making your own bodice?

i know some of you sew so i was wondering, has anyone ever made their own bodice before?  i'd like one but i'm really cheap all the ones i've ever seen online or at ren faires are wayy too much money. soo i was wondering it'd be be more cost effective to just make my own?  or is that just way too difficult to bother with?

My mom made mine. It's pretty easy...just find a pattern you like lol.

It more than likely depends on what you are looking for.  I haven't made one personally, but if you don't want a real steel-boned bodice, and go for plastic or even the lighter metal, you can make it relatively inexpensively depending on the rest of your materials.  But often its the steel boning and the time it takes to sew it all in that ends up being costly. 

I wouldn't touch making one with a ten-foot pole, personally.  Getting it to fit right and dealing with the boning, and all the finishing is more than I care to try.

I've made a few mostly in college but i've made them. Heres my 1 question do you a bodice or a corset? If it has boning in it is technically a corset. If it is unboned it is a bodice.

I suggest going to  store.corsetmaking.com/Merchant2/merchan...gory_Code=K&AFFIL=CM    
they sell kits with detailed directions.  You can choose either steal or plastic boning fabric closures all that stuff. All you need to worry about it fabric but the pattern has fabric suggestions on the back of the envelope. Also you may want to put interfacing in-between the layers for extra support, its not always required but i feel it makes it more sturdy.

ive made a few bodices. there hard but with each one they get easier. you wont need much fabric at all. the boning they sell at craft stores is nice cause you sew it right onto the fabric but don't expect much support from it. ive also found a good website where you can order pre-cut pieces of steel boning. if thats the rout you want to go, make the bodice, measure the seems where you'll want boning, then order it and add it in later.

"Bodice" is a very loose term. A real supportive garment - with strong boning, that shapes your body - is probably not worth the difficulty level if you've never really done work on that level before. If you do a lot of sewing normally, then maybe the difficulty jump is alright; you'll probably just need a little bit of help (especially with fitting/measuring; it's pretty much impossible to measure yourself for something that needs to fit so precisely). If you don't sew much (or at all), I wouldn't attempt it for a first project.

However, if you're just looking for a ren-style bodice that's there to look nice but does not need to shape your body - essentially a tightly-laced vest with *maybe* some plastic boning in the front - they're really not that difficult, and there are a number of commercial patterns available. /tangent rant In fact, you can see many vendors at ren faires selling bodices that are clearly Simplicity #5582, can't a fantasy-themed store have a little more creativity, if only with the trim? GRRR. /rant Actually, Simplicity #5582 is not a bad place to start; I do not believe it has any boning in it and would probably be a good pattern for a novice seamstress, so that you learn how the different shapes lay on your body. Just dressing up the fabric or trim can go a long way in making something that looks unique, and that's something that's limited more by budget than skill level.

thanks a bunch everyone, i think i have a good idea of what i'm going to do