Edwardian Ribbon Corset

About four years ago I saw this little number [link]
, badly photographed and advertised as Victorian on eBay. The seller displayed it upside down, loosely on a mannequin.

Needless to say I was the lucky bidder, I picked it up for what I consider a song. True it's condition is poor, it's unwearable and the fabric is badly stained and weak but I have an original corset I can study and display.

I've been wanting to make a copy ever since it arrived but sourcing appropriate materials has been difficult. In the end I've made this using substitutes so I can get on with other work!

The original corset was made using silk double satin ribbon and I'm not sure if the structural parts are silk or cotton. I have been unable to find suitable 2" wide cotton so in the end I found this aida - an embroidery fabric, this width is probably sold for bookmarks. Because it had the pretty flower detail I decided to use a pale, strawberry ice cream pink ribbon. While I was studying the corset I thought the bones seemed to vary in width so I got a metal detector on the case - erm I think it's whalebone eek! So I used synthetic whalebone (plastic) in the re-construction. The busk was 9.5 inches long, modern busks come in 1" increments so this is a 9" busk. Although I could have trimmed the plastic, my impatience got the better of me so there are only three bones instead of four in each of the boned sections. The original boning was quite a bit thinner than the plastic.

This corset is for sale

Tiny though it is, the corset measures 21" around the waist - it would probably fit a natural waist of 24" quite easily and bigger for someone who has been waist training.

Ideally I'd like to get new photographs on a real model, these have been taken on cushions because by smallest dummy - although only 24" waist doesn't squish

I've just discovered a competition to promote the idea of a DeviantArt Market Place and this qualifies in every respect
- This entry is for the deviantARTist's Marketplace [link]
- A link to the poll: [link]
- This piece is for sale £75 (I take Paypal) Postage and packing no more than £6 anywhere in the world.

Edit: the prices in Euro's and US Dollars were on this deviation. The conversion was at a time when sterling was strong. Exchange rates are going beserk at the moment as a guide visit www. XE . com [link] for current midmarket exchange rates. There is a converter on the page. This is a guide only if you pay by Paypal their exchange rates will apply.