Ok, I admit it. I've never worn a bustier before, let alone ever made one. I definitely pondered the prospect of its creation when I first gazed upon Simplicity pattern 2172, the steampunk dress. So what you're seeing here is my first attempt. It came out fantastic and, of course, I had to try it on. So now I can say, "why, yes, I have worn a bustier before and, in fact, I made the one I'm wearing right now." The results of my bustier has nothing to do with beginner's luck and I won't even give credit to my sewing skills. The credit goes to the Simplicity 2172 pattern and the directions' breakdown. I went through it and was amazed at how quickly the bustier could be created and really how much easier it was than I thought it was going to be. Now that I have this knowledge, I can look at the ready-to-wear bustiers and scoff at the prices because making it yourself can save money, doesn't take as much effort as you think especially when you get the hang of it, and there's an unlimited amount of creativity you can bring to it. This particular bustier is very classic, but it would be incredibly easy to add other trims and make it unique, which is way better than anything you can buy.
This bustier is part of our Simplicity Pattern 2172 steampunk series. We also have tutorials on the coat and skirt, so you can easily create this whole steampunk ensemble.
If you want more support, I think using the steel boning would be a better option for you. These patterns suggest the plastic boning because it’s easy to find at most chain fabric stores while you have to do a little more searching to find the steel boning. Because the boning casing is being used, you may have to make your own casing for your boning. good luck! 🙂
So, I am extremely busty. I havent made my own corset or bustier before but when wearing corsets in the past I’ve worn steel boning in them. My query is, would it be difficult to use heavier boning in this pattern? What may be the pitfalls? Have my practice coat cut out and ready for sewing and planning ahead to the next bitty 🙂
I’ve just started making this pattern today. The boning I have has no casing and I’ve been reading how to deal with this. All the tutorials I’ve found online state to attach the boning directly to the seam allowances of the lining, but this pattern has the boning (casing) attached to the fashion fabric. Why?
No, it was 100% cotton though. I picked it out among the other solid colors so it was a higher thread count and a little better quality than muslin.
Did you used muslin for the lining?
This is amazing, and easier than I thought it would be. Your directions are so easy to follow! I hope I will be able to make something like this as good as you can make it.
Beautiful. I am going to need to make some flat pattern alterations as I am plus sized but still going to give this costume a try.
B