Ok, those of you who already know how to make a corset will probably know what coutil is, but for the newbies there’s probably some confusion. So if you’re a more advanced corset maker, bear with us on this one.
Coutil is a specially designed type of fabric that has been developed just for corsetry. It is probably the least stretchy fabric available anywhere for corset making (yes that includes denim and twill). It’s also kind on the skin as it’s made from cotton to allow the skin to breathe. The lack of give in it means you can tight-lace down to tiny waist sizes and know that your 20 inch waist, for example, won’t be 21 inches by the time you take it off in the evening (if you take it off of an evening).
Are all coutils made equal? It would be nice but no. Some are a cotton polyester blend, I have one in my fabric cupboard and it’s nowhere near as nice as 100% cotton; it’s a little plastic feeling and won’t breathe as well. Get 100% cotton when you can. Also the strength of a coutil depends on the weave – it must be herringbone weave and the smaller the herringbone the stronger the fabric. If in doubt, give the material a little tug and get a feel for the quality, if you’ve never bought it before or are just about to make a corset for the first time then try to find somewhere with a selection so you can compare.
I have a course on how to make a corset with a few cheap places to get coutil from online, I’ve bought from them myself and know they’re good quality. But remember – any coutil is better than none and never buy a corset for corset training unless it’s lined with coutil (some places just call it cotton so check for the herringbone pattern in the weave).
