Ironing isn't optional! Use a tailors ham or a rolled up towel to press curves.

Wonder clips work great for all sorts of things but really come in handy for corsets!

Pay attention to the grain of the fabric when cutting out your pieces to avoid twisting.

Use steel boning. Plastic bones bend when they heat up next to the body and become very uncomfortable!

Use sturdy, flat steel bones in the center front and center back and spiral steel on curvier seams.

Double up the strength fabric on panel A to give a little extra support for the bust and belly.

Add extra bones in the center of panels larger than 2” to help avoid wrinkles.

Add a center front seam in the mockup to further adjust fit.

The opening in the back might seem awkwardly low, because it needs to be. If it is higher then the widest part of your hips, you won’t be able to pull it on!

Consider leaving the seam allowances on the leg openings before fitting if you are concerned about modesty.

Woven interfacing like Pellon SF 101 makes a huge difference on the fashion layer. This isn’t an area to skimp- cheap paper interfacing won’t stand up to the amount of ironing that you need to do while constructing a corset. Follow the directions and be sure to use lots of steam and a press cloth.

If you don’t have a bias tape maker that matches the size of your boning channels, try cutting out a strip of cardstock to size to use an an ironing guide.

Adding a waist tape while constructing the strength layer adds support and reinforces the area taking the most stress.

Dance tights make legs look long, lean, and gives extra coverage for modesty. Try layering them with fishnets!

A little padding goes a long way. Wider hips and bust make the waist look slimmer so if an optical illusion is what you are looking for, try slipping in a few shoulder pads. Teardrop pads help with bust support and the standard shoulder pads fit perfectly on the top of the hips.