Boning is a narrow strip of plastic or metal sewn into seams or casings used to build structure and support into garments. It’s called boning because years ago bones were used in place of plastic or metal. It’s most commonly sold by the yard as hard plastic in a soft feltlike fabric casing or as thin flat plastic boning that you can sew through without a fabric casing. Metal boning is harder to find and may have to be ordered from specialty websites. Metal boning, also called spiral-steel boning, is more flexible, bends with the body and may be more comfortable to wear.
Boned bodice (Simplicity 4931)
Boned bodice, detail
WHEN DO YOU USE IT?
Boning is frequently seen in strapless dresses, halter tops, structured bodices, corsets, foundation garments and other tight-fitting garments. Boning helps smooth out the lines of a bodice. It holds the seams straight and keeps them from wrinkling. Boning is sewn along straight, vertical seams, including side seams, princess seams and center seams. Boning can be sewn on either side of a zipper for extra support. Sometimes you will even see boning sewn on an angle to help support the lines of the garment. You won’t be able to see the boning from the right side of the garment, but you may see the topstitching lines of each casing. Sometimes the casings are sewn to the outside as a design feature, as seen in corsets or foundation garments.
Tips + Notes
- You don’t want to skip boning if your dress is strapless, especially if the pattern calls for boning. It’s necessary to support the bodice and keep the dress from falling down.
- You can buy metal boning by the yard or meter or in precut lengths. If you need to shorten metal boning, you’ll need wire cutters. End caps cover the cut ends and are applied with pliers.
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