Easy Sewing Tutorial: How to DIY a Fun and Sexy Elastic Corset Belt
I love sharing DIYs that help maximize your closet and infuse it with style. Follow along to learn how to make a DIY elastic corset belt that can be worn 2 different ways!
On the outside of your clothing, this DIY corset belt can take in unwanted volume or create a polished finish to an oversized garment.
Alternatively, you can wear this elastic corset belt underneath to adjust your outfit for the perfect fit.
Below you will see all the materials needed for this corset belt DIY. The elastic bands (3” and 5”) have different strengths.
I picked a cool, rhinestone zipper for the 5” elastic and a simpler zipper for a black-on-black for the 3” elastic. It doesn’t matter if the zippers are long because you can trim them to size.
Upstyle Recommends!
Tools and materials:
- 5” elastic
- 3” elastic
- 2 separating zippers
- Fabric scissors
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine and thread
- Zipper foot
- Pliers
1. Size your elastics
Take each elastic band and wrap it around your waist to determine the desired size, keeping in mind the stretchiness of each band.
Then cut the bands accordingly.
2. Plan your sewing and pin
If you’re a beginner sewer, you can have your zippers fully exposed on the outside of the band, like this:
If you’re a more confident sewer, fold the elastic back before attaching it flush to the zipper so that only the teeth of the zipper are exposed.
Whichever way you choose, use straight pins to hold your 5” elastic in place with your zipper.
3. Sew one side of the zipper to the 5” elastic band
If you have one, attach a zipper foot to your sewing machine for an easier process.
Align your needle to the end to allow you to get really close to the teeth of the zipper without the foot getting in the way.
Then cut the excess zipper off, but make sure you have about an extra inch of length beyond the elastic band.
If your zipper is decorative, like this one, remove the embellishments on this extra part with pliers so that you can comfortably fold it down later.
To see what I mean about folding down this 1” tab on a sample, lighter fabric, see the video at 3:50-4:40.
4. Sew on the other side of the zipper
Pin on the other side of the zipper to the other side of the elastic band.
Do a practice zip before you sew to make sure you pinned it in the right direction.
Then sew, doubling back at the beginning and end points to make sure it’s sturdy. Here’s the result so far:
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for the 3” band and plain zipper
Repeat the attachment process, going with either the simple, exposed zipper method, or the folded, hidden method for more advanced sewers.
To watch this process again, see the video at 4:50-6:04. Trim off any excess threads and you’re ready to style!
Styling your DIY elastic corset belt
Let’s crop this oversized sweater for a flattering length using our DIY corset belt! Before:
Start by wearing the 5” corset belt inside of the sweater.
Then, tuck the bottom of the sweater underneath the belt.
You can tuck it all the way around or leave the back hanging out.
This is a super strong alternative to tucking it into a bra, and here’s how it looks:
Now for the same sweater but a different sort of problem with a dress. The proportions are off and nothing about this look is flattering:
You can wear the belt over the dress, bunching the excess fabric above the belt to give it a shortened skirt look:
Go as short as you’d like!
The end result is an asymmetrical hemline that looks and feels better with this oversized sweater:
Alternatively, leave the dress long and crop the bottom of the sweater.
The idea is to play around with your garments and your DIY corset belt to create flattering proportions for your body.
Try out your elastic corset belt on top of a dress! The 5” on top of this dress feels a bit like a costume.
I like the 3” corset belt with this dress, with the zipper in the back:
The 5” belt with a big, chunky sweater is kind of cute! The belt is super strong and it stays in place.
DIY elastic corset belt
I highly recommend this functional, 2-in-1 elastic corset belt that you can wear under or over your garments to make a flattering outfit.
Next, learn how to accessorize statement pieces to look super polished.
The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.
Comments
Join the conversation