Sewing your own garter belt and stockings may seem like a difficult or expensive task. However, with beginner knowledge of a basic sewing stitch and a few basic supplies, you can create a homemade garter belt and stockings that you can wear for a wedding or any other occasion.
Things You'll Need:
- Straight Pins
- Scissors
- Garter Snaps
- Chalk
- Needle
- 1 1/2 To 2 1/2 Yards Sheer Stretchy Fabric (For Stockings)
- Tape Measure
- Elastic Lace
- 1/4 To 1/2 Yard Stretchy Fabric (For Garter Belt)
- Thread
Garter Belt
Take three measurements using the tape measure: around your waist where you want the top of the garter belt to rest, your hips where you want the bottom of the garter belt to reach and the distance between those two points. Write these measurements down. Alternatively, measure these points on a pair of underwear that fits you well.
Draw an isosceles triangle on a sheet of paper, making the base of the triangle equal to half your waist measurement and the height of the triangle equal to the distance between your waist and hip measurements. Cut out the triangle along the lines.
Fold your stretchy fabric in half, and lay it flat on a table. Lay your paper triangle on top of the fabric, and pin it down at each of the three points. Trace around the triangle with chalk or fabric pen. Remove the pattern, but keep the two fabric layers pinned together. Cut around the triangle lines, making sure you get both layers of fabric. You should end up with two identical fabric triangles.
Unpin the triangles, and lay them side by side so that the triangle bases are on top. Sew the top right tip of one triangle to the top left tip of the other. Your two triangle bases will form one long attached line.
Cut a piece of elastic lace to match the length of the sewn-together triangle bases. This length should equal your original waist measurement. Lay the lace strip down above the triangle bases, and sew them together using a basic up-and-down stitch. This forms the waistband.
Wrap the ends of your waistband around to meet each other, and sew the ends together with a tight blanket stitch that loops around and around the ends of the band. When you hold your project up by the waistband, there should be two triangle points hanging down around where your hips will be.
Cut two 4-inch strips of elastic lace. Sew the end of one strip to the hanging point of one triangle. Repeat the process on the other side. Attach two garter snaps to the ends of each piece of lace following the directions on the garter snap package.
Stockings
Measure from the tip of your toe to the height of your thigh, where you would like the stockings to end. Measure the circumference of your thigh where you would like the stockings to end.
Lay the stretchy sheer fabric flat on a table. Using your chalk, draw an isosceles triangle where the two long sides are each the same length as your toe-to-thigh measurement. The base of the triangle should be the same length as the circumference of your thigh. Repeat this process so that you have two very tall, thin isosceles triangles.
Fold one triangle over, lengthwise, so that the toe stays at the base, and the top line is halved. Sew the edges together, from the toe to the upper line, which you will leave open. Repeat the process with the other triangle, to complete your set of two stockings.
Resources
Writer Bio
Cam Middour has an M.F.A. in writing from Columbia University, and has worked for "The New Yorker," "Narrative Magazine," and the Poetry Society of America. Her work is forthcoming, or has appeared in "New England Review," "Western Humanities Review," "Sarah Lawrence Review" and others. She has been writing professionally for seven years.
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