DIY Prom/Wedding Garter

DIY: Garter

I have prom in two weeks! I have been dreading it but I did get a great DIY out of the process :) This project does require a bit of sewing skills but it still is quite a simple project and can be done in 20 minuets.  It is also very cost effective so if you have prom or a wedding on a budget this is the garter for you! The best part about it is that it is super custom to match your style or color them in the best way possible.   

At first I wanted a vintage garter but did not find any I liked.  But than I thought oh wait I could just make one out of vintage fabric!....buut I ended up scratching the vintage fabric idea and ended up making it pink camo with vintage lace and  a sparkly bow.  All the things that resemble me :) 

                                                              

Turns out all the other garter tutorials out there actually kind of suck so I made my own variation of one.  There will be other tutorials listed at the end of this blog post if you would also like to give those a try as well. 

Supplies:

• Fabric of choice (at least 20-30" in length depending on the size of your leg) 
• Lace or ribbon 
• Scissors 
• Elastic 
• Measuring tape 
• Iron 
• sewing machine with matching thread 
• Chalk or other marking tool
• Embelishments (charms, bows, flowers)

You can customize how you are making this by changing up the type of fabric and lace you use to make it more personal to you. 

Step one - Cut elastic, lace, and fabric 
YOUR FABRIC AND LACE WILL BE 3" BIGGER THAN YOUR LEG AND YOUR ELASTIC WILL BE 7" SMALLER THAN YOUR LEG

To cut elastic:
Take the measurement around the area you would like to place your garter.  Mine was in my mid thigh it was 26".  Simply take the measurement around your thigh and subtract 7" from it.  

For example:
26" (distance around my thigh) - 7" = 19"

19" is how long I cut my elastic

To cut Lace:
Measure around were you would like your garter to sit and add 5"

For example:
26" + 5" = 31"

I will cut my Lace 31"

To cut Fabric or ribbon:
For this all just do the same steps you did for your lace they need to be exactly the same size.
Except for your fabric it needs to be 3" WIDE



Step two: Iron raw edges 

Simply take your Iron and fold in the edges. (wrong sides together)  Be sure not to over fold no more than a cm wide or your garter will not be wide enough for your elastic. 

If you don't feel confident with this small fold cut your fabric wider to give you more room to fold raw edges over.  The reason we do this is so the fabric does not fray and it looks more professional. 

If you choose to use ribbon you can skip this step



Step three: Sandwich the lace
Put the lace on the edge of your fabric on one side and fold over the other side.  Line up the fabric edges together while the lace is "sandwiched" into the two fabric sides.  PIN INTO PLACE.  

This part is a little time consuming but this is one of the most critical parts so make sure you take your time. If this does not look good your garter will not look good.  



Step four: Sew
Sew the fabric and lace sandwich together were you pinned. 



Step Five: Insert elastic
To insert elastic simply attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and feed it through the tube.  

You will want to add a pink to the other end of the elastic and pin it to the fabric so while you are pulling it threw it bunches up and does not slip out.  



Step Six: Sew elastic
Now remove the pins and sew the ends down.

Step Seven: Attach ends together
Place it right sides together sew down the line than turn right side out and you are done! 

(unless you decide to add a bow or other embellishments like I did)

Step Eight: Add Embellishments
I chose to add a bow but you can add whatever you want to yours or nothing at all.  Simply hand sew on whatever it is you desire.  If needed add glue to reinforce the seams because that many layers of fabric can be tricky to sew to. 

Here are a few other Garter Tutorials that are slightly different than this one check them out for other variations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_JRJi1Y9Wc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-McfdKLoKI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gXrToS4EvE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT3yRfPacTg

All of these are slightly different to make it easier for you to find the style that suits you

Thanks for reading guys! If you make your own version of this garter I would love to see it so tag me in pictures of it on instagram @DIYNATION7797