Corset Plan of Attack

Ah, so I have received some great suggestions on how to fix my strangely fitting corset. First, I can make lacing strips to temporarily attach to the thing and see how it actually looks when laced. Awesome. Mission accomplished:


My temporary corset lacings (made of white denim and Dritz grommets)--I simply baste these on to whatever corsets/bodices I experiment with now and in the future to see what they look like laced without having to poke possibly-wrong holes into my garment before I'm ready. Yay!

Next is the whole fit and bodyline thing. It was suggested that the corset is too long around my waist/hips. So I will try to shorten the tabs just a bit, and cut the tabs up into the corset a little higher so they find my natural waist better. I'm also told this will make it more comfy. ;-)

I think that it is imperative for me to bone the whole thing (at least temporarily) with poly boning to see the true effect. This will allow me to make any adjustments before I order the more expensive steel spiral stuff in the pre-set lengths...

Tonight Jack, the seamripper, and I got to be great friends. I have never seam ripped so much. First the boning channels that I had to half cut off, then the temporary corset lacings (twice, cuz I tried it on twice). I also discovered the awesomeness of FrayCheck...Did wonders for cutting those tabs up higher when I didn't have the energy to sew a cleanfinish on the razzling demin.

Here are my results. I think I could cut the side tab even a little higher, and I will do so. Overall, I am much happier with my corset now, and though I don't think its perfectly shaped, it'll do:

My corset frontview. Notice the side tabs sticking out. I will remedy this by cutting the tabs a little higher. They will also be more sturdy when I get my real boning (steel instead of poly).

Sideview of my reworked corset. I like this line, and I think its period appropriate. And let me just tell you how weird it is for me to put such a buxom picture of myself online....Don't stare too much.

My outer corset fabric is in the wash preshrinking--shoulda done that earlier, cuz I would be able to attach it tonight if I'd planned better. Oh well, I will add it to the design tomorrow, I'm sure. I feel so productive!

And in other news....I've ordered the boning. I think I'm confident enough in the size of the corset that I can do it. Anyway, the prices really were not bad. The best prices I found were at Hedgehog Handworks. They also give discounts when you order in quanties of 4 or more, and everywhere else I looked only gave quantity discounts for 12 or more. I ordered some extras too, just in case--I probably will want ot throw a few into my gown, too, so why not?
For the boning, I decided to do a mix of styles:
1) The front 4 channels with 1/2 inch spring steel, which I read can bend forward and back but not really side to side (which means sturdier "busk" effect). I'm also doing the 2 back center bones with spring steel (but 1/4 inch), as I read somewhere that it was "must" for corset integrity.
2) The channels around the tabs will have 1/2 inch spiral steel, as this can bend side to side (important to have on your...ahem...sides). But also they are sturdier than poly, and I don't want my tabs flipping up. Hopefully that works.
3) A few non-important channels will have poly boning for some support. Mainly, these are the ones that are sandwiched safely between channels of steel--A way to save a little money.