Corset Is

Having sold 3 corsets on ebay - all practice pieces, i was able to afford new supplies some of which i've never tried before.

This is a selection of continuous boning. I feel very professional with reels rather than separate bones like the ones below. Here, there is steel bone, re-inforced plastic, sprial wire and synthetic whalebone. Each of them are used for different things and to different effect.

Usually the steel bones I use look like this.

I am endlessly losing track of which length of bone goes where, even when I label them. I have no idea why, it's just a thing with me. It all seems so simple on paper, but in practice .. i'm all bones and seams and invariably, i end up with the wrong size bones. It's very frustrating.

This is woven fusible interlining. It's very strong. I am going to use this to strengthen and stabalise finer fabrics either as an outer layer or a lining.

This is Coutil. It's a densly woven strong cotton which is like drill and it is the traditional material for corsetry. It comes in lots of different patterns. The white rose design is a new one i'm trying.

And finally, this is an edwardian pattern i've been wanting to try for ages. This corset was originally designed as a 'health corset' as it was supposedly easier on the waist. However, even when laced moderately, it produced a figure known as the S-Bend because it pushed the abdomen back, the breast forward and made the back arch. It also put undue pressure on the pelvic bones distorting the connection between pelvis and the spine. It caused hyperextension of the knees and more uterine and bladder pressure than the earlier Victorian models.

But it made your waist look small and your stomach look flat. It was extremely popular!