so whats everybody's opinion on where to buy Corseting supplies these days? I am leaning tword Farthingales....does anybody have experince with them? or is there somewhere better??
So, busks for a pair of bodies (ie, period for the 16th c) were wood. They were wood well into the 19th century. I've seen many ladies use a regular old wooden ruler with great sucess. There are also several types of busks for the Victorian hourglass corset - from the spoon busk to the straight busks to the busks for the s-curve corset (1890's) or the corset for the Edwardian era. Also, the Victorians (1840s to 1901) didn't always wear busks - it was common but not an absolute necessity. I personally loathe them and avoid them like the plague with Victorian corsetry for my Civil War and Steampunk events.
So, what type of busk are you looking for exactly? Different styles are easier and cheaper to get at different places. If you are planning something for a Dicken's fair, I'd suggest just using the ruler. However, I have never had any issues with anything I've bought from Abraham's Lady (http://abrahamslady.com/)
Good Question!, I want to make a long line corset for a steampunk outfit. I am looking at the 17" steel with white nylon coating.
Okay, another question: :)do you want Edwardian (typically only has snaps towards the top) or a modern busk?
due to body shape.. aka love child of a couch potatoe and a pear...I am thinking i need a modern busk that opens the whole way.
I took a look at farthingales and they don't sell the 17" ones but vogue does. I've heard good things about vogue fabrics store. I know a lot of people use them on the corset sewing lists I'm on. You can see it here for $22 before shipping (http://www.voguefabricsstore.com/Corset-Busk-17-German-Steel.html).
Like I said, I loathe busks myself. Stupid things never, ever will come unhooked! Which is particularly painful when you have a food allergy attack, as I found out the hard way one day. :-)
OOH Thank you!
GAH! food allergies are never fun doubly so when stuck in a corset!
So I know this is an old post but I just wanted to add that I made my busk from a paint stir stick! Very easy to sand down the edges and the divots on the top gave it a wonderful shape. I plan on staining it and maybe doing some etching on it as well.
For this pair of early 19th Century stays (http://isabelladangelo.blogspot.com/2015/01/historical-sew-monthly-foundations.html), I used the end of a wooden, roll up, placemat. Already stained, already the correct length, and the perfect thickness as well.