Those of us interested in the vintage or retro way of dressing know that shapewear and garter belts are essentials for obtaining an authentic look. Although there are brands that do cater to such needs, such as Rago, Kiss Me Deadly and What Katie Did, it can be difficult to find items which fit perfectly all over. I have a large waist-hip ratio which makes it difficult to find shapewear which does not cut in, thus ruining the smooth lines I am trying to obtain. Being able to make your own shapewear also allows to you to be able to make pieces especially designed for and to match special outfits, which is very comforting to my 'matching-bra-and-panties' way of life.

Girdle Examples

I inadvertently became a vintage girdle hoarder after finding a bunch in a local ‘everything store’ tucked beneath a table loaded with clearance fabrics, and let me tell you, that was my best vintage find to date! There were literally hundreds of circa 1950s items from bras to girdles to corselettes in every size all priced at $5 each. Inevitably I ended up buying quite a few and since then I can’t help raiding vintage markets for them. Some do not fit me as well as I would have liked, but I tried to find ones as close to my size as I could which would still retain a shaping capability.

• Girdle A is a longline/legged panty girdle. The legs on this end about mid-thigh, but they can also be slightly shorter. They have four loops on the inside of the legs for detachable suspender clips. It features a non-stretch panel in the centre front as well as a hook-and-eye adjustable mesh panel/’wings’. This is designed so that one can get the garment on, and then tighten it to their required level.
• Girdle B is a simple roll on girdle and has four suspender clips. There is a double layer of powermesh on the front with a lace design overlay.
• Girdle C is again a roll on girdle, but it features a wide elastic waistband. This wide waistband changes the shape on the figure and gives a more defined waist. It also has four suspender clips and a non-stretch centre panel with adjustable mesh wings.
• Girdle D is a longline girdle and has a hook and eye fastening which is secured with a zipper over the top. This is one of only two girdles I own which have six suspender clips instead of four. It features a decorative non-stretch centre panel and adjustable mesh wings, as well as a panel at the back of a second layer of mesh. Both C and D are made of a stronger powermesh which is more difficult to wiggle on, and feels slightly rougher than the others. It also includes boned darts, as well as boning along the sides of the centre panel.
• Girdle E was actually the first shaping garment I owned. It is a 'roll-on' girdle with a centre zip and non-stretch panel overlayed on the mesh, this allows to be ‘rolled’ on and then zipped up for compression. It includes six garter clips as well as side and back panels of a vertical two-way stretch satin finish fabric. This girdle is 2’’ [5cm] shorter than girdle B which makes it slightly more uncomfortable, as it cuts in at my hip-line instead of lower, as they tend to.

Materials

• The main fabric needed for a girdle is strong powernet, also known as powermesh. I currently buy mine from Sewing Chest, but Vena Cava Design and Spandex World sell it too, though I have not yet tried them. (As tempting as it is to search eBay to find a better deal, I can guarantee that most power mesh on there is the lightweight version, which is used on lingerie and clothing - not suitable for a shaping garment.) A half-meter length will be more than enough for one girdle, as the fabric generally runs wide and the top edge of the pattern pieces need to run parallel to the selvedge with this particular fabric.
• Any decorative fabric for the front panel, and a twill or other non-stretch backing for reinforcement.
• 1m length of plain elastic.
• Six garter tabs with a width matching that of your plain elastic, plus six matching sliders if you wish to make adjustable garters.
• 2m elastic for edging (underbust measurement + hip measurement gives a rough guideline). I suggest fold over elastic or an edged elastic. If you have a reasonable difference between your waist and underbust, you might want to use a silicone-backed, non-slip elastic to prevent it from sliding down on the longline girdle. For the regular length girdle you can use elastic 2’’ [5cm] wide to get a style alike girdle C.

I used white shimmer powernet, a floral delustered satin with white twill for a backing, 19mm white satin plush-backed bra strap elastic, 20mm silver/white suspender grip, 14mm white plush backed loop-edge elastic. Make sure to measure the stretch of the elastic and powermesh you are using and figure out if the waist will be able to stretch over your hips. If not then you will need to insert a strong fastening such as a zip, or hook-and-eye tape.

Pattern

I will be teaching you how to draft a basic longline girdle, which can be cut down to a regular length girdle from the marked waistline - the process for both is the same and they only differ in length. I started by sketching various girdles and designs, and settled on this one which was mainly inspired by girdle D; I like the Art Deco-style lines of it.

I personally prefer to draft my patterns using imperial measurements and use metric measurements for seam allowances and material measurement, but the two are interchangeable - depending on your preference.

Measurement Table – use this as a template to fill in your own measurements:

	Distance to lower measurement	Measurement	Measurement * 0.95	1/2 of the 0.95 Measurement	1/4 of the  0.95 Measurement
Underbust	4’’	28’’	26.6’’	13.3’’	6.65’’ (rounded to 6.5’’)
Waist	9’’	26’’	24.7’’ (rounded to 24’’)	12’’	6’’
Hips	N/A	39’’	37’’	18.5’’	9.25’’

• If your waist measurement * 0.95 has any decimal points then round it down as it will make for a more shaping garment and it will make for easier measurements.
• In the final ¼ of the 0.95 measurement round any decimals down to the nearest ¼".

Take a final measurement from your waist to where you want your girdle to end. Mine was 10’’, giving a total length from the underbust to the bottom of 14’’.

For the centre front (CF) pattern piece, draw a straight line which is longer than your front length which serves as your centre front. Then mark the points of the length of the girdle, underbust, waist and final length. From the underbust point, square out and mark 5’’ [12.5cm] across (2.5’’ [7.5cm] each side of the centre line) and from the final point mark 2.5’’ [7.5cm] out (1¼’’ [31mm] each side). Connect these points with straight lines. From the waistline marker measure the length across.

For the seam allowance I used 3/8" [10mm] for the seams as they need to be narrow. For the top and bottom seams I used ½" [13mm] which I measured as the flat part of my loop edge elastic, so this will depend on the elastic you use. If you use fold-over elastic there is no need to add seam allowances.

For the side front pattern piece, draw another straight line to anchor your drawing and mark the underbust, waist, hip and final lengths along it. Measure and mark the angle of where the front pattern piece will sit - the bottom should be 1¼’’ [31mm] longer than the top. Take your half measurement for each of your measurements, and take away the lengths from the centre pattern piece, then divide by two. The equation for this is ((½ measurement-CF)÷2). Square and mark these measurements across the piece; for the side seams, either use a large French curve or freehand draw smooth lines to connect the points. Underneath the hip measurement bring the line inward, as this helps the girdle to stay in place when on your body. Add the same size seam allowances.

On your side front pattern piece, mark a line starting from the top inside corner and extending 4’’ [10cm] past the bottom inside corner. This makes up the extra shaping panel. Again, make an anchor line and mark the full front length, and then the inside angle where the CF fits. Mark the line 4’’ [10cm] out from the bottom and connect these lines. Only add seam allowances to the top, bottom and inner seam - powermesh does not need to be finished, so it is fine to leave it raw and stitch it down. Make a marking in the middle of the bottom line of this piece, which is where you will attach the front garters. I did not do this and messed up the placement of mine, so they are a little too far to the side.

Again, mark an anchor line but this time it will act as your centre back fold line. Add an extra inch to this line as it will allow the back to sit lower than the front; this is ideal because, generally, the back length is longer. Square off and mark the usual points using the quarter measurement. To create the shape of the side seam, I used the side front and shifted it around so that all the points would be connected using the same curves. Keep the length of this the same and then draw a gradual curve from this to the centre back. Add seam allowances to the top, bottom and side seam, as the centre back is to be placed on the fold. Make a marking in the middle of the bottom line of this piece - this is where you will attach the back garters.

You will now have four pattern pieces. Cut one centre front piece of the decorative fabric and one of the backing. Cut two of the side front piece out of the powermesh. Cut one back piece on the fold out of the powermesh. For this girdle, I cut the extra shaping panel out of powermesh as well, but it is possible to substitute this for more of the decorative fabric. If you wish to do this then add a seam allowance to the outer line of the panel. Make sure that there will still be enough stretch left to get the waist over your hips.

• For the elastic at the top and bottom seams, take your original underbust (or waist, if you are not making a longline girdle) and hip measurements and multiply them by 0.9 (original measurementX0.9=elastic length).
• For the garters cut six 6’’ [15cm] lengths of the plain elastic. You may only use four if you wish, but six is preferable to stop stockings from twisting, which can ruin your straight seams.

Construction

I suggest constructing the garters first, as it means the rest of the girdle can be constructed in a straight progression from start to finish.

Begin by taking the elastic around the middle of the slider and folding it over ½". Use a short and narrow zigzag stitch to stitch it down. Next, turn the elastic over and slide on the garter clip so that it is sitting face down away from the slider. Unfortunately the next part is hard to show in pictures, but take the elastic and thread it through the slider. On both sides of the garter the right side of the elastic should be showing beneath the slider - repeat the process as many times as you need garters!

Now begins the actual construction of the girdle. Take your side front panels and lay them right-side down and then lay the extra shaping panel piece on top of them and pin them down along all seams. Remember to pin horizontally down the inside of the piece so you can sew over the top of them. Use a wide three-step zigzag stitch to attach the pieces together; at this point I may look uneven and wiggly, but it will smooth out when it is being worn.

Pin the centre front and backing pieces to the inside seam on the side front piece (remember right-side to right-side), making sure the decorative fabric and backing pieces are lined up. Overlock it all to the 3/8" [10mm] seam allowance removing the pins as you overlock. Next take the same three-step zigzag and stitch the overlocking flat to the inside of the centre front panel.

Pin the side seams together and stitch them using a straight stretch stitch; it will most definitely become bumpy, but once the seams have been flattened it will not be a problem. Stitch both side seams and then trim them to a ¼" [6mm] length - I do this after stitching as otherwise the fabric can be sucked into the depths of the machine, never to be seen again.

Press the seam flat whilst using the three-step zigzag stitch, again from the right-side to flatten the seam and add reinforcement.

Now the body of the girdle is complete! I suggest that larger sizes, or if you want a perfect placement, try on the girdle and mark where you would like the garters to go.

Pin the centre of the constructed garters to the placement markings. Use the narrow short zigzag stitch to secure them in place (back stitching is unnecessary as it is only to keep them in place until the elastic is sewn).

Lap the edges of the elastic and use the narrow short zigzag stitch to secure it together. Make sure you do not twist the elastic and create a flexible Möbius strip (this is perhaps the first project I have not done this at least once on). Fold the elastic in half from the seam to mark a second half point on it, then pin these two points together to find the quarter points and then mark. Measure quarter lengths along the girdle edge with pins.

Pin the quarter points of elastic to the quarter points of the girdle, starting with the top of the girdle. Pin the right-side of the elastic face-up, with the edge facing towards the girdle. Use a regular-long length, narrow zigzag and stitch as close along the elastic as you can in towards the centre of the girdle, stretching as you go. Fold the elastic back towards the inside of the girdle and use the same three-step zigzag following the inner edge of the elastic

Do the same with the bottom edge of the girdle including the garters... and then you have finished!

If you do not have some of the stitches I use available, then there are some substitutions available:

• Three-step zigzag can be substituted with an ordinary zigzag.
• Straight stretch stitch can be substituted with a straight stitch. If you do this, you have to pull on the seams once you have stitched them flat and they will crack; this is the thread breaking. Remove the unnecessary thread, as the zigzag which flattens the seam is strong enough to hold up by itself.
• Overlocking can be substituted with a zigzag stitch.
• For a wide elastic band top, simply lay and pin the elastic on top of the right side of the fabric and three-step zigzag it flat from the wrong side so that you make sure to catch the powernet in.

Conclusion

I chose very ‘pretty’ styling for this girdle - not a thing I am usually known for, but I think it works. Aside from the awkward placement of the front garters, which I have fixed in the pattern for you readers, I am pleased with how it turned out.. Girdles were the first experience I had with making lingerie and they give some great foundation skills for those new to it. Next I would like to make a matching soft cup bra, and possibly panties. While I’m at it, I could just design an entire capsule collection... *rambles into the distance*

 

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