How to Make Fairy Corsets
A staple of renaissance fairs, madrigal dinners and Halloween costumes, corsets retain a great deal of popularity, even though their peak was in the 19th century. There are any number of ways to make one, each with a varying degree of complexity. Fortunately, making a corset for a fairy costume means that you can really let loose, since you are not constrained by a need for historical accuracy. But no matter how fanciful, planning a corset always requires fitting it properly for the best result.
Things You'll Need
- Sewing machine
- 2 yards of brocade fabric
- 4 yards of coutil fabric
- Thread
- Cloth flowers and leaves
- Steel boning
- Corset pattern
- Pins
- Grommet tool
- Grommets
- Lacing
- Corset busk
Instructions
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1
Select a pattern from your local craft store.
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2
Select a brocade fabric. Brocade possesses a rich, silky quality conducive to fantasy creations. However, make sure to keep it away from Velcro or anything sharp, as it snags easily.
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3
Take measurements from the person you are making the corset for. Consult the pattern to determine the corresponding size.
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4
Lay the brocade fabric across the floor. Cut out the shapes from your pattern according to the size you determined and pin them to your fabric.
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5
Cut the fabric around the shapes as accurately as possible. Repeat for lining fabric, according to pattern instructions.
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6
Attach the corresponding layers of the corset together at the hem with basting as marked by your pattern.
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7
Sew the busk into the center panel. A busk is a series of clasps running down the front of a corset. Sew between these clasps on both the left and right portions of the corset.
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8
Use your grommet tool to insert grommets along the back seams of the left and right sides. Grommets are round circles through which lacing is strung.
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9
Sew up the lining to the outer brocade as per your pattern, leaving spaces to slip the boning in.
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10
Slip the boning into their places.
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11
Sew up all remaining seams.
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12
Add trim and, if you wish, stitch cloth leaves and flowers to the bottom hem and sleeves for a more fanciful look.
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