Acceptable Bodice Linings?

[Weirdlet]

Hello, all- newbie with a question here.  I'm in the planning stages for a project that includes a short bodice (a little more substantial than Moresca's Khadija, for example, and without the straps; ending about where my ribs do, showing my belly but still giving some of the shelf-chest effect- I don't know if it will work, but I intend to experiment in muslin first until it does).

My question is- are there other acceptable fabrics to be the foundation of the garment aside from herringbone coutil?  In my (admittedly limited) experience, it's been drilled in that you get what you pay for, and that what you want to use above all else is the coutil- but surely there have to be second choices adequate for a piece that's going to be used a couple times a year.  Are there any less expensive fabrics that could be successfully substituted?  If something has a rough texture, I can line it with something softer next to the skin.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Coutil is perfect for Victorian corsets, but quite unnecessary for anything earlier than about 1840.  I have had great success using pre-shrunk heavy cotton.  Unless you want it to mold and adapt to your shape, avoid denim and denim-like weaves, and use any sturdy, stable cotton fabric of a trouser weight: pre-shrink by boil washing and tumbling dry on hot, and then steam iron it flat again.

Denim stretches out (remember how jeans go slack when you wear them?), so avoid it if you want that nice flat front look, and use flat steel or plastic boning, NOT spiral steels!  If you want it washable, use plastic boning...  There are various plastic whalebone-replacement types of boning on the market.  I'm not an advocate of cable ties: to many variables...  You are putting a lot of work into this, so it's worth getting proper boning.

[Elennare]

I have a reversible bodice I really like that I made from suiting fabric on one side and broadcloth on the other.  It has held up quite well to fairly heavy use, and if I had know where to get good boning when I made it, it would be VERY sturdy.  It's pretty solid as it is, with the crap featherweight boning in it. 

Both fabrics are affordable, especially if you have a coupon or get them on sale. 

[Weirdlet]

Ahh- okay, thank you both very much.  I hadn't expected washing to even be a possibility- is there plastic boning that's heavy enough to give a good stiff bodice but still be okay in a washing?

[gem]

Weirdlet, welcome to the forums!  I'm going to suggest you spend an afternoon browsing through the older posts; there's a ton of information here--you'll be shocked how much you pick up! 

I use canvas for the structural layer/s to all my bodices and corsets.  It's about $6/yard at Hobby Lobby. You can also use heavy linen (which is period).  The corset I'm making now is one layer of heavy canvas, and one layer of heavy linen.

Remember that a bodice doesn't take much fabric at all, so if you do want to buy expensive fabric, this is a good place for it.  It's not like you'll need ten yards of $30/yard fabric.  That's one reason I was willing to buy the $10/yard linen damask for my corset--because I knew I only needed 7/8 yard of it.  (Um, I bought more, of course, but that's not really part of the tutorial...)

As for boning, a lot of costumers use heavy-duty cable ties (the ones on the left), which are washable, but we're finding out that they don't all have the same tensile strength--which is more important for support than just the size/width.  They should have a tensile strength of at least 175lbs--but it might not always say on the package.  You might have to experiment, or order online.

If you want your bodice to be washable, though, make sure you use washable fabrics--or at the very least, pre-wash/dry whatever fabric you buy, to see how it will behave once it's gotten wet.

Have fun!

[Elennare]

If you are going to wash/dryclean your garment, it is HIGHLY recommended to clean the fabric before sewing/cutting out begins. Use whatever method you plan to clean the finished garment with.  If the fabric wasn't washed before hand, it may shrink, or skew in odd or unexpected ways. 

If you're not going to wash your bodice, it's still a good idea to wash/dryclean the fabric first.  There may be sizing or other markings on the fabric that could possibly do odd things when you wear the garment, or just make the fabric stiff and scratchy to wear.

Hope that helps!

[Weirdlet]

It does- my mother, who has far more experience than I, advises that for most sewing projects.  So far it hasn't steered me wrong^^

Edit- just reread above.  I'll look into that- but is the plastic comparable to the steel for support?  It must be useful, otherwise people wouldn't use it, but my kneejerk reaction is still to wonder if the plastic will help.

[operafantomet]

As for plastic boning- I did a quick google search, and came up with this place- http://www.farthingalesla.com/plastic_bones.php    

The 50-8125-11, 11mm stuff sounds an awful lot like what I'd be looking for.  Has anyone ever used that or similar?  Is it comparable to the steel?

I've used either that or the slightly narrower one. I loved it! It's a bit stiffer than rigilene, but yet very flexible, and you don't have to bind the edges. It's a bit hard to cut/shape, but that's a minor issue really. I'd say it's comparable to steel in terms of support.

[Weirdlet]

Awesome- thank you!

[Kate XXXXXX]

I have used tri-fold plastic boning for various projects.  This one has it, and is pretty stiff: