This is a back-dated post for my archive project, where I am copying over every piece of art I have ever submitted to DeviantArt, with the original submission date or watermarked year stamp, so a complete archive of my work can be found on this website, even if the item was never or is no longer displayed in my portfolios.

Originally posted on November 2, 2009.

Commissioned overbust corset

The core is two layers of coutil, boned with 1/2″ and 1/4″ wide spring-steel flats. Cover material is dupioni silk. The lace at the bust was a bit of left-over from another corset project, which I added at the last minute to give the corset a more finished look.

I did use a double-busk, which I did not take detail photos of. Essentially, it’s just an extra 1/2″ bone in a pocket of coutil and silk, sewn to the peg side of the busk such that when the busk is hooked the extra bone is half-way under each side of the busk. I included it to help prevent the busk from popping open when she moved around, since the curves were so exaggerated in the shape of the corset that this was a serious fear of mine. The busk is 14″ long. The backing bone for the double-busk is 12″.

I had the learning experience of a lifetime when a customer commissioned a sweetheart overbust for herself. She is a large woman, and extremely large busted as well. The final corset still had a couple fit issues I would have liked to resolve in mock-up, but there wasn’t time for another fitting.

In earlier mock-ups I had made the bust far too small, so in this final version I actually made the bust a tiny bit too large. When it was cinched in enough for the bust to fit she had a little muffin-top in the back. When the back was laced evenly there was no muffin-top, but she sank into the bust more than she wanted. Another change I would have made had there been time is an additional panel in the back, to smooth the curve over the hip.