Note: Some of this information is re-posted from my Steampunk Corset instructable. If you wanta long winded overview of the many materials options available for corset making I recommendgiving it a look over here ____________________________________________________________________________

Coutil Fabric ~ (1) Yard: This is the structural layer of your corset. If your corset

were a house this layer would be the foundation. It must be very strong and have

minimal elasticity. This is the most important component in a corset! Coutil and is

the only thing you should use for any corset you want to last more than a few hours.

If you insist on using another fabric, make sure it has the qualities I mentioned above

and a very tight (preferably herringbone) weave. Figure 2-1



Fashion Fabric ~ (1) Yard: This is the outer layer of the corset and exists for solely cosmetic

purposes. I selected a charcoal gray suiting material Figure 2-2.



Lining Fabric ~ (1) yard: The purpose of this layer is to make the corset looks nice on the inside

and to add a small degree of additional comfort. Any lining material will do so long as it is sturdy

and does not stretch. I used a sport lining that is supposed to transfer sweat to the surface

faster Figure 2-3.

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I will be using combination of spring steel and spiral steel for my corset. You'll need to

measure your completed pattern to know what lengths to purchase. Bones come in pre-cut

and continuous lengths. If you buy continuous lengths you will need a bone cutting tool and a

way to tip the sharp edges.



Spring Steel (white steel): This should be used in the front and back of the corset, over the

abdomen and the spine respectively. Spring steel has only one degree of flexibility so it's

perfect for maintaining the vertical lines around the busk and lining up the grommets. Also,

since it can't flex to the sides, it will more evenly distribute pressure along its length than

other boning types. The absence of this quality would make the corset both uncomfortable

and quite possibly a health risk.



Spiral Steel: This should be used for all the bones between the spring steel ones above. Spiral

steel has two degrees of flexibility and can thus more elegantly and comfortably conform to

one's contours while maintaining the strength, elasticity and durability of spring steel.

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I will be using a spring steel five hook busk. The busk is a steel hook and loop mechanism

placed at the front of the corset that permits the corset to be put on and taken off with relative

ease. I will be using a straight busk in this instructable (a.k.a standard busk).

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Any thread will do so long as it is strong and feeds well through your sewing machine. For this

instructable I will be using Coats and Clark Dual Duty XP for the internal (hidden) stitches and

Gütermann Sew-All thread for the external (visible) ones.

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I recommend size 00 (pronounced: double aught) two-piece grommets. I

required 46 black grommets for my corset.