My first TV110 was too small. What was nice about screwing up the first one is that I was prepared for the second one. The corset took me about a full week to make. What is time consuming is cutting and tipping the boning as well as setting the grommets. Oh, and stitching all the boning channels. For my second one I used 1 layer of quality coutil and an outer layer of corset brocade. Corset brocade is different from the regular brocade fabric. It is stiff like coutil. Really nice to work with.
I went one size up from my last corset. And I followed TV instructions regarding cup size. Basically your waist/bust ratio will determine cup size. I normally wear a D cup bra, but sized down to a B cup for the corset based on my waist/bust ratio. Just read her instructions on sizing carefully so you don't wind up with too large a cup.
The other thing I did differently for this version is use a spoon busk. For gals with a tummy it really makes a difference. You can see in the pic below.
You see how the bottom of the spoon busk is nice and flat against my belly. The standard busk in the other corset actually swooped out a bit at the bottom. I didn't care for how it looked. The other nice thing about a spoon busk is how heavy duty they are. Very substantial.
Back of the old one laced to a 36". Just too small.
And the new one. Perfect, laced to a 36 with a 2 inch gap.
And here is my Mantua Maker 1880s short petticoat. It is a yoked petticoat meant to be worn under the corset. I used a pin tucked cotton fabric from Joanns. It gave nice body to my skirts and no bulk to my waist.
