Make Your Own Cross Garters!

Welcome to this first and original tutorial from Emily Johnston Designs! Create these easy to make, sexy to wear cross garters all by yourself in under an hour!

With a very small supply list you can create these garters as a set of wear them individually. Whichever you choose you'll look great while showing off your unique style!

If you have any questions or suggestions on how this tutorial could be improved please don't hesitate to let me know! Any of course I would LOVE to see your designs and creations based off of this tutorial!

Welcome to the Cross Garters Lingerie Tutorial!T
This is the list of supplies you will need:

• Sewing machine

• Stretch Needle

• Flat Ruler

• 1/2 Meter of 4 way medium to heavy weight stretch fabric for one full set of cross garters size S-L

or

• 1 Meter of 4 way medium to heavy weight stretch fabric fabric for one full set of cross garters size XL-XXL.

• Matching or complementary polyester/polyblend thread

• Pattern paper ( I use the rolls of brown packing paper you can get at your local office supply store, however if you're not making a large amount of these you can just use a large piece of construction paper or whatever works for you)

• Measuring tape

• Pencil, pen or any sort of writing material.

Optional:

• Fabric/pattern weights

Once you have all these supplies continue on to step 2.

You're going to want to measure your waist width, and one of your thighs at where you'd like the bottom hem of your garter to sit.

Then you're going to want to measure from your waist length wise down to where you want the bottom hem line to be for the garter length.

Look at the photo for better understanding.

• Waistband measurement coloured in red

• Thighband measurement coloured in green

• Garter Length measurement coloured in blue

Ok, now it's time to draft your pattern.

Grab your paper, ruler, and the measurements you wrote down earlier.

Take your waistband and thighband measurements and divide them in half. For example if your waist is 28 inches and your thigh is 21 inches, your new measurements will be 14 inches and 10.5 inches.

Your Garter-Length measurement will not change. For example if you set the length to 15 inches it will stay 15 inches.

1 - Use your ruler to draw a vertical line down the paper the Garter-Length Measurement.

2 - Then at the top of the Garter-Length line draw a horizontal line across the paper half the length of your Waistband measurements (remember if it was 28 inches you're line should be 14 inches across the paper).

3 - At the bottom of your Garther-Length measurement repeat step 2 but with your Thighband measurement.

• (see photo labeled step 1 for example.

Garter-Length=Blue, Waistband=Red, Thighband=Green)

You should now have what looks to be a strange box with only 3 sides of all uneven lengths.

We're now going to draw in the thickness of the waistband and thighband. For me the finish product of my waistband is 1.5 inches, and my thighband is 2 inches.

We're going to use 1/2 inch seam allowance here, so on the top of your waistband line I want you to draw a half inch seam allowance line, and on the bottom of thighband I want you to do the same.

From the original Waistband line I want you to draw your desired finished length on the inside of the box ( this line should be drawn on the side closest to the thighband line)

Repeat the same step as you took with your waistband line with the final line on the inside (this line should be drawn on the side closest to the waistband line)

• (see photo labeled step 2 for example photo.

Garter-Length, Waistband and Thighband = Black, Seam Allowance and Band thickness = Red)

Once your have all this completed you're going to want to measure in 2 inches in and draw a parallel line to the Garter-Length line connecting both the Waistband and Thighband lines.

Measure over again 2 inches and draw another parallel line to your Garter Length line. You should now have 3 vertical lines, one a 0 inches ( your original garter-length line) one at 2 inches in and one at 4 inches in.

• (see photo labeled step 3 for example.

Step 3 = Blue)

Few! That's a lot of drafting but you're in the home stretch now!!

Last and final step is to round your corners. I'm simply going to refer you to the last draft example photo labeled "Example 4".

What step 4 will do is create the curves on the inside of the garters and help create the hollow circle that ends up sitting on the side of your hip. I've removed all unnecessary lines. This is basically the 3 original lines you used as a sort of graft for drawing this pattern: The original Garter-length, Waistband and Thighband line.

(see photo labeled step 4 for example.

step 4 = Blue)

Something to keep in mind when deciding how to align your pattern is, the smaller the size generally the smaller the waist and thighband, and thigh circle, the larger the size allows for more flexibility with your waist and thighband sizing as well as thigh circle.

Now! Cut out your pattern and you're done with the pattern drafting. Whoo-hoo you made it!

Lets move on to cutting out the actual garment!!

Yay! We're in the final stages! Time to cut these bad boys out!

Grab your fabric.

Fold it in half and line up the shot end of your pattern 'arms' so that they line up with the fabric sold. Trace the pattern onto the fabric and cut out!

• (see example photo 1 for finished pattern, and photo 2 for what your fabric should look like after being cut)

Cutting out the pattern is super simple and now it's time to sew.

You're going to want to fold the fabric back in half again, right sides together (if there is a pattern that would mean the pattern wouldn't be visible on the outside while the fabric is folded). Striaght stitch the waistband together at it's too ends, and repeat the same step with the thighband.

Now you're going to want to sew all the hems. Remember you have a half inch seam allowance, so fold it over and straight stitch all the unfinished edges. Since you're doing a straight stitch you're going to want to pull a little on the fabric to allow for some give in the stitching.

This may take some practice, if you pull too much you may end up with a 'lettuce hem' this should disappear once they're on, but it would still be nice to not have that when they're off.

That's it! you're done! Time to put them on and enjoy!

Again if you have any questions or suggestions please don't hesitate to ask or share them with me. And always, always feel free to share your creations!

Thanks everyone!

Emily Johnston Designs.

Enjoy the example photos and don't forget to share your lovely creations!