Late Nineteenth Century.
The patterns are exiting, refreshing of value to the Cutter or Interpreter of Historical Dress, The patterns in the book are easy to use for both novice and professional alike and from personal experience fit to perfection with little room for error unless your measurements are incorrect.
It is important to note that this book takes into account the translation of original patterns to a modern female body shape rather than sizing to an original individual who lived two hundred years ago.
The book is invaluable to a flat pattern and stand cutter,adding insight and informing knowledge on line and proportion, This book has been long in coming and bridges the gap between the work of such luminaries Janet Arnold and Norah WaughThis work is both interesting and insightful and a must for any College or University Library and a serious must have for any costume historian or students bookshelf.
Wayne Martin Excellent book on historical styles of corset and how to construct custom patterns, However, if you are looking for a 'how to make' corset book this isn't for you as there are no construction details.
This book is perfect for a costume maker or pattern cutter, Having completed a degree in costume construction myself and now working in the industry, I find this book incredibly easy to follow and am very much looking forward to using it.
It has guidelines on creating a female basic block, which has easy to follow instructions on one page and the diagram to copy on the page opposite.
Once you have created the block using your model's measurements the book goes into detail on how to adapt the basic block intodifferent stays and corsets patterns fromto.
All of these patterns are based on real garments which the author has studied in detail and then adapted for the modern figure.
A lot of similar corset drafting books have the massive issue that body shape has changed significantly from the original figure who would wear such a corset to the modern bodies of today and therefore the patterns you would draft would simply not fit a modern woman!These corsets in the book are the following:fully boned corset bodice,half boned stays,half boned stays,fully boned stays,white cotton corset,closed front corset,closed front corset,corded and quilted corset,riding
corset andwasp waist corset.
A typical chapter includes an image of the original historical garment studied by the author from museums such as the VA, Fashion Museum Bath and The National Trust Wade Costume Collection followed by some historical information about the garment including how you could alter the garment for a modern construction such as replacing the original bone channels to a bone size which is readily available today.
There then follows an in depth line drawing and explanation of the garment showing original stitch lines and bone channels, and how the individual pattern pieces should look.
Then there are instructions with diagrams on how to trace your basic block pattern to use with this particular corset, and a measurements table to help you find the specific measurements to use for your model when drafting ranging from bust sizecm tocm a godsend for anyone who has ever had to make period costumes for a bigger busted modern woman!.
After this followspages of instructions and diagrams on how to plot all elements of the period corset including drafting the tabs, sleeves and bone channel placement.
Just to clarify due to a previous review, this book has instructions on drafting patterns only so if you are looking for a book on how to sew a corset together then you would need to look elsewhere or buy this in conjunction with another book, however if you have a basic knowledge of corset making and /or costume construction it isn't difficult to figure out how these pattern pieces go together especially when you look at the beautiful close up photographs of the author's own corsets at the end of each chapter.
This is highly unique book and I think essential for anyone interested in costume construction and period pattern drafting! I've madeof the corsets from this book now and even if you use your own measurements you will still need to adjust the garment multiple times.
Do not be put off by the fact that it doesn't fit first time the final corsets will be stunning,
Some of the pages have nice photos of a size of matchstick box and a half of a page is empty.
Why It would be so great to be able to study the photo in detail but not when its so tiny and clearly the lack of space wasnt a problem.
UghI didnt draft any of the patterns yet but flipping through it looks like somebody put a lot of work into it what a shame its so badly put together.
I have recently just bought the publication, Stays And Corsets by Mandy Barrington and have been using the book in my pattern cutting classes for the past few weeks.
I primarily cut on the stand however I encourage my students to initiate both flat pattern and stand cutting within their work.
The book collates a varied range of previously unseen examples of Corsetry from the Early Eighteenth Century to the Late Nineteenth Century.
The patterns are exiting, refreshing of value to the Cutter or Interpreter of Historical Dress, The patterns in the book are easy to use for both novice and professional alike and from personal experience fit to perfection with little room for error unless your measurements are incorrect.
It is important to note that this book takes into account the translation of original patterns to a modern female body shape rather than sizing to an original individual who lived two hundred years ago.
The book is invaluable to a flat pattern and stand cutter,adding insight and informing knowledge on line and proportion, This book has been long in coming and bridges the gap between the work of such luminaries Janet Arnold and Norah WaughThis work is both interesting and insightful and a must for any College or University Library and a serious must have for any costume historian or students bookshelf.
Wayne Martin Excellent book on historical styles of corset and how to construct custom patterns, However, if you are looking for a 'how to make' corset book this isn't for you as there are no construction details.
This book is perfect for a costume maker or pattern cutter, Having completed a degree in costume construction myself and now working in the industry, I find this book incredibly easy to follow and am very much looking forward to using it.
It has guidelines on creating a female basic block, which has easy to follow instructions on one page and the diagram to copy on the page opposite.
Once you have created the block using your model's measurements the book goes into detail on how to adapt the basic block intodifferent stays and corsets patterns fromto.
All of these patterns are based on real garments which the author has studied in detail and then adapted for the modern figure.
A lot of similar corset drafting books have the massive issue that body shape has changed significantly from the original figure who would wear such a corset to the modern bodies of today and therefore the patterns you would draft would simply not fit a modern woman!These corsets in the book are the following:fully boned corset bodice,half boned stays,half boned stays,fully boned stays,white cotton corset,closed front corset,closed front corset,corded and quilted corset,riding
corset andwasp waist corset.
A typical chapter includes an image of the original historical garment studied by the author from museums such as the VA, Fashion Museum Bath and The National Trust Wade Costume Collection followed by some historical information about the garment including how you could alter the garment for a modern construction such as replacing the original bone channels to a bone size which is readily available today.
There then follows an in depth line drawing and explanation of the garment showing original stitch lines and bone channels, and how the individual pattern pieces should look.
Then there are instructions with diagrams on how to trace your basic block pattern to use with this particular corset, and a measurements table to help you find the specific measurements to use for your model when drafting ranging from bust sizecm tocm a godsend for anyone who has ever had to make period costumes for a bigger busted modern woman!.
After this followspages of instructions and diagrams on how to plot all elements of the period corset including drafting the tabs, sleeves and bone channel placement.
Just to clarify due to a previous review, this book has instructions on drafting patterns only so if you are looking for a book on how to sew a corset together then you would need to look elsewhere or buy this in conjunction with another book, however if you have a basic knowledge of corset making and /or costume construction it isn't difficult to figure out how these pattern pieces go together especially when you look at the beautiful close up photographs of the author's own corsets at the end of each chapter.
This is highly unique book and I think essential for anyone interested in costume construction and period pattern drafting! I've madeof the corsets from this book now and even if you use your own measurements you will still need to adjust the garment multiple times.
Do not be put off by the fact that it doesn't fit first time the final corsets will be stunning,
Stays and Corsets: Historical Patterns Translated for the Modern Body goes a step beyond traditional historical costuming texts by not only providing you with historical pattern diagrams and information, but by showing you how to adapt these patterns to the contemporary body shape.
Using her original pattern drafting system, author Mandy Barrington will show you how to draft a historical pattern for a modern body shape, while still retaining an accurate historical silhouette.
Each pattern has been generated from an original stay, corset, or pattern taken from a historical garment, The instructions to follow these new patterns are designed to accommodate any size of female figure, allowing you to avoid extremely difficult, time consuming, and inaccurate historical pattern re sizing Requiring only basic prior knowledge of pattern drafting, all calculations have been worked out for the costume maker and are provided in simple tables accompanied by easy to read, step by step diagrams that clearly show how the historical pattern is plotted onto the female basic block, coupled with photographs of the constructed stays and corsets.