Pasties are a nipple covering often sported in an elaborate form by burlesque and exotic performers. They are also known as “nipple covers” or “nipple petals”, and if they have tassels on them, “nipple tassels”.

Pasties first materialized in the 1920s as a part of the burlesque and striptease culture. Performers needed to cover their nipples to avoid breaking the law, and the illusion of nudity could be achieved by using flesh coloured pasties. As the authorities caught on to this, it became law for it to be clear that the dancers were not topless – and this was when tassels were first added.

In these two photos from Cleopatra (1917), Theda Bara is most certainly wearing flesh coloured pasties under the metal brassiere and the sheer negligee.

Publicity photo of Theda Bara for the 1917 movie Cleopatra. From Wiki Commons.

Actress Theda Bara in one of her famous risque costumes in a promotional still from the 1917 film Cleopatra, from Wiki Commons.

In this photo from a nightclub in the Florida Keys, the dancer on the end is wearing large, spangled seastar shaped pasties, and the last one in a bikini is wearing very small round ones.

IThe interior of the Mardi Gras Night Club. From the Jeff Brodhead Collection, about 1960. From the Florida Keys--Public Libraries Flickr stream

Backings, Materials and Adhesives

For those wondering why the name “pastie” is used when this is already taken by a savoury meat dish from England, the name derives from the way that they are applied with an adhesive and “pasted” on.

The most popular adhesive to apply pasties is double sided tape, but eyelash glue and spirit gum are alternative options. This means that in order for a pair of pasties to be reusable they should be backed with a material which is durable, and which the adhesive can be cleaned from periodically. For this reason, high quality pasties are backed with leather or faux leather, which is both durable and easily cleaned. Mid range pasties are backed with foam which can still be kept clean, but does not last anywhere near as long as leather or pleather.

Cheaper (or single use) pasties are backed with felt, which lasts a little longer than foam, but leaves a fluffy residue on the wearer after the pasties have been removed – definitely not sexy, and a real pain to try and clean off!

Today many performers commission pasties to match their costumes, and as corset makers this makes the ability to make these a valuable commodity.

Pasties with tassels to match a corset

They are very simple to make, and although the thought of making pasties, or even nipple tassels, may seem ludicrous to those who are not involved in this scene, it is a brilliant project to have on hand for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the wearing of pasties is more widespread than just burlesque performers and strippers - some women like to wear pasties if they are wearing a backless or strapless dress, if they are uncomfortable in strapless bras, or do not wish to risk accidentally exposing themselves if their clothing is sheer under lighting or something similar. Some women wear pasties in lieu of a bikini top at the beach to avoid tanning lines, and some women like to wear pasties as a part of a lingerie set.

Secondly, being a very quick and easy project, these are intensely satisfying to make. They are brilliant for those days when you are feeling a little bit tender and want to feel as though you have achieved something. Having a beautiful pair of hand crafted pasties after a short time working is extremely rewarding, and gives you a small canvas to apply lace, crystals or whatever your heart desires to, without breaking the bank. The fact they are so quick and easy to make also makes pastie making great as an activity for a girls' night in, or for a hen night.

Lastly, they are a brilliant way to use up the scraps of fabric and handfuls of crystals you have left after a project, meaning they can be made very cheaply, and are ideal for making for quick sale at events where you may be advertising your corsetry or dressmaking abilities, but otherwise be relying on aftersales.

Pastie Designers

Pairs of pasties are generally sold for between £5 and £20 depending on the complexity of the design, materials and embellishments used, and whether they are one of a kind or of a less exclusive design – it should be noted that for those makers who are highly in demand, the prices can reach as much as £150 for a custom made pair.

One such maker is Adora Belle, who creates beautiful work in the Art Deco style, and her work is definitely work a look if you are searching for examples of how pasties can be tasteful and beautiful and not just garish and cheap looking.

Other renowned pastie makers who create more high end designs include Pearls and Swine/ Temptress of Waikiki, La Lilouche, and Gothfox.

Of course we all have different styles, but although they are small, pasties are incredibly versatile, and there should be a style which is aesthetically appealing for most of us to become inspired by! Perhaps these would be the perfect item to accompany your piece for the FR competition this year?

And now you have (hopefully) been inspired to give making pasties a go, how are they made?

Making the Pasties

The pasties for which I will be showing you the instructions consist of a leather backing, felt interlining and fabric fashion layer. Some people like to use sequins or crystals instead of fabric, and obviously this can be added to these pasties, if desired, but I like the look of plain fabric pasties and making them this way makes this possible, whereas making them to the simplest possible instructions leaves you unable to have a plain pair which look attractive without covering them in glitter.

I had been told by a number of people that pasties were the easiest thing to make, with many of my friends producing their own beautiful pasties when they could not so much as sew a button on when it came to dressmaking. So, why did they elude me? Every time I tried, I ended up with a sodden mess of wasted fabric, soaked through with glue.

As an occasional burlesque performer and full time crafting addict I was embarrassed that I could not get to grips with making pasties - something so many people said was the easiest thing to make, but I was determined that I was going to master this craft.

Not only was it upsetting me that something so supposedly simple was proving impossible for me, but it was also incredibly frustrating that I could not make my own pasties, as my head was filled with ideas of corsets with matching pasties and knickers, and my lack of skills in the pastie making department were letting me down royally!

There are many existing tutorials out there for making pasties, but those I found all ask you to glue on sequins instead of using fabric, to apply liberal layers of glitter, or they just tell you to "use fabric" with no instructions on how to apply it, and no images to give any hints. Before eventually discovering this method, which I'll share with you below, I had tried all sorts of different adhesives to affix the fabric, and they all soaked through, ruining the finished pasties.

This is a simple project, which should take under an hour to complete if you have fast drying glue.

It would be ideal to combine with Lynn McMasters' wonderful period tassel making tutorials at Your Wardrobe Unlock'd (Making Period Tassels and Period Thread Tassels II: Compound Tassels) to create something truly perfect and truly custom to match a corset.

Materials Needed

• Leather or pleather (about A5 size/ 8 in x 5 in) This is the ‘backing’.
• Felt (about A5 size/ 8 in x 5 in) This is the middle layer.
• Fabric (about A5 size/ 8 in x 5 in - perfect as a use for those scraps you have save from previous projects, and I find there is always enough left from making an underbust corset to make matching pasties.) This is the fashion fabric.
• Narrow trim for the edge (I am using a sequin trim for this example).
• Heavy duty double sided sticky tape (I use a double sided carpet tape, which is available at my local supermarket)
• Tacky glue / craft glue to apply the trim to the edge. If you don’t want to use glue, you could also hand sew this.
• 2 pegs or bulldog clips
• Compass and pencil, or a suitably sized circular object. I use a small yogurt pot, as I have found that it produces perfectly sized pasties for me. "Average" sized pasties are usually between 2.5" and 3" in diameter, so you'll want something a little bigger than this.
• Scissors. They will need to be sharp enough to cut through fabric, but will also need to cut through a layer of paper at the same time, so don't use your best fabric scissors for this!
• Optional trims: lace, crystals, tassels, sequins etc to embellish your pasties. You could leave them plain if you prefer, or let your imagination run wild. I like mine to match the corset I have made from the same fabric.

Construction Steps

First, you need to cover your rectangle of felt with double sided tape, on both sides.

Secondly, you peel the backing from the tape on one side of the felt, leaving the tape on the other side intact for now.

Stick the pleather or leather backing down on this:

Draw your circles on to the backing:

If you are using a circular object to draw around, this will be easy as you can just use a permanent marker straight away. If you would rather use a compass for this because you can't find anything of the right size, it will be easier to make a template on a sheet of card or paper and then draw round this with a marker onto the backing.

Next, draw two lines which both lead to the center of your circles. This will mark out the chunk of fabric to cut out so you can make your pasties three-dimensional.

How large a chunk you remove will determine how conical the pasties are. We all have different bodies, so I can't give an exact figure. Before you make your pasties for real, you may want to make some mock ups from paper or card and try different angles between the two lines and see what you find most comfortable or aesthetically pleasing.

Cut out ONLY the two "pie slices".

Peel the backing off the tape on the other side of the felt, and stick your fashion fabric down:

Cut your circles out:

Cut along the edge of one of the lines which leads to the center of the pastie. This will form a hem of the fashion fabric, which you can fold over to create a neat line on the outside:

Using your craft glue, stick the folded "hem" into place on the backing:

I've used tacky glue, which holds the fabric in place nicely without any help. If the glue you're using does not, you may need to clamp it down with a peg from the washing line, a bull dog clip, or something similar.

At this stage you will have to pasties with one neatened side each, whcih look a lot like Pac Man:

On the backing of the pastie, apply a line of glue over the hem:

Applying the glue on this side is important because you want the side with the neat edge to be the one which is visible from the outside.

Fold your pasties into cones, and peg them in place to dry:

At this stage you should add any embellishments such as lace, crystals, beads or anything else which takes your fancy, with the exception of tassels, which would be the last thing to be added.

The pasties I purchased before I learned to make them are all finished in one of two ways: a very narrow zig zag stitch, or a glued-on trim, with the exception of one pair which are bound at the edge. If you have the patience to do this, I take my hat off to you!

To apply a trim, simply apply glue around the edge of the pasties and stick it in place:

The finished thing:

You can cut the pasties into different shapes, they don't have to just be round. Here are heart shaped pasties with a layer of lace over the fashion fabric:

 

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