#corset busk

[the-golden-vanity]

Detail of a scrimshawed corset busk with floral, nautical, vernacular and patriotic American motifs, early-mid 19th century. Provincetown Museum, Provincetown, MA.

@clove-pinks, thinking of you ❤️

[blatantescapism]

Boning for corsets / stays needs to be strong, but have some flexibility. It has *never* been made from literal bone.

HOWEVER.

since the BUSK was meant to be stiff, it could be made from a variety of materials.

Often it was carved from wood,

but it also could be “whalebone” aka baleen, OR actual genuine bone of the whale, OR ivory

Some people use all these words as if they are interchangeable, but they really are not!

Here’s a baleen busk from the early 1800s:

Interesting because it was made juuuust before this solid wide style was replaced by the steel Victorian front-opening two-part busk.

whereas *this* busk was made from the literal bone of the whale. It was carved from the “panbone” aka lower jaw of the sperm whale. (sperm whales have sharp teeth to catch squid, not baleen)

Notice how the width is roughly the same, but the bone-of-the-whale busk achieves the same rigidity in HALF of the thickness of the baleen.

You *cannot* use sperm whale bone for the rest of the corset, but it does make a good strong busk!

Compare both whale-derived busks to this much earlier ivory busk, from the turn of the 17th century:

This busk was made *before* white people first hunted sperm whales. The European + colonial whaling industry focused exclusively on baleen whales for hundreds of years, overhunting them until they became scarce; the start of sperm whale hunting was a desperate attempt to keep the industrial juggernaut fed. The first colonial sperm whale hunt was around 1720. Once they discovered the spermaceti, things escalated.

This busk was made for a design that wanted a slender and rigid shape. Wood was too likely to snap; baleen wasn’t stiff enough. Ivory was the logical choice.

This busk is also a great illustration of why you don’t find tons of busks made of cow bone. You see how the tip isn’t quite straight? That’s because the original ivory tusk had a curve. They were clever with how they sliced it, they managed to minimize the curve, but it’s still there.

Cow bones are very inconveniently curved, both side-to-side and in cross section. They also aren’t uniformly dense all the way through. They have marrow, so you can’t carve freely the same way you can with ivory or wood. You possibly *could* make it work, but why make life hard for yourself?

Side note, while we’re talking about imprecise terms leading to confusion: I said “straw” but often that actually meant “dried reeds”

[moonshine-nightlight]

Hi, I'm always very impressed by your world building skills, even in shorter stories! Do you have any advice for aspiring writers on how to build their fantasy world?

So i drafted a response to this in between working just far too much and then my computer crashed and i lost it. Then i was even busier so i never got around to writing it again but i am making some time this weekend, so worldbuilding post - take 2

My main, high level worldbuilding tips are:

Rule of Cool: worldbuild things you think are fun and interesting. not only is that the best way to get ideas you like and are motivated to write about, but other people will also think they're interesting too. have fun with it.

Iceberg theory: know more about the world than ever makes it into the story. people can sense when worldbuilding is shallow, so even if they never see the true depths of the world they can often sense it's there. plus if u know the whole picture, everything the readers do see will seem more coherent

Integration: i heavily integrate the world i'm building into the story i'm telling--so dig into the plot and characters and make sure that the world and the story serve each other well. your world is there to contribute to the story so make sure its fulfilling that purpose

For more specifics about how i personally world build and for some examples from my stories of the above guidelines, see below.

So firstly, i love worldbuilding. i just think its a ton of fun and could easily spend hours just thinking about worlds in my head. (i mean what else is there to do when ur commuting to work, amiright?) i think that does make it easier for me to take the time to do it right and makes the world come through more vividly in my writing. it can get annoying or tedious or be more challenging at times, but since i like it/find world building interesting, i'm more willing to put in the time and effort to whip it into shape and i get less frustrated with that part of the process in general.

i'm also always thinking about world building to some degree in the back of my mind. picking up interesting information, facts, snatches of cool ideas or images or whatever. then i throw all that in like a junk drawer in my brain so when i sit down to more officially write or flesh out a world, i already have spare parts at my finger tips to use or drawn on.

Reading and consuming other art and worlds also makes it easier to make your own, just lik reading is a key part of writing practice. i don't just mean fiction, but just anything about the actual world makes it much easier to make up your own--that can manifest as awe at the fireflies that actually exist or spite that dragons dont. Whether that's random youtube video essays about the history of musicals or drinks or fashion to books and articles and documentaries or just my friend's niche interests (or their regular jobs). i'm always taking worldbuilding notes in the back of my mind.

For a more writing specific example, i read this short guide '50 Ways to Kill a Mermaid' (its locked for AO3 so u hav to sign in to read it) and it was super fun and cool to read that info from a writer who had studied marine biology. then when i was fleshing out Don't Shoot the Messenger a year later, the problem of Satrasi being a sea demon in a fresh water pool and bloating came to my mind because i'd stored that tidbit from the article away for later use.

My personal method for worldbuilding and plot outlining is sort a brainstorming/Q&A i have with myself (i hope this makes sense when i'm done writing this all out lol).

I've mentioned this before but the prompt that inspired Dale was: "You’re pretty sure your boyfriend was replaced by an eldritch being that can barely emulate being human. Weirdly, you enjoy a better relationship with them than your actual boyfriend."

So when that idea grabbed me, i started brainstorming about the world and asking myself questions. Why is the reader with the boyfriend if they don't really like them? What would make someone stay in a relationship like that? Do i want to make this a dark story? And i did not, i wanted it to be fun, so the arranged marriage angle came to mind. And if that's the premise then when is the story? is this our 'past' or another world entirely? diff world means more freedom so i automatically leaned in that direction.

Can the reader tell the 'boyfriend' has been replaced? Are demons a thing people know about? does the reader know that's an option? which is more fun? if the reader is worried about Dale getting caught, that's more room for hijinks so then yes, demons are known, but not common otherwise too many people would notice.

So my plot and worldbuilding are evolving in tandem and informing each other, based on the type of story i want to tell and how the characters i have in mind will react etc.

i run through a lot of ideas and turn them over in my head--trying out diff pieces to see if they fit--and am always willing to drop an idea or save it for another story if i don't think its working for the current one

For iceberg theory, i mentioned above for Dale would be the religions in that world. When i decided to introduce a priest like character (for discovery danger) i knew i needed to focus more on the religions than i previously had noted. the majority of what i came up with isn't int he story, but i think the fact that i know it helps me write when did end up in there, helped make it consistent, and means i can more easily work in allusions to it without having to work so hard those singular times.

For example, i'd decided to call the demon realm "the Depths" early on, which to me already invokes deep water and darkness, so i followed that through to sort height and air and light as being perceived more positively. fire and light are important symbols in this world and they primarily burn their dead--to bury someone below ground would be seen as almost condemning them and someone drowning is also seen as like, not good for their soul because what if it is 'pulled down' rather than 'ascending'. some of this was alluded to in the chapter, but most of it is not. this also helped me come up with the various "by the light" "dawn's ire" and other similar little 'religious' phrases and exclamations different characters use at times.

Meanwhile, in Sacrifice, the people living their are relatively non-religious--thats why they both don't pray to any other deities and it takes 5 years of problems to even bother trying an old god. it's not sacrilege because they're desperate people trying a long shot, not violating or abandoning a different belief. because i wanted the reader's main problem with it all to just be that they didn't think it work.

And why is she a translator? because i wanted to use the idea from that one post that goes around about how ridiculous it is in movies when their translated prophecies rhyme in english. why are they arguing about the translation? because its a dead language so no one really speaks it, that means the people who came up with it were here a century ago or longer. why aren't they here anymore? nomadic so they left and ended up staying away because of a natural disaster elsewhere. why is this town here now? a particular export/resource in this area became valuable enough for people to try to live here. the fact that its a lumber town due to some rare wood native to the area doesn't come up in the story, but i know it and i think that i know that about the town helps it feel more real, makes it easier for me to reach for new details when i need them

and going back to anything can be inspiration, let's talk about the doorlock in the very beginning of Finally Woken. its literally just a magical keypad/number pad but with different colored tiles instead of numbers because i wanted the reader to be able to get in, but i felt it didnt make sense for them to hav a physical key. and i thought it would look cool in Heshi's door and it went well with the fact that he's a glassblower . also, why is Heshi a glassblower? because i frickin' lov blown glass - i just think its so cool and pretty. that helped lead into the sort of artisan economy feel that world has.

Each of these stories has an outline and notes doc at a minimum. the notes doc is where i throw lik pics, inspiration posts, random worldbuilding ideas etc. only much shorter stories or stories that are heavily based in 'modern' world don't hav extensive random notes.

my Dale folder has subfolders for characters and the setting, as well as random worldbuilding files such as "demon summoning/magic" "spiritual belief and org" "fashion - feminine" and so on. Even excluding the plot outline and chapter notes (and not counting pics) i've got like, over 4k of random notes saved. dale is the one i hav the most of that for, but all my fics have some little section with stuff like that jotted down

in the end, i think the best way to sum up all that is with my three original rules of: put stuff u think is cool in your world, known more than you tell to help everything fit together and seem deep, and build your world around your plot and characters because they should all be working together to tell the story you want to tell.

honestly, i could ramble about worldbuilding all day so if anyone has any questions or wants more examples, just let me know ^^

[annebrontesrequiem]

When I first watched Mansfield Park (1999) literally the only thing I remembered was Mary Crawford being hot and her relationship with Fanny feeling weirdly sapphic.

Can confirm on rewatch that this continues to be true

[you-get-me-closer-to-god]

Is somebody gonna match my freak? (Painting Astarion’s eye like an 18th century lover’s eye on a wooden busk that I can wear in my stays close to my heart)

[kitabasis]

Got 90% into a historical fiction (regency) book, pleasantly surprised the whole time by the lack of corset complaints (admittedly much complaint about busks, but I’ve noticed that’s a common source of complaint among fashion historians who wear reconstructed regency clothes, and besides the narrator is a trans man and the busk is basically designed to ensure the breasts are defined) only for there to be a Gratuitous Corset-Lacing Scene!!

You look at regency dresses and tell me that the width of one’s waist would be visible!!! They could get away with minimum structuring in corsets for a reason!!!

LOOK AT THIS DRESS AND TELL ME THE WAIST SIZE IS VISIBLE. COME ON!!!

[bismuthburnsblue]

she still needs some refinements to the pattern but actually. anne corset goes SO hard

[discountalien-pancake]

Fucking darts the placement is so inconvenient but look at this side-by-side and tell me this pattern isn’t exactly the perfect shape for Galadriel’s chestplate:

Obviously the bottom hem needs a bit more spring and a different curve but I’m making a fucking waistcoat so it’s not like i’m that concerned about being screen-accurate. The buttons will be replaced with hooks and eyes so that i can make the edges meet exactly in the center without overlap. And obviously the collar will need to be altered, both for accuracy and comfort.

I essentially want this bodice to be functional as a cosplay and potentially as an evening gown bodice as well.

These are the colors I’m contemplating right now for the final version:

I’m leaning towards lower left but I need to get swatches to make sure.

[lorei-writes]

IkePri MC is so unfortunate.

She's (supposedly) wearing a corset. And yet, she gets successfully stabbed.

Now, I'm not saying that's impossible, but how unlucky is she? She's wearing a heavily boned garment. The boning would be either whalebone or steel. (An argument could be made that it might have even been more likely to be steel.) You can expect steel busk.

As far as I know, there were cases of women making it unscathed thanks to their corsets. Emma, on the other hand... Somehow, the sword or the knife never gets caught on the boning. It's like they have a GPS that leads them straight into her. :")

[lizard-dumbass]

I want to make a corset so fucking bad but i still don't have my materials so i can't

[six-of-ravens]

I am enjoying Ordinary Monsters so far but it does employ the "corsets are torture devices" trope and the author also clearly did 0 research on them and just word-saladed a couple sentences to make it look like they did.

*grinds teeth* at least it's not likely to be a huge Thing in this book, hopefully just that one scene...

[peregrine-rnendicant]

...i bought the custom pretty housemaid corset pattern from clockwork faerie. now i just need to figure out the cost of a busk and boning and grommets and some lacing so i can do a mockup...

[wisteria-lodge]

Busks go in a specific front pocket that some stays have, creating that fashionable long clean 1700s line.

and it is very sexy and romantic to have this token from your sweetheart/lover tucked into your undergarments like that.

Men DNI unless you are willing to carve me an intricate whalebone busk, delicately inscribed with images of tall ships and portraits of myself, that I will wear against my heart to remember you by when you are inevitably lost at sea

[battendownthewhatsit]

I swear half my friends went to sea this year but no one is whittling clever little contraptions to pass the time there anymore. Tragic. Shameful.

[dresshistorynerd]

Sewing 1890s Day Dress in Doll Scale

I went slightly overboard with this second historical doll project. Here's my first one. The style is from around 1897 and more of a middle class style. As with my first doll outfit, I tried to stick to historical methods as much as possible, but the scale forced me to do some deviations. I hand-sew everything though sewing machine was already widely used, because in this scale it's easier to control the stitch, there's not that much to sew anyway and also I just really like hand-sewing. Here's all the items I made. As said, I went a little overboard. One thing that's missing is the corset cover, but the layers of fabric were creating enough bulk on the waist as is so I decided to not make one.

This time I decided to try repainting the face. I don't have any doll customization materials, so I used acrylics. After couple of attempts I got decent results. Acrylics can't make as smooth and delicate finish as pastels, pencils and gouache, which can be used on vinyl with basing sprays, and I'm not experienced with painting small details on 3D objects, so it's a bit smudged at points, especially with the other eye. I aimed for 1890s very neutral make up and the type of expression that was popular in fashion plates and other illustrations.

Undergarments

Combinations and stockings

The combinations are split crotch as they were in the period. They are from thin cotton voile I have a lot of and is very appropriate. I didn't have really tiny enough lace for this, so it's kinda bulky, but I think it's okay enough. The stockings are cotton knit, which fits well. The garters are not actually necessary for this doll since her legs are rubbery.

Corset

I made the corset from a firm-ish linen and satin rayon pretending to be silk as the fashion fabric. The stitching of the boning channels is not super neat, this fabric is very unforgiving, I didn't have exactly matching thread and the scale made it very difficult. I of course didn't have tiny busk, so I used small hooks, sewed thread loops for them and used narrow metal wire for the edges. I think it looks surprisingly right on the outside. I used the same wire as the boning to reinforce the lacing on the back. I didn't actually use boning elsewhere but the tightly packed linen edges in the boning channels kinda work like lighter boning. I think it keeps the shape pretty ways even with just that. I stitched cotton tape inside to shape the corset further. I also didn't have tiny metal eyelets so I hand-sewed the lacing holes.

Bustle pad

The bustle pad is from linen and stuffed with tiny cabbage.

Petticoat

The petticoat is from the same cotton as the combinations.

Outer wear

Skirt

The fabric is cotton half-panama. It's pretty thin, but firm. I would have liked to use a woven wool, but I didn't have any that's thin enough to work in this scale. I think this cotton looks close enough in this scale to a wool with a tight weave, so I'm imagining it's that. My problem was that the cotton was white, but I wanted light brown. I wasn't going to buy any fabric for this, so I did the reasonable thing and dyed it with red onion peals (I've been doing natural dye experiments so this worked well for me).

Shirtwaist

The shirtwaist is from the same cotton as the undergarments. Yes, I dyed it too. I didn't have thin enough cotton in a color that would fit with the skirt and the purple bow, so I dyed it light blue with fabric color. Since I already went the trouble of dyeing I decided I might as well make a small flower print to it since that was popular in the era. I didn't want it to jump out too much but the lighting makes it even less visible. I made it with a white fabric pen. The collar and cuffs are reinforced with linen. I also sewed small stick-like beads to the cuffs on both sides, so one acts as a button (I sewed a buttonhole too) and the other makes it look like they are cufflinks. The bow is from the same fabric as the corset and the belt is sewn from the same cotton as the shirtwaist. The buckle is from a barbie belt.

Waistcoat

The waistcoat is from the same fabric as the skirt, thought the lapels and the back are from another satin rayon. I tailored the front panels and the lapels by stitching the linen interlining with tailor's stitches (I don't remember if that's the correct word in English) into shape. There is some wonkiness on one side of the hemline for some reason.

Boots

I made the slightly insane decision to make the shoes fully from leather, like they would have been in the period. I had an old broken leather wallet I had saved in case I needed some leather scarps. It has fairly thin leather, so it was workable here. It's light brown though, so I used black shoe polish to darken it. I wanted black or very dark brown shoes. I stacked the heels from glue and leather pieces and carved them into the right shape and sewed the shoe itself to leather shaped as the sole and glued it to the heeled and shaped sole. After I had shaped the shoes and the heels as much as I could I painted the heels black.