16th Century Corset - Tabs

I've been working on a 16th century corset, and so far it's actually not been too difficult. However, I've reached the point in the pattern where I have to bind the edges of the tabs. I'm thankful that I learned how to sew by making quilts, because I really can't imagine trying to bind this corset with no binding experience.

I decided to sew the binding by hand because they're so small that I thought it would be difficult to sew with my machine. Although they're not my most favorite part they honestly haven't been as hard as I thought they would be. It can sometimes be difficult to bind around a curve and not have it look all bunched up. I haven't had much trouble with these though (yet!).

 

I was wondering how period the tabs were and if they were decorative or served a purpose. According to the Renaissance Tailor, the tabs help to keep the corset from digging into the hips, as well as distribute the weight of the clothing onto the hips instead of the shoulders. I've never worn a tabbed corset before, but am quite familiar with the whole digging into the hips part. It'll be interesting to see if it digs in less with the tabs.