I’ve always been fascinated with Victorian maternity and pregnancy corsets, so last year during my pregnancy I finally had the opportunity to experiment and make one for myself. Whilst I looked to history for inspiration (click here for my Pinterest board), I decided to design my own “modern hybrid” interpretation (rather than make a replica of any existing extant design). Using a self drafted pattern, spot broche coutil, German synthetic whalebone, elastic and lots of adjustable lacing I was able to create a comfortable, supportive corset that fit throughout the entirety of my pregnancy.
Unlike regular corsets, pregnancy corsets must not constrict the waist or reshape the torso in any way. It’s important that the corset only provides support to the pregnant body and does not impact the growing baby as doing so would not be safe. This pregnancy corset gave me much needed support to the back, hips, belly and bust and I personally found it incredibly comfortable.
During my pregnancy I experienced incredible back pain which I managed with frequent visits to an osteopath and massage therapist. It was recommended to me that I buy and wear a “sacro belt” to help support my back and hips and manage the pain. Upon researching these [generic] belts I decided to make myself a bespoke pregnancy corset instead (with approval and support from my osteopath). After all, why make do with something “standard” when I could have something exactly right for me? The Sacro Belt would only serve to support my hips and lower back, but a custom pregnancy corset would also add support to my belly, bust and upper back.
I started the project when I was 19 weeks pregnant and was delighted to discover that the corset fit comfortably for the entirety of my pregnancy. The many lacing panels allowed my belly and body to grow, and the elastic panels and inserts provided flexible support. These beautiful photos by Yvonne Liew were taken at 38 weeks pregnant. We took them at the end of the day at Princess Bay in Wellington, as part of a maternity photoshoot. I can’t tell you how delighted I am with how they turned out as I’m really proud of this pregnancy corset and feel that it’s some of my best work to date.
This project has been one of my favourite to date, and I have so much to share with you all about it. Last year I shared one of the photos on Facebook and it went viral. Since then I’ve had countless enquiries from people asking me to make them pregnancy corsets. Unfortunately such orders are limited only to those who can attend in person fittings and have the budget for such a complex piece of corset engineering. Knowing how positively this pregnancy corset impacted me I wanted to find a way to share this and help more people in future.
The answer I came up with was simple – teach people how to make their own pregnancy corsets. I’ve been writing a tutorial, explaining in-depth how to pattern, fit and make your own pregnancy corset. A version of this tutorial will be available on Foundations Revealed for members to read in November 2021. An expanded version of the tutorial with more details, photos and information will be available to purchase here in mid 2022.
Separate to the tutorial is a digital version of the pregnancy corset pattern I drafted. The digital pattern is available here. Make sure you join our mailing list if you want to hear when the tutorial become available.
Xx
Lowana
