Corsets Sewing

Photos of the Corset Busk Repair

This is a plus-sized Victorian overbust corset I made for a friend.  It has drab green dupioni silk cover material, flossing, lacing panel, and originally a split metal busk.  In 2014 the busk ended up broken, so I decided to repair the corset by creating an entirely different closure, steampunk inspired.  I cut off the busk area and bound the front edges.  Then I riveted a copper plate from the plumbing department of the hardware store to a leather panel, edged it with brass crimps, and riveted all of it to one side of the corset.  I riveted picture frame hangers, offset, to the leather and to the other side of the corset, so I could use parachute cord to close the front of the corset.  It is backed with a hidden boned pocket for extra stability, since the copper plate is rather soft.

Drab Green Silk Overbust Corset - Busk Repair, by Sidney Eileen, leather, rivets, a copper plate, picture hangers, and parachute cord
After it broke, I replaced the busk with leather, rivets, and a copper plate, and it closes with parachute cord through picture frame hangers. A hidden pocket with stiff boning is behind the leather panel to give added stability.
Drab Green Silk Overbust Corset - Busk Repair, by Sidney Eileen, leather, rivets, a copper plate, picture hangers, and parachute cord
After it broke, I replaced the busk with leather, rivets, and a copper plate, and it closes with parachute cord through picture frame hangers. A hidden pocket with stiff boning is behind the leather panel to give added stability.

Additional details on the repair process can be found on the blog entry Replacing a Broken Busk the Unconventional Way.