Where have I been? These past 2 months have been hectic beyond belief. Between my obligations at my full-time job and Christmas presents, I've been busy night and day.

My corset story begins with a visit from my sister and her husband last September. I was showing off my infant business to them and I laced my sister into a corset I made for myself about 40 or 50 pounds ago. It was still a bit roomy, but she got the idea. So did my brother-in-law! When I saw his eyes light up, I knew I had to offer to make my sister a corset for Christmas.

I used the corset pattern generator and instructions from Drea Leed's wonderful reference site. She wanted a black jacquard face fabric. I chose a silk I needed some pretty sturdy innards. satin from Denver Fabrics. Minimum order is a yard, so I have some left for other things. Silk satin is a delicate face fabric, so I needed some pretty sturdy innards. I had some of the heavy cotton upholstery fabric that I used for interfacing in the pirate weskit. It was perfect. For lining, I still had some of the tightly woven counted cross stitch canvas I used in my corset.

Her boning needed to be flexible, yet firm. Fabric store plastic boning just doesn't do for corsets and she was leery of steel. I opted for a material I have used successfully in the past - 1/4" ductwork hangers. Similar to cable ties, these heavy lengths of poly-something-or-other hold up well. They provide enough structure for all but the most generously endowed.

I used 1 1/4" white grosgrain ribbon for the trim. I would have used glove leather, but my local source was fresh out of the stuff. I made the busk from a piece of 1" wide hardwood trim my sweetheart had left over from a project. If you can come by an old wooden yardstick or some wooden paint stir sticks, they make dandy busks.

I'll document the gory construction details in a "Projects" article. Suffice it to say the process involved a LOT of patience, Fray-Check and black thread. I loved every minute of it! It's finished now; and like other things I've mailed off I hate to say "goodbye." But I know it's going to a good home. As soon as I have pictures of my sister in the finished corset, I will add them to this article. Construction pictures will be in the "Corset" project.