Nicole Rudolph | Making an Easy Regency Corset with SPRINGS @NicoleRudolph | Uploaded July 2021 | Updated October 2024, 1 day ago.
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Despite rubber elastic not being feasible until the 1840s, elasticated garments were present in the 18th and early 19th c. Some had mechanical stretch by way of knitting or bias, but the idea of using small metal springs became popular around the turn of the century. I have always been curious how well these garments would actually function- is there enough resistance? Does the fabric catch in the springs? How difficult is the construction? The only way to know the answers of how these garments worked and were made was to reproduce one!
Overall the construction of an elastic corset was very simple- it makes for a quick sewing project. The examples that I found were all basically rectangles and the shaping was minimal. The front could be fastened by buckles or lacing, and nearly everything about them was very adjustable. It took a few attempts to get the right angle at center back and at the bust, but those are the only permanent seams with any complications. And most of the assembly was running stitches!
I think these corsets are a wonderful idea to not only add interest to a plain Regency gown, but can help provide bust support when making an entire corded corset with gores is too complex. The springs and buckles add so much variation in size and shape that it will be able to fit a variety of bodies.
From what I can find, this style peaked in the earliest part of the 19th century, but the technology of metal springs continued until the rubber replacement in the 1840s. Garters, suspenders, breeches, waistcoats, shoes, and surely more all took on the technology of elastic well before Vulcanization was invented.
Springs: grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-6-in-High-Carbon-Steel-Utility-1NAE5
🖼 Pink Corset Plate: zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00112720/JLM_1801_H002_0032.tif
🖼 White Corset Plate: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/RP-P-2009-2349
🖼 Elastic Vest: collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/online/object/739231.html
🖼 Elastic Breeches: metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/787996?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=elastic&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=4
🖼 Brown Corset: http://www.abitiantichi.it/collezione/busti/busto36.html
🖼 Sheer Corset: metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/80031577
🖼 Green Corset: https://www.pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/joconde/09020038862
🖼 Ivory Corset: ateliernostalgia.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/gemeentemuseumkorsetje.jpg
Socials
Instagram: instagram.com/silk_and_buckram
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@cloche_call
Patreon: patreon.com/nicolerudolph
🎶Music via Epidemic Sound (https://www.epidemicsound.com)
Thanks again to MagellanTV for sponsoring this weeks video! Get your SPECIAL OFFER for MagellanTV here: try.magellantv.com/nicolerudolph. It's an exclusive offer for our viewers! Start your free trial today. MagellanTV is a new kind of streaming service run by filmmakers with 3,000+ documentaries! Check out our personal recommendation and MagellanTV’s exclusive playlists: magellantv.com/explore/history
Despite rubber elastic not being feasible until the 1840s, elasticated garments were present in the 18th and early 19th c. Some had mechanical stretch by way of knitting or bias, but the idea of using small metal springs became popular around the turn of the century. I have always been curious how well these garments would actually function- is there enough resistance? Does the fabric catch in the springs? How difficult is the construction? The only way to know the answers of how these garments worked and were made was to reproduce one!
Overall the construction of an elastic corset was very simple- it makes for a quick sewing project. The examples that I found were all basically rectangles and the shaping was minimal. The front could be fastened by buckles or lacing, and nearly everything about them was very adjustable. It took a few attempts to get the right angle at center back and at the bust, but those are the only permanent seams with any complications. And most of the assembly was running stitches!
I think these corsets are a wonderful idea to not only add interest to a plain Regency gown, but can help provide bust support when making an entire corded corset with gores is too complex. The springs and buckles add so much variation in size and shape that it will be able to fit a variety of bodies.
From what I can find, this style peaked in the earliest part of the 19th century, but the technology of metal springs continued until the rubber replacement in the 1840s. Garters, suspenders, breeches, waistcoats, shoes, and surely more all took on the technology of elastic well before Vulcanization was invented.
Springs: grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-6-in-High-Carbon-Steel-Utility-1NAE5
🖼 Pink Corset Plate: zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00112720/JLM_1801_H002_0032.tif
🖼 White Corset Plate: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/RP-P-2009-2349
🖼 Elastic Vest: collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/online/object/739231.html
🖼 Elastic Breeches: metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/787996?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=elastic&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=4
🖼 Brown Corset: http://www.abitiantichi.it/collezione/busti/busto36.html
🖼 Sheer Corset: metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/80031577
🖼 Green Corset: https://www.pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/joconde/09020038862
🖼 Ivory Corset: ateliernostalgia.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/gemeentemuseumkorsetje.jpg
Socials
Instagram: instagram.com/silk_and_buckram
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@cloche_call
Patreon: patreon.com/nicolerudolph
🎶Music via Epidemic Sound (https://www.epidemicsound.com)
