Josephine, with corset

Last night I started working on Josephine's corset (or "stays" as they were called in Colonial Times). First, I searched for a period pattern I could enlarge or shrink to size. Then, I cut it out of heavy muslin and a heavy blue cotton fabric I had on hand. I eliminated the little flaps at the hips, as I couldn't quite fathom the work it would take to make them look correct. I put a piece of cardboard between the blue fabric and the lining to serve as a "busk" and top stiched over it. I then cut out bias strips from unbleached muslin, which I used to edge the entire corset. Finally, I added grommets at the shoulders
and up the back and ribbons for laces. Lastly, I added the lace and ribbon trim at the bossom.