Do i need boning for corset?

Hi I'm making a red riding hood costume from once upon a time and I'm having trouble with the corset. I'm not making it for anything special so it doesn't have to tie tight or anything, I cant find corset boning in any shops near where I live and I cant buy it online. I'v heard that you can make it out of milk cartons but a lot of people say that that just makes the corset bend out of shape after a couple of times wearing it. Does anyone know if I can make a sort-of corset without boning?

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8 replies since 4th February 2014 • Last reply 4th February 2014

Reply #1:

You could make a faux corset using a stretch fabric- however, if you want true support or for it to look a certain way, you will want boning and you'll probably want metal boning vs. plastic.

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Reply #2:

I agree with PinkWeeds. Metal boning is the way to go. I am curious as to why you cannot get boning online? I know Ebay has it. If none of this is a good solution for you, maybe you can check thrift shops for old corsets that you can skype the boning out of, or ask family and/or friends if they have an old one that they would donate to the cause. I will tell you that boning is hard to work with and if you just want to make one that won't be used a lot, plastic can work, especially if you hand wash it in cool water and use a mild detergent, and hang dry. If you do use plastic that you cut out yourself, make sure that you smooth the edges with either sandpaper or by slightly meling with a candle. If you don't do this step, it will wind up cutting through your fabric. Good luck!

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Reply #3:

Thanks so much! We don't have a credit card that I can use at the moment =( I already have fabric that looks exactly like the stuff from the show but its not stretch. I'll have a look in some second hand shops to see if there's anything I can use, if not then I think I'll try making it with plastic.

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Reply #4:

If it isn't a functional corset, then you don't need the boning. I recently made a corset for my Elizabeth Comstock cosplay costume, and I used a very cheap, thin boning that just gave it a little shape to it. The boning had the consistency of Velcro... So if it is going to be concealed, you could try that.

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Reply #5:

thanks!

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Reply #6:

I've made boning out of things before, not going to say it was the best boning, but it did the job (sometimes!). I don't see why a thick plastic cut into a boning shape wouldn't work, I used pieces of a wire hanger (tape the ends really really well if you do this, it will sneak out of your corset and at best poke you in the tummy, I got skritched up), cardboard seems like it might even work depending on how its cut and how hardy you need the garment to be.

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Reply #7:

Large zip ties also work as cheap boning for shape.

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Reply #8:

Thanks!

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