Uploaded May 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Want to get the Gibson Girl look? Stuff your bra! Edwardian corsets were essential to the Gibson Girl look, very different from a Victorian corset, and used tons of padding to fake the fashionable shape.
Edwardian era fashion was very different from Victorian dress, even in the 1890s, and nowhere more so than corsetry! The Gibson Girl style included an s-bend corset or straight front corset, which had a low full bust supported by bust improvers. Yes, bust improvers were literally pads to stuff your corset with, and they're essential to Edwardian corset making! This is how the Gibson Girl fashion appeared to have such a tiny waist : bust improvers and bustle pads made the silhouette more dramatic. Optical illusions and faking the figure are super common in dress history! I want to make a Gibson Girl dress or two, so I need a correctly shaped Edwardian corset.
This Edwardian corset tutorial uses a free pattern by Aranea Black (linked below). I found this corset pattern super comfortable, although it probably isn't for beginners. In this corset making tutorial, I'm making a single-layer corset with boning channels added on the inside. As corsets go, I think this is one of the easier ones! I'm looking forward to wearing this 1900s corset under the next Edwardian dress I make! Edwardian fashion is one of my favorite periods in fashion history, and I'm especially excited to have the right Edwardian outfit for some upcoming content about the Suffragettes . . .
Join my Patreon for behind-the-scenes updates, pattern diagrams, research lists, monthly video chats, and more! patreon.com/snappydragonstudios
Or, you can buy me some Ko-Fi : ko-fi.com/snappydragon
Follow me on IG for more stitchy business : @missSnappyDragon
For business inquiries, send an e-mail to : SnappyDragon at TBHonestSocial dot Com
I do not take personal costume/sewing or research commissions.
Want to send me letters? Send mail to PO Box 3884, Berkeley CA, 94703! Letters and cards only please 💚
Chapters :
0:00 The Edwardian silhouette was fake AF
0:27 Edwardian vs. Victorian corsets
0:57 A "bust improver"
2:41 Drafting the corset pattern
3:42 Mockups
5:57 Cutting out the corset
7:19 Sewing the corset together
8:20 Boning channels
9:26 Watch something interesting while you sew!
10:31 Center back boning channels
10:50 Setting in the corset busk
11:50 Attaching the front pieces
12:15 Boning the corset
12:49 Binding the corset edges
13:14 Setting in the back grommets
13:43 Very sloppy fabric-covered garters
14:11 A new bustle pad!
15:13 Finishing touches on the corset
15:44 The finished, padded, corset!
Want to get the Gibson Girl look? Stuff your bra! Edwardian corsets were essential to the Gibson Girl look, very different from a Victorian corset, and used tons of padding to fake the fashionable shape.
Edwardian era fashion was very different from Victorian dress, even in the 1890s, and nowhere more so than corsetry! The Gibson Girl style included an s-bend corset or straight front corset, which had a low full bust supported by bust improvers. Yes, bust improvers were literally pads to stuff your corset with, and they're essential to Edwardian corset making! This is how the Gibson Girl fashion appeared to have such a tiny waist : bust improvers and bustle pads made the silhouette more dramatic. Optical illusions and faking the figure are super common in dress history! I want to make a Gibson Girl dress or two, so I need a correctly shaped Edwardian corset.
This Edwardian corset tutorial uses a free pattern by Aranea Black (linked below). I found this corset pattern super comfortable, although it probably isn't for beginners. In this corset making tutorial, I'm making a single-layer corset with boning channels added on the inside. As corsets go, I think this is one of the easier ones! I'm looking forward to wearing this 1900s corset under the next Edwardian dress I make! Edwardian fashion is one of my favorite periods in fashion history, and I'm especially excited to have the right Edwardian outfit for some upcoming content about the Suffragettes . . .
Join my Patreon for behind-the-scenes updates, pattern diagrams, research lists, monthly video chats, and more! patreon.com/snappydragonstudios
Or, you can buy me some Ko-Fi : ko-fi.com/snappydragon
Follow me on IG for more stitchy business : @missSnappyDragon
For business inquiries, send an e-mail to : SnappyDragon at TBHonestSocial dot Com
I do not take personal costume/sewing or research commissions.
Want to send me letters? Send mail to PO Box 3884, Berkeley CA, 94703! Letters and cards only please 💚
Chapters :
0:00 The Edwardian silhouette was fake AF
0:27 Edwardian vs. Victorian corsets
0:57 A "bust improver"
2:41 Drafting the corset pattern
3:42 Mockups
5:57 Cutting out the corset
7:19 Sewing the corset together
8:20 Boning channels
9:26 Watch something interesting while you sew!
10:31 Center back boning channels
10:50 Setting in the corset busk
11:50 Attaching the front pieces
12:15 Boning the corset
12:49 Binding the corset edges
13:14 Setting in the back grommets
13:43 Very sloppy fabric-covered garters
14:11 A new bustle pad!
15:13 Finishing touches on the corset
15:44 The finished, padded, corset!
