1911 - attaching garters

Pretty covered garters don't just attach themselves to corsets. I wish they did. It's always possible to just place them against the corset and sew across with a machine, but I didn't want that extra line of stitches on the trim. I know, I'm crazy, there is nothing wrong with a neat little line of functional stitches. Still, I researched other solutions, and stumbled across this.

Kent State University Museum, accession number 1983.1.1500

Ah ha! The stitching is invisible from the front, and if the elastic stretches out, or a grip breaks, the garters are easily removable. Perfect. I folded the raw edge under and pinned the garter to the interior of the corset, making sure the adjustable clip and grip faced in the right direction.

Then I hand stitched across in one direction,

and went back in the other.

There were a lot of layers to push the needle and thread through, it helped to push it first through the corset and trim, then through the garter. When the garter was secure I tied the thread off. Here it is from the back.

And from the front.

If you are participating in the sew along you may want to attach garters after the top edge has been finished just so they aren't flopping around and clattering while the trim on top is being sewn. I would have done it that way had I decided how to trim the top, but there are so many possibilities to choose from. Same thin aqua binding as the bottom edge, or a wider satin trim? Lace? Lace beaded with aqua ribbon? Too many options!