How to Make a Basic Ribbon Corset – Part 4

This tutorial describes how to make a ribbon corset using actual ribbon. It has coutil and boning only on the busk, sides, and grommets.

Part one covers how to create the ribbon panels and attach them to the grommet and side coutil panels.

Part two covers the creation of the busk panels and inserting the busk, as well as how to finish the edging on the busk panels.

Part three covers finishing the side panels.

Part four covers finishing the grommet panels.

Part Four

Next the grommet panels need to be finished.

Fold and iron over the seam allowance on the loose side of the grommet panel. Be sure to fold it up with the corset facing up. Stitch it in place, folded over.

Cut strips of ribbon a little longer than the panel. Stitch one side of the ribbon to the seam allowance, just inside the edge of the panel.

Fold the ribbon around the edge of the panel. The bulk of the ribbon should be covering what will be the outside of the panel. Edge stitch it to the coutil, holding the ribbon tight around the edge.

Stitch down the loose side of the ribbon, holding it flat to the coutil.

Take the next strip of ribbon and stitch it down so it just barely overlaps the first ribbon. For this corset I only needed two strips of ribbon. If yours requires more, stitch down the loose edge and then ad another ribbon in the same manner. These ribbons are just to cover the coutil, so the exact configuration is not critical unless you decide it should be for the aesthetics of your corset.

When sewing down the last side of the last ribbon strip, fold it under itself so the coutil is just barely covered. Top stitch the folded edge in place, hiding the coutil.

The coutil should now be completely covered with vertical strips of ribbon. This is the view from the inside of the corset.

Flip the corset so it’s facing out. Fold the grommet panel in half and edge stitched it closed along the folded seam allowances.

Stitch the boning channel on the very outside of the panel.

Leave enough room for the grommets, and then stitch as many boning chanels as you can before running out of room. In this case I had room for two boning channels.

Insert the boning and secure it in place.

Trim the ribbon cover flush with the coutil.

To edge the back panels, I followed the same proceedure as on the busk panels. I trimmed everything down, cut a small strip of ribbon, and stitched it in place on the outside of the corset.

I folded over the leading edge of the ribbon…

… and tacked it in place.

That way I did not need to worry about the leading edge coming loose while I folded over the following edge and stitched it in place.

At this point all that is needed for the corset to function is to grommet it.

This is what the corset looked like after all the finishing details. Related tutorials are How to Grommet By Hand and How to Add a Double-Busk.

Additional views of this corset may be found in my corset gallery at Black Satin Ribbon Corset, Tight-Lacing.

<– Back to Part Three

Thank you for reading. ^_^