Our clients usually ask us, which materials to choose for making corsets, cause there are a lot of them and it is always a challenge to pick up the most matching materials for this purpose. How to make corset that could be used for a long time without loosing its charm. In this article we’d like to tell you about this materials and to answer the most common questions. We hope you’ll find it useful. Those who don’t have time for reading whole article could find the list of all needed materials on example of making one corset.
The most used materials for corsets are:
- spiral steel boning
- cases for boning
- flat steel boning
- main fabric of your choice
- lining fabric in case it’s not a transparent corset
- eyelets
- lacing
- waist tape
- busk
- interlining materials
- decorating ribbons
Spiral steel bones
The base for any corset is spiral steel bones. For simple bodice is possible to use whalebone (usually plastic) or rigilene boning, but if you want your corset serves your for a long time and let you make tightening it’s better to choose spiral steel boning. The boning is picked up depending of your goals, size and degree of tightening. We have variety of boning with widht from 4 to 9 mm. For corsets with light tightening and made from light fabrics usually 4 mm width boning is used, for medium and for heavy fabrics 5 and 6 mm bonings are better, for plus size 7 or 9 mm bonings fit well.
- soft tightening, small size, light materials – 4 mm boning
- medium and fine tightening, medium size, light and medium materials – 5 or 6 mm boning
- fine tightening for plus sizes or heavy materials – 7 or 9 mm boning
And don’t forget that if you are buying spiral boning by footage it’s needed to buy tips, it protect the main fabric from the damage from boning sharp parts.
Watch all types of spiral steel bones
Flat steel bones
To protect the lacing and make it more stable flat steel bonings are used. For this option from both sides from the placed eyelets boning are put. The difference from spiral boning and flat one is that the last one is flexible only in one direction. We have several precuted bonings with length from 24 to 42 cm and widht of 7 mm as well as boning by footage so you could cut it according to your needs. It’s not difficult but you should be very careful while cutting cause it could have sharp parts and unreel from a roll fast and chaotic without control.
Watch all types of flat steel bones
Cases for boning
This is the most frequent question. Actually the main rule for choosing this garment is your own preference of it's design but you must know that not all cases fit all bonings because of the difference of those width.
For 4 mm widht boning fit
For 5 mm widht boning fit
For 6 mm widht boning fit
For other width you could make case by your one from the outer fabric or use herringbone tape.
Watch all types of bone casing
Busk
Sometimes, in addition to the lacing, corset busk is used, adding busk make process of putting of the corset more easier. Also busks are used for making the authentic historical women’s costume. Busks could have different length, longer it is more loops and hooks they have. They are also different shapes: straight, spoon, conical. Straight busks are the most popular.
Eyelets
Eyelets are metal accessories for strengthening holes in fabrics, they protect fabric from damage while using lacing ribbons on the back of corset and make tightening process more comfortable. We offer only high quality eyelets from brass material.
For better look you may pick up eyelets that are matching the color of outer fabrics as well use classic metallic colors: golden, silver, colored etc.
Lacing ribbons
For lacing it’s better to choose satin ribbons because they are more glide and slide through the eyelets better. Depending of the model you can use ribbons 6 mm or 9 mm width.
Watch all types of corset lacing
Waist tape
Waist tape is a wide ribbon used for waist strengthening. It's used not only in corsets but in sewing other clothes. The best choice for contour is grosgrain or satin ribbon 25-30mm width.
Decorating ribbons
Lingerie transparent corsets often are decorated with decorating tape, it makes the product look balanced. Choose decorating ribbons on your own taste in colors of outer fabric or in contrast. Upper and lower parts of corset could be decorated with bias or elastic tape.
Watch all types of decorative ribbon
Outer fabrics
This is the infinite field of your imagination. Actually your could choose any fabric you like but remember only one rule- fabric shouldn’t be stretchable but stable and strong. Usually cotton fabrics without elastane are used. For special occasion choose jaccards or glossy heavy silk satin. There is special fabric called couitil that is ideal for corsets - it’s solid cotton herringbone fabric.
One more things we’d like to discuss is lingerie transparent corset, which is very popular nowadays. They could be wearable under the clothes to correct the form. Such corsets are made from the mesh, it’s a lingerie nylon mesh, that can handle high tension without deformation. We have meshes of two densities 35 gr/m2 which used for lingerie and corsets with light tightening and bodice and 45 gr/m2 the most suitable for all purposes.
Watch all types of corset mesh
Interlining materials
Outer fabric could be firmed with interlining materials of two kind soft one and hard depending of what stabilizing level you need.
As we promised here is the list of needed materials
Photo from the section “I love to sew” from the master Elena Melyakina from Moscow
On the picture short lingerie corset made by our client is presented. And these are materials used for it:
- Spiral steel bone 4 mm wide - 13 pieces (length according to model) - or about 5 meters
- Tips for spiral bone 4 mm - 26 pieces
- Flat steel bone (length according to model) for fastening with eyelets - 4 pieces
- Metal eyelets, 5mm (silver peony) - 26 pieces
- Double-seam tunnel tape, 10 mm, silver peony - about 6 meters
- Corset mesh, medium-soft, 45 g/m2, silver peony - 0.5 meters (according to model)
- Satin ribbon 6 mm, silver peony, for lacing - about 6 - 9 meters (according to model)
- Decorative ribbon 9 mm - about 2 meters
- Santyur (waist tape) - about 0.8 meters
- Corset cotton - according to the 0.5 meter model
- Interlining for corset - according to the 0.5 meter model