A Substitute Busk for Corsets.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1896-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1896
A Substitute Busk for Corsets.
I, CATHERINE HALFHIDE, of Glendalough, Claremont Terrace, Lewisham,
London, S.E. do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention has for its object to enable the repair of a corset to be more easily
effected in the event of the breakage of a busk.
Heretofore the replacement of a broken busk by a new one has been difficult to
accomplish as the removal of the broken busk requires much care to avoid injury
to the fabric of the corset, and, especially as the studs and fastenings of the new
busk do not generally coincide exactly in position with those of the broken busk,
the renewal of the broken part involves the renewal of both busks and the
disfigurement of the covering fabric of the corset by patches or repairs, the
services of a skilled corset-maker being in any case required to effect the renewal
neatly.
My invention consists in providing a substitute busk which is already encased in
a sheath provided with flaps or extensions adapted to embrace the fabric of the
corset and to be readily stitched thereto by hand or machine so that the renewal
may be effected by any ordinary sempstress, the appliance forming a neat binding
finish for the ragged edge of the corset which merely requires to be ripped open in
order to remove the broken busk from its sheath.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is a face view of the substitute busk, as applied to a corset.
Figure 2 is a rear view, the rear covering flap being partly unsewn and folded
back to shew the ripped edge of the original fabric of the corset from which the
broken busk has been removed.
Figure 3 is a cross-section (drawn to a magnified scale) of the substitute busk,
as applied to the corset.
For the sake of distinction, the original fabric only is shaded but it will be
understood that the covering fabric of the substitute busk may be of any colour
and material to match that of the corset or not as preferred. Also that in the
event of breakage of one busk, it will generally be necessary, for the sake of
uniformity of appearance and of the fastenings, to similarly renew both busks.
The substitute busk (which may be of any ordinary kind or shape, spoonbill, or
straight, and be provided with any suitable fastenings) is indicated by the dotted
lines a in Figures 1 and 2. It is contained in a sheath enclosed between front and
back strips d, e, stitched together at f, or in one piece of fabric folded on itself
at 1, the back of the busk sheath being formed preferably by an intermediate piece
of fabric 6 stitched to the front piece d at f, g, or instead of an intermediate piece b,
the busk might be enclosed in a sheath formed by directly uniting the two
strips d, e, by a line of stitching at g. The strips d, e, are of sufficient width to
admit of receiving the edge of the fabric c of the corset between them, the back
piece being preferably of rather greater width than the front one so as to ensure
the stitching through both and through the intermediately enclosed fabric c of the
corset by the machine. The free edges of the strips or flaps d, e, would be
suitably hemmed or finished off, the front flap being either left plain or trimmed in
any suitable way.

page_text: By means of this appliance it is only necessary, in the event of breakage of a
corset busk, to rip open the sheath of the broken busk at or near the edge of the
corset, remove the broken busk, insert the ragged edge of the corset between the
flaps d, e, and unite the three by one or more lines of through stitching as at h, by
machine sewing, or to separately stitch the flaps d, e, respectively to the front and
back of the corset, the same operation being, for the sake of uniformity, applied to
the other busk of the corset.
In the event of the substitute busk being sheathed directly between the
strips d, e, (that is without the intermediate sheath b) the portion of the strips
beyond the stitching by which the two strips are in that case united would be of
sufficient width to form over and underlapping flaps between which the corset
fabric is received and in that case it would be necessary to wholly cut off the
original busk sheath (since the corset fabric would not enter beyond g) in order to
preserve the original dimensions of the corset. The use of an intermediate sheath
for the substitute busk as at 7 obviates this as it allows of the ragged edge of the
corset fabric entering between the strips or flaps d, e, almost up to the fold f so
that the stitching is thereby farther removed from the edge and a more secure
attachment ensured.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A substitute busk for renewing broken busks of corsets, being a busk which is
sheathed or enclosed between a strip or strips of fabric forming flaps or extensions
adapted to over and underlap or embrace the edge of the corset and to be secured
. thereto, substantially as specified.
Dated this 3rd day of January 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.