After seeing the prices of wedding garters in the store, and finding none to my liking I decided to make my own! So I thought I would share a little tutorial with you.
Just a little history first
When it comes to weddings many people just follow the traditions they have learned through the years and don’t ask why. The wedding garter is said to be one of the oldest wedding traditions, dating back to the Dark Ages. After the wedding festivities, guests would accompany the bride and groom up to their bedroom (gasp) to ensure that they arrived safely and to wish them well. It was considered good luck for a guest to take home a little piece of the brides clothing.
Over time, this ritual evolved into a wild wedding night romp where guests would tackle the bride, ripping her clothes off hoping for a piece of her attire. (It is also said that wedding guests did this to “help” the new couple along.) In the melee, the garter, which at that time was used to hold up a woman’s stockings, would get tossed and it was considered good luck for whoever caught it and made them the next to be married.
Eventually the bride began surrendering her garter as the wedding garter toss was incorporated into the reception to help keep guests at bay and pass on the good fortune (also saving the brides dress from being ripped)
Since the invention of elastic and pantyhose, ladies don’t need to use garters or garter belts to help them hold up their socks anymore. But still, wearing a wedding garter and the garter toss ritual at receptions has remained a part of many modern weddings.
So, remember that wearing a garter on your wedding day is like wearing a little piece of history!
These days many brides are opting for two garters, one for them to have as a wedding keepsake and one to throw. This is what I chose to do.
When I was making this I wasn't considering a DIY tutorial so I appologize for the lack of photos.
All garter style's and sizes vary so you can choose to use the same size items as I did or you can change it up and make it your own, the principals of garter making will remain the same.
I used:
Pink Satin Ribbon 1" wide - from Hobby Lobby (had on hand from other wedding projects)
Shear Pink Ribbon 1/4" wide - from Hobby Lobby (had on hand from other wedding projects)
White Elastic 1/2" wide - from Walmart (I already had this in my sewing box)
Pink Thread - Also from my sewing box
Lace 1 yard- I found mine on Ebay (3.99 for a yard)
You can find this type of lace at Hobby Lobby, Micheal's, JoAnn's and usually even at Wal-mart.
I also incorporated a small crown shaped charm, with blue stones as my "Something Blue", this also was found on ebay.
1) First measure around your thigh (the area where you will wear your garter)
add that measurement plus half.
So for example if your thigh measured 17" around, half of that would be 8.5 so
your total length would be 17 + 8 1/2 = 25 1/2
This it the length you will cut your lace, and your 1" ribbon (you will need to cut 2 pieces of ribbon)
2) Lay the two pieces of ribbon on top of each other, matching the edges and sew as close to the
edge as possible.
3) Place the raw edge of the lace (the unhemmed ugly edge) in between the two pieces of ribbon, then sew it in place by sewing along the other edge of the ribbon as close to the edge as possible, make sure your lace doesn't slip out of place. It should now look something like this.
4) Take your elastic and wrap it around your thigh pulling it snug so it fits the way you would want the garter to, add about 1/2" to that for the seam and cut it. (Your elastic will be shorter than the ribbon/lace, this is a good thing)
5) Take a safety pin and pin the edge of your elastic, then thread it through one of the open ends of the ribbon.
Before you thread it all the way through you will pull the end of the elastic to the edge of the ribbon, once you do this sew it into place close to the edge.
6) Then continue threading the elastic through until it comes out the other end. Your garter will now be all scrunched up. Sew elastic in place here like you did on the other end.
7) Fold the garder in half on top of itself then sew the two ends together, using the same color of thread as your lace not your ribbon. Stitch down it twice, if you have a serger use this if not you can add a zigzag stitch for extra support if you think you need it. Trim close to the edge so there is not a lot of extra ribbon/lace on the outside of the stitch. I used a lighter to sear the ends after trimming very carefully so nothing would ravel. If you do this be very very careful you could end up ruining it if you haven't done this before, it's not necessary.
Now turn it inside out, so the closing seam is on the inside of the garter. Now you can decorate it anyway you want.
The smaller throw away garter that I made with the bow, was made the same way minus the lace.
So, just sew two pieces of ribbon together thread with elastic sew closed the decorate.
I also hand made the rose I used with the same pink ribbon using the following method.
Take your ribbon (I left mine attached to the roll because I wasn't sure how long a piece of ribbon I needed) and start rolling the end. Roll about 3 times or so to get a good start on it. I used a needle and pink thread to sew through the rose at the bottom as I went along to hold it together. Twist the ribbon around one half turn this will create the petal look. Then continue to roll it up. Twist over again creating a fold each time. Roll. Twist. Roll. Twist. Continue until you get the size rose you want.
This was my first attempt at a rose, my advice is be patient you will get it. Remember to stitch through the rose every few wraps to keep it in place, then stitch the end to the bottom of the rose and sew it onto your garter.
I got the idea for my ribbon rose from this link: http://danielleflanders.blogspot.com/2010/01/crepe-paper-roses.html
She has some really great ideas!
Good Luck! :)
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