How to Make a Bustier Corset

Bustier corsets are a flattering look for any figure.

Bustier corsets date back several centuries and are a timeless women's undergarment. Most are expensive and may be difficult to find in the size you need, so, if you can sew, you can save time, money and frustration by making your own. Patterns are easy to find and adjust to your precise measurements, while the materials needed cost a fraction of what a store-bought corset would.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Washable fabric marker
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Measuring tape
• Eyelets
• Anvil
• Eyelet tool
• Hammer
• Ribbon

Instructions

1. Purchase a pattern from your local sewing supply store, or locate a free pattern online and print it out.

2. Select two fabrics to use in your corset. The lining should be a breathable material, such as cotton.

3. Fold your fabrics over and pin the pattern to your lining fabric. Mark 1 inch away from the pattern edge for seam allowance and cut out. Remove the pattern and replace on the second fabric. Mark and cut out.

4. Pin the corresponding shell and liner pieces together, with the correct sides facing each other.

5. Stitch the lining to the shell. Stop about 2 inches before the starting point and pull the corset through the hole to turn it right-side out. Finish stitching. Complete for all corset pieces and stitch corset sections together along seam lines.

6. Measure 1 inch in from the seams where the corset opens and mark. Turn your measuring tape parallel to the seams and mark 1-inch intervals directly below your first mark down the full length of the corset. These indicate your eyelet placements.

7. Cut a small hole to insert each eyelet over your marks from the previous step.

8. Push eyelets through the holes you cut, entering from the right side and threading to the wrong. Set each eyelet on an anvil and place the eyelet tool over the eyelet. Hammer it closed.

9. Cut a section of ribbon at least 48 inches long. Start at the bottom of the corset and thread the ribbon ends into the lowest positioned eyelets from front to back. Alternate threading ribbon tails through opposite panels, as if you were lacing up a sneaker. Keep loops relatively loose so you can step into the corset when the lacing is finished. Position the corset on your chest, pull the laces tight and tie off the ribbon with a bow.

References

• "The Corset Making Manual"; Kristy Sapsford; 2008