Tab the corset...yes or no?

[NicoleBridget]

Can someone tell me the purpose of un-boned tabs on corsets?  Do they make the corset more comfortable somehow or are they just for looks?  I made a boned tabbed corset which was pretty comfortable, although it added a few inches to my waist, which was either my mistake or just the nature of the beast.  So now it's about time for a new one and I'm trying to decide whether to bother with tabs at all.  Opinions??

[DonaCatalina]

Believe it or not, the tabs can help keep the corset from digging into your hips.

[Master James]

Believe it or not, the tabs can help keep the corset from digging into your hips.

Not only that, the tabs are actually boned.  Actually if the tabs are not boned its not a true tabbed corset and you've waisted money and/or time because you get no benefit from having the tabs without the boning.  My wife had an untabbed corset and was constantly getting bruised from the boning digging into her hips and back.  It got to the point where she had to put a washcloth under the corset when she put it on for it to be comfortable.  She made a tabbed corset last year and has raved about how comfortable it is and she never gets bruised now.  Hope this helps.

[Miranda]

Tabs weren't always boned.  In fact I think the Dorthea Sabina bodies have boneless tabs, but I don't have Janet Arnold in front of me, so I will have to look that up.

However, I highly recommend boned tabs.  They help bear the weight of your skirts and farthingale, preventing the bruising mentioned above and make for a much more comfortable experience over all.

[Marietta Graziella]

Once again I lament the loss of Baroness Doune's vast knowledge.  *sigh*

It was she who made several corsets all in the pursuit of the best fit, etc.  She said that boned tabs on the corset help to distribute the weight of your skirts and spread the load between shoulders and hips preventing back aches and such.

Yes, it is also the nature of the beast to add a bit of girth at the middle.  Sorry ladies that's just the way it is.  Elizabethan corsets where never meant to slim, they were meant to shape. 

[NicoleBridget]

Thanks everyone, this was just the information I wanted.  I'm glad to know it wasn't just my sewing that caused the boned tab corset to widen my waist.  I hadn't planned for it when making my skirts and was surprised to find them very tight at the waistline with the corset on as opposed to trying them on with it off.  That's another reason garb needs to be made from the inside out I guess.  I'm going to do another boned tab corset since it seems pretty unanimous that they're the most comfortable.  I'm going to start it in January after all this holiday madness is over, despite not being quite at my goal weight yet (lost 50 so far, have 21 to go).  And another question for you corset experts, if you're still checking in to this thread, what difference does a straight busk make as opposed to a tapered busk?  I've only ever used tapered but I'm wondering if straight is the way to go this time.

[mollymishap]

Here's a link to the Baroness' website where you can see the difference a busk makes vs. no busk.  http://www.karen.htmlcreators.com/perfectcorset.html

Personally, I don't use a busk. 

You didn't say whether you wanted to try out a different style of corset or even what your first one was, but in case it helps, you can check out my trials and tribulations in the making of a late-period tabbed Elizabethan corset (commonly known as the "Effigy" corset) if you'd like at http://www.myfairelady.com/?page_id=101.   

I mention this as there are only two "styles" of corsets for the Elizabethan period based on extant examples, the Effigy being one of them.  The other one is the one worn by Dorothea Sabina Von Neuberg http://alina.wasteofbandwidth.info/foundationgarment.html. 

Both have tabs, but I don't think the tabs are boned for the Dorothea ones...which doesn't make any sense to me.  My first corset ever was unboned and I only wore it once--it wasn't fun.  The 3 I've made since have all been boned.

I think for my next corset, though, I'm going to use the good old corset pattern generator that everyone raves about (http://www.elizabethancostume.net/custompat/)and THEN fiddle with the cosmetics so that it fits the style I'm after. 

Hope that helps!

P.S.  Marietta, I've been away for some time, too--what's happened to BD?  What do you mean by "the loss" of her knowledge?  Is she ok? I don't want to hijack the thread, I'm just a little concerned.

[gem]

I haven't chatted with the Baroness in a couple of months, but last we talked, she joked about "breaking her addiction to the boards."  I'm sure she's OK, but I'm getting ready to send her some Christmas greetings, and maybe she'll pop back in and say hi.

[NicoleBridget]

Hi Molly!  I'm not sure what style my first corset was but these were/are the features: boned tabs, back lacing, tapered wooden busk, 1/2" flat steel boning throughout.  I bookmarked your effigy notes because you have lots of good info and pictures there!  I kinda can't wait to get started, I feel so much more confident in my skills now as opposed to 4-5 years ago!  I will try to remember to post pics of my progress here, especially since I benefit so much from other people's experiences.

[Marietta Graziella]

*side note*

As far I know, BD is fine and well, just taking a break from the boards.   You know she always had great advice, personal experience, and extensive knowledge about all things sewing in this realm.  She has always been generous in sharing her knowledge, also.  It seems like half the MNRF people have her to thank for their beautifully fitted corsets/bodices!

I hope she comes back here soon.

*waves at Baroness Doune*  If you're out there.

[NicoleBridget]

Does anyone know the reasoning for leaving the "cups" areas of the Dorothea bodies unboned?  Is that style still as strong and supportive as a corset which is boned all the way up?  It certainly looks pretty, and I wonder if it's more comfortable?  I know the Dorothea bodies also have eyelets for lacing the farthingale onto it but read somewhere that it puts a lot more weight on the shoulders.  Has anyone found this to be the case?  Santa brought me the Ninya patterns for the Dorothea, Effigy, and Elizabeth Vernon bodies and I'm pretty sure I'm going to try out the Dorothea first!

[Willemyne]

Yes, the tabs of an unboned corset serve to take the weight or pressure of the fathingale and petticoats from the waist. The tabs stop the skirt/farthingale waist slipping under the edge of the corset I haven't had direct experience but I have spoken to people who have tried them. When you tie the farthingale or petticoat to the tabs you do get a more even distribution of the weight from waist to shoulders but it shouldn't be all transferred to the shoulders. Make sure the corset goes underneath. This will sop the corset taking all the weight. Well it should. The waist of the farthingale will need to be fitted to the waist.

Tabs all the way through shouldn't add bulk to the waist. The look was to taper to a narrow waist, to do that you need the waist to be fitted quite closely. I have an Effigy style corset and a Dorothea style corset. Neither makes me bigger through the waist though the Effigy is fully boned (more than 100 bones in it)  and thus quite bulky. It's very comfortable as well though it is very elongating as was the original.

The Dorothea gives me a bit more of a natural line but I would really recommend it for small busted ladies over larger. Mainly because they do act as cups and as such the top line of the boning needs to be approximately where your underwire sits. So a smaller bust is easier to fit and is probably going to be more comfortable in it.
I wear mine under my Dutch and German kit mainly.

[mollymishap]

Nicole, I can't comment on the Dorothea bodies, since I've not made one like that, but I can comment on the TT patterns: the more I think about it and after I re-read my own frustrations with the Effigy corset, the more I think that part of the fitting issues I had may have been due to British sizing being somewhat different than American (http://www.enokiland.com/sizing.htm) and of course, my own body refusing to conform to ready-to-buy standard sizing (I have a longer torso than "normal").

SO, I'd suggest plugging in your measurements into that nifty corset pattern generator and comparing THOSE pattern pieces to the style you want to make from the TT patterns, then make any adjustments to the TT patterns.  That's what I'm planning on doing for the next corset I make, since I'm still not happy with my Effigy bodies.

Also, bear in mind that historically,the bodice and skirt were attached, so you would wind up wearing the weight your skirts on your shoulders anyway.  The farthingale attaching to the corset (at the bodies, not the tabs IIRC) actually helped to take some of that weight off your shoulders and onto your waist/hips, see?

That being said, all my QE stuff is in two parts (separate bodice and skirt) just for ease when I travel, use the privies, etc.  Not very H/A, yea, but convenient and works for me.   At this point in time, none of my farthingales attach to my corsets, and it hasn't been a problem.

BUT, I do plan on adding eyelet holes to attach (whatever corset I wind up with) to the French Farthingale that I made to use with the Ditchley dress, since I do plan on having the skirt attach to the bodice in that case.

HEY! I just had an idea: wanna work on a pair of Dorothea bodies in tandem?  I can't commit to anything probably until February, but it would be fun to post on our progress.  Naturally, anyone else is invited to play too.  I need an excuse to get motivated!  Wanna do it? 

[Kate XXXXXX]

My vote is also with tabs that are fully boned...  Part of the corset rather than sewn on afterwards, if you see what I mean, a la the effigy corset

[NicoleBridget]

Molly, I would love to work on corsets with you!  I expect I won't get started until late January but I need the motivation too.