What Is Boning in Corsetry?

Corsets began life in the 16th century as a form of girdle, a garment meant to accentuate a woman's curvy figure by cinching her at the waist. It evolved over time to become the fashion statement it is today. Corsets are generally worn as bustiers and as part of a strapless gown. The key to their figure-flattering appeal is in the boning.

The art of corsetry describes corset-making skill. Corsets can best be described as close-fitting undergarments for women that are laced at the back, cinching the woman's midsection from just under the bustline down to her hips or sometimes over the hips. They are usually sewn together in fabric or flexible leather, frequently have garters attached for fastening hosiery and are reinforced with boning. Boning includes any stiff yet flexible materials (e.g. plastic, jute, metal or bones) used as stays to reinforce, or stiffen, these garments. The boning is placed in channels hidden in the corset's seams.

Lightweight, flexible metal boning with tips that don't poke through the fabric works well for boning corsets. With proper placement and correct boning size, the boning remains invisible from the right side of the corset. Boning may, however, show through when using thin or lacy fabrics or when boning is placed where the corset has no seams. In these instances, a channel must be constructed using a flannel buffer to hide the boning. Another technique for hiding boning requires sewing an opaque underlining on the inside of the garment and sewing the boning channels to the underlining. Completed corsets should be pressed with the boning face-down, on a soft padded surface, to prevent the boning from leaving a crease on the outside of the garment.

Period boning materials include buckram or pasteboard, reeds and whalebone or horns. Buckram is a coarse cotton stiffened with glue, and pasteboard is compressed paper, the modern equivalent being cardboard. This boning material can be cut with scissors. Reeds, dating back to the 1500s, can now be found in stores selling basketry supplies. Whalebone and horns once used as boning are no longer available and have no modern equivalent.

Boning materials used in modern-day corsets include cable ties, hemp or jute twine, and metal. Plastic cable ties, available at most hardware stores, come in packs of 10 strips of 24-inch and 26-inch lengths. Cut the ties to size with scissors, and remove jagged ends by melting them with a candle. (Warning: This process smells bad and is best done outdoors). Hemp twine as boning, a recent invention, can be found as spools in any craft store on the beading or macram aisle. Cut the twine with scissors, and thread it into the boning channels with a needle. Metal boning boasts a range of lengths and widths and is manufactured from "spring steel," which is rigid, yet flexible enough to prevent gouging. These stays are usually available only online. Cut them to size using tin snips, then file the rough edges.

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