To Make a Corset

 You will need:

1. A pattern - this can be self-drafted (recommended) or commercial.
       >Self-drafted patterns are made to your measurements. They will still need some adjustment, but less than a commercial pattern. They take 1-2 hours to draft. Materials needed for self-drafting: rulers (centimeters work best for the math involved), large paper, pencils, calculator.
        >Commercial patterns, such as those from big-brands like Simplicity and McCall, as well as patterns from independent patternmakers are ready-made with "sample" measurements that represent an average. There is not as much work on the front-end to design the pattern, but there may be more on the back-end to get it to fit your body. Example: I must always add length to the waist of commercial patterns.

2. Sturdy scrap fabric, 2-4 yards - this will be used to make the mock-up(s) of your pattern to allow you to see where adjustments need to be made.

3. Coutil or sturdy canvas, 2-4 yards - Coutil is the traditional interlining for corsets. A sturdy canvas with as little stretch as possible is an acceptable substitute. This will be used in the mock-ups as well as the final product.

4. Fashion fabric, 1-2 yards - this will be the outside of your finished product. Non-stretch and sturdy fabrics highly recommended. Cotton will keep it breathable, polyester or silk will make it a little warmer.

(Aside: I keep saying "sturdy" and I mean it as "something akin to quilting cotton, maybe a little thicker like some upholstery fabric.")

5. Lining fabric, 1-2 yards, optional - Corsets will always have 2 layers of fabric, but you have an option for a third layer to cover the coutil/canvas if you wish. This should counter your fashion fabric in weight - if you have chosen an upholstery fabric for your fashion layer, maybe pick a cotton for the liner. Overall we don't want it to be too thick.

6. Bones, variable amount - You will need some flat steel bones for the center front and center back of the corset, as well as either spring steel, synthetic whalebone, or zip ties. These three options are flexible enough to deal with curves over busts and at sides, and durable enough not to buckle and dig in to the body.
        >Spring steel is the only one of these that I have worked with and I have had great success with it. It does make washing the item difficult for fear of rust, and tipping them can be tricky.
        >I have spoken with very few people that have used synthetic whalebone as it is expensive. There are many people online that will use a Dremel tool to file down the edges and forego the use of tips.
        >Heavy-duty zip ties are very popular for corsetmakers both starting out and professional. I have never used them as I am afraid they will buckle, and there is nothing as bad as a buckled bone in a corset for garment discomfort. Have I seen evidence of this happening? No. I am just irrational.

7. Bone tips, variable amount to equal 2 times the number of bones - Bone tips prevent the bones from cutting through your fabric and poking out to make you a bloody mess (yes, personal experience, still not sure how my corset wasn't stained). There are several options here:
        >Metal tips - these are little caps that get bent to the ends of the bones. They have a tendency to slide off, however, so I usually pair these with the Plasti Dip method. I find that they also take 2 pairs of pliers and a lot of hand pain for those of us with repetitive stress injuries.
        >Plasti Dip - I'm not sure I would trust this on its own with flat steel bones, but it is great for sealing metal tips on and the rubberization is great for keeping the bones from slipping around inside their casings/channels. It does take a long time to fully cure, which adds time to the length of the project.
        >Heat-shrink tubing - fast and easy and painless. If I could reliably find heat-shrink tubing in the appropriate sizes this would be my go-to for 99% of boned projects.

8. Bone casings, conditionally optional - These will be sewn inside the corset and will house the bones. It can be ribbon, bias tape, or purpose-made corset bone casing. I have only used bias tape and have never had a problem. The casing should be slightly wider than the bones to keep them stationary. If you will be lining the corset, you have the option to skip casings and sew channels directly into the corset for the bones to occupy.

9. A busk, length variable, optional - Busks come in a variety of form factors depending on the era of corset you are making, from a single piece of wood, bone, or metal, to a split-front affair that will allow you to fully open your corset from the front. You can skip this piece by having a row of lacing in the front, or by having a solid-front corset that you wiggle over your head (in this case you would just add more flat steel bones to keep the structure). The length is equal to the center front length of the corset and will be taken from the final pattern after alterations.

10. Grommets, size 00, variable amount - These are the little metal bits that the lacing passes through to cinch the corset in. You will need a lot. I specify size 00 because I have that size die for my grommet press and it takes about 2 hours off the whole process to use that. This size is also about 3/8" in diameter, which means you can put more of them in to help distribute the pull of the laces more evenly.

11. Binding, optional but recommended - This is will cover the top and bottom edges of the corset and help to hold your bones in place. It can be the same as your fashion fabric or something to complement or contrast it. Alternatively, the corset can be sewn without binding but I find that it looks less polished that way.

12. Lacing, variable amount - It is longer than you think. Longer. Little more. There you go. The more reduction you want in your corset the fewer options you have for this. I have used thin paracord (works great, easy to find, a little bulky, obviously non-period), macramé cord (hate it, need to replace, way too bulky), and purpose-made corset lacing (of course this is my favorite, not expensive, limited colors but highly dyeable).

I buy most of my supplies at https://corsetmaking.com/.

Estimated Time 5-10 hours:

Pattern drafting ~1 hour
Mock-up and adjustments ~1-3 hours depending on how many adjustments are needed
Cutting & tipping bones ~1-2 hours depending on tipping method, much longer if using Plasti Dip
Sewing corset, setting bones and grommets, and binding ~2-4 hours

About the Process:

Once you get your pattern right you can use it over and over to make that style of corset as many times as you like. You can make notes on it regarding boning lengths, etc, to speed up the process as well. As long as you pay attention to your fabric grain and use a good interlining (the coutil or canvas) you shouldn't have any trouble with the finished product and the process gets a lot faster.

My experiences wearing a corset:

Real questions I have received while in costume.

**Can you breathe in that? Yes. Easily. I dance in the late-May heat in it, outside, with all the other garb on. I am less winded than a lot of other people on the field by the end. If you can't breathe in your corset you need to loosen it up.

**Can you move in that? Yes. Easily. I dance in the... you get it. I'm a little more limited in my gold Tudor stays because I've got a solid piece of 14" long walnut extending from bust to past my waist in the center front of that one. I don't have this problem in my green plague stays because instead of a busk I just put more bones and I've got more give. My Victorian corsets? Anything you can do I can do better.

**Isn't that hot? Sometimes. My plague stays are thick, polyester upholstery. They are toasty and good for Halloween. My pirate corset? 100% cotton, unlined, cooler than some tank tops I've worn. I have had a corset contribute to heat-exhaustion, but that was just because once that process gets started if you're snugged up tight in ANYTHING it's a problem.

**That's got to be so uncomfortable! Why? Why must it be uncomfortable? The only uncomfortable corsets I've worn are ones that don't fit me correctly. One is from a commercial pattern that I didn't alter enough, and the other is from a pattern I drafted myself but got wrong. Waist reduction within reason isn't even noticeable, and the structure of the thing actually feels good once you get used to it (about 2 hours my first time, down to about 2 minutes now).

WEARING. A. CORSET. SHOULD. NOT. CAUSE. PAIN. DISNEY.

**Haha! I bet you don't have to eat a lot while you're wearing that! What??? Just... what??? I eat the same amount in a corset as I do in my work clothes or pajamas... What?!

**What's that gap in the back? Is your corset too small? Nope! They are designed to have a gap in the back. It's what allows them to adapt to your body as it changes through the month.

**Why is your arm bleeding? And what's that white thing sticking out of your dress? That's an untipped corset bone that has cut through the binding and my arm, apparently. I'll be right back. Seriously, I really don't know how nothing got stained. Tip. Your. Bones.

**How do you get in and out of that? Depends on the corset. Gold or plague stays? I should be paid for that comedy. Lots of wiggling and cursing. Pirate corset? With glee, because the latch-busk I got is freaking awesome. I do tighten all of them around my body myself, and no it's not as easy as those $20 Amazon "corsets" in the TikTok videos, but it's not super difficult either.

IF. YOU. ARE. CLINGING. TO. A. POST. WHILE. SOMEONE. USES. THEIR. FOOT. TO. "HELP". CINCH. YOU. IN. YOU. ARE. DOING. IT. WRONG. NETFLIX.

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**How do you go to the bathroom in that? Same way you do. It's just a really tight shirt.

Some tips while wearing a corset:

**Always, ALWAYS wear something between your skin and the corset. Tank top, t-shirt, full-blown chemise. This protects your corset from the oils of your skin, reducing the need for washing and therefore hard wear on the corset. It also protects your skin from the corset. Bone channels can press in a little bit, and coutil isn't exactly silky soft.

**Do pay attention to what you eat, actually. If you know something causes an urgent need to visit the restroom, probably avoid it until you have a better idea for what you can get away with. I know I brushed it off above but sometimes laces do need loosened and/or layers need adjusted to make the bathroom logistics work. Skirts are your friend here.

**Don't be afraid to adjust the laces during the wearing period. Human bodies change shape throughout the day, and what fit in the morning might not fit in the afternoon. Nothing says you have to keep them laced at the same tightness all day long.

**Unless you designed it specifically to wear a bra under, don't wear a bra under the corset. Especially if it has underwires. You are in for PAIN otherwise.

**When drafting the pattern, thinking about if you want to sit a lot in the corset. Most of mine don't handle it well because I make mine a little long. I can't drive more than a few blocks in them period. If you will be sitting a lot, make sure to test that in the mock-up and adjustments phase.