Corset Bones – Corset bones come in three main materials which are plastic, sprung steel and spiral steel. They also come in different widths, 5mm and 7mm are most common but I have worked with 4mm and 9mm too. These are the most common sizes but I don’t doubt there are others readily available out there. The number of bones in the corset is also crucial, too few and your corset will not hold its shape and will probably rip easily. You should check your pattern for the number of bones. If you’re making from a corset pattern that covers sizes 6 to 18 for example, and there are the same number of bones for all sizes, you may find the boning is inadequate for the size 18. You can sometimes remedy this by double boning the seams (sewing in a bone each side of the seam, giving you twice the strength).
Eyelets – Your eyelets should be metal and set between two sprung steel bones, spiral doesn’t work so well as it bends in all directions. Eyelets come with or without washers, (a metal disk with a hole in the middle) either are fine but a washer will make your seams less likely to pop. Spacing is also important, if they’re too far appart this places too much stress on each eyelet and the material around it. This can lead to popped eyelets. Check your pattern for eyelet spacing – I wouldn’t go further apart than an inch and a half for corset training purposes. Check also for boning channels either side of the eyelets; if they’re not present on the pattern you will need to modify it to include room for them.
Waist Tape – The presence of a waist tape on your pattern is not crucial, as you can add one anyway if you know how. You also don’t need to have one but it does provide support at the point on the corset that will be under most stress when you’re corset training with it. It also ensures the waist area stays in place and does not stretch, this is aesthetically more pleasing as the corset keeps its dramatic curves and tiny waist line. Waist tape should be made of petersham ribbon, this is traditionally used as it doesn’t stretch.
Laces – You can use any non-stretch material but heavy duty laces are best, these don’t slip the way ribbon does so if you’re self lacing, you can pull the laces tight at the top and they won’t slip before you can pull the slack through further down the corset. If you prefer to use ribbon or something else by all means do. I know hiding two or three meters of heavy weight lacing under a tight fitting t-shirt can be a real hassle! You can use the rabbit ear method of lacing and loop the rabbit ears over a door handle if you need an extra hand. I’ll explain this method of tight lacing in more detail in my next post.
