How to Make a White Corset
White corsets evoke love, romance and femininity from a bygone era, making them ideal as bridal wear. Brides might consider wearing a white corset under a wedding dress to achieve a smooth figure; pair it with white underwear, stockings and a bridal garter for a special touch on the wedding night or as outerwear on top of a wedding dress or a full skirt for a romantic, retro look. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tailor's measuring tape
- Underbust corset pattern
- White drill or brocade cloth
- Washing machine and dryer
- Iron
- Scissors
- Stick pins
- Sewing machine
- Boning casings
- Lengths of flat or spiral steel boning
- Pen
- Awl
- Grommets
- Grommet punch
- Satin ribbon
- Long laces for corsets or heavy-duty ribbon
Instructions
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1
Measure your bust, underbust, waist and hips with a tailor's measuring tape. Choose an overbust or underbust corset pattern size based on your measurements.
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2
Wash and dry the cloth to preshrink it. Iron the cloth. Pin the pattern pieces to the cloth and, using a pair of scissors, cut out the pattern pieces. Remove the pins.
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3
Sew the fabric panels together according to the corset pattern instructions; you will have a left side and a right side of the corset on the seam allowance. Put them down on a flat surface with the wrong sides facing up.
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4
Line up the boning casings and pin in place. You can use ready made boning casings, lengths of twill tape or 1 1/2-inch pieces of the cloth. Sew the left and right edges of each casing down. Place the steel boning into each casing.
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5
Pin the facings to the horizontal edges of the left and right side of the corset. Sew the facing for the corset's back opening down.
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6
Make a small dot with a pen to indicate where each grommet should go as instructed by the corset pattern. Make a small hole with an awl on each small dot. Place the top and bottom halves of each grommet, on the outside and underside of the corset respectively, and combine with the grommet punch.
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7
Make a small dot with a pen to indicate where each grommet should go as instructed by the corset pattern. Make a small hole with an awl on each small dot. Place the top and bottom halves of each grommet, on the outside and underside of the corset respectively, and combine with the grommet punch.
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8
Insert the hook portion of the busk between the facing for the left side of the corset's front opening. Sew down. Insert the eye portion of the busk between the facing for the right side of the corset's front opening. Sew down.
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9
Apply satin ribbon folded in half to the top and bottom edges of the corset. Pin and sew down. Lace up the back of the corset.
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Tips & Warnings
To give the corset extra strength, horizontally stretch pieces of grosgrain ribbon across the waist of the corset after sewing the boning casings. Pin and sew the ribbon down. However, to leave an invisible seam, sew a series of horizontal seams on the ribbon only over the boning casing seams.
You can embellish white bridal corsets with lace, ribbons and beading for an extra feminine touch.
Wearing a corset should give you a smooth line and be relatively comfortable. It should not restrict your normal movements or cause pain. Do not reduce your waist more than 4 inches with a corset.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
