Your First Corset: A Beginner's Guide to the Essential Supplies

Making your first corset can seem intimidating.

There are patterns, fabrics, boning, busks, grommets, lacing and specialized tools to consider.

The good news?

You don't have to figure everything out at once.

A successful first corset starts with understanding the basic components and what each one does. After reading this brief Article check out our downloadable books: Corset Building Tools and Equipment, Corset Building Materials,

1. A Corset Pattern

Start with a pattern designed for the type of corset you want to make.

Your pattern determines much of the rest of your shopping list, including the required busk length, number of bones and construction method. Most patterns now are downloadable; Farthingales has some easy beginner corset pattern (they do include instructions) in our “Books and Patterns” section – there are also a few printed patterns left along with links to other companies selling corset patterns. Check out Farthingales PDF Patterns

2. Strong Corset Fabric

Coutil is one of the classic choices for corset construction.

Farthingales offers several varieties of herringbone coutil from light weight and very affordable to seriously tightly woven and more expensive. The light weight coutil is easy to use (great for light wear corsets or bodices) and the tightly woven more expensive coutil is very durable and the best choice for the long wearing needs of theatre. The more expensive coutil is stiff and supported but if you’re new to sewing you will find it difficult to work with.

3. Corset Boning

Boning provides the structural framework.

Depending on the design, you may use:

To learn more about boning options and how to choose which to use; check out the book “Corset Building Materials”

4. A Busk

A front-opening corset will typically require a busk. The pattern instructions will indicate a busk length measure. The busk length listed with fit the pattern. Busks can be silver, rose gold, antique brass or black, choose a colour to co-ordinate with your fabric.

5. Bone Casing

Your bones need secure channels.

Bone casing tape provides a practical way to create those channels and keep the boning positioned correctly.

If you want to understand the whole world of bone casings check the book “Bone Casings for Corsets” – yes there is a whole book on them with everything you need to know.

6. Grommets and Lacing

The back of a traditional corset requires reinforced grommets for the lacing.

You'll therefore need suitable grommets and a method for installing them. Farthingales have grommet setting kits that include grommets and the tool to set them – all you need is a mallet. Or opt to use their unique “lacing tape” but be aware that the lacing tape grommets do not have washers – so the grommets can pull out of the lacing tape even thought they are set in coutil.

Then comes the fun part: choosing your lacing.

Farthingales offers flat braid nylon lacing in black and white (it does dye), along with corset lacing kits and satin ribbon. Poly satin ribbon can be found in dozens of colours and is a good choice because it’s strong. Farthingales stocks limited colours but most fabric stores have an extensive collection.

Don't Try to Reinvent Everything

One of the easiest ways to make your first corset unnecessarily complicated is to improvise every material choice.

Instead, follow your pattern's recommendations. Success comes with keeping it as simple as you can, the first time.

Once you've successfully completed your first project, you'll have a much better understanding of what you personally prefer.

Then you can experiment with:

Different boning.

Different fabrics.

Different busks.

Different trims.

Different construction techniques.

That's when corset making becomes particularly addictive.

Ready to Start?

Farthingales has been supplying corset making materials since 1998, with dedicated categories for boning, busks, coutil, lacing, kits, patterns, casing and tools. Get an easy PDF Pattern and get started with no wait time!

Browse the corset making supplies collection and start building your first project.