I used this pattern
My first attempt was only altered in length - I added one inch as a matter of course.
It ended up practically an underbust (I really dislike mirror shots, but...)
And an over-the-head mirror shot of the back, which was sweet (the back, not the picture).
Well, obviously, some modifications were needed. I needed to give myself more room around the bust and raise the neckline about 2 or more inches.
This is the old pattern placed on top of the new version
Here's the finished product laid out with the back laced up
And here's the final product on me. (Thanks to
tessagratton and nataliesee for a non-mirror picture)
I used plastic strapping found at a hardware store for most of the bones. Since we are not talking Victorian cinching, that shouldn't be a problem. I found my sewing machine sewed over those bones as if they weren't even there. The horizontal bones in the front are spiral steel, since they have to bend in two directions. I overlapped bones where they met up, since butting them just didn't work well. And my boning channels were all sewn in white, to show them off.
