How To Sew A Peplum Corset Dress

Fabric Pieces (Non-Stretch)

After cutting your fabric, you should have the following pieces.

Shell (Main Fabric):

• 2 “Bra Top” pieces
• 2 “Bra Bottom” pieces
• 2 “Front Placket” pieces
• 2 "Front 1" pieces
• 2 "Front 2" pieces
• 2 "Back 1" pieces
• 2 "Back 2" pieces
• 2 “Back Placket” pieces
• 6 Godet pieces cut on the fold

Lining: Same pieces as the shell

Interfacing (For structure):

• 2 “Bra Top” pieces
• 2 “Bra Bottom” pieces
• 2 “Front Placket” pieces
• 2 “Back Placket” pieces

STEP 1

Prepare the Bra Cup and Placket Pieces. Start by attaching interfacing (a special material that gives the fabric more stiffness) to the wrong side (the inside part that won’t be visible) of your fabric.

STEP 2

Sew the Bra Cups. Take the top and bottom bra cup pieces. Sew them together along the middle seam. Be sure to match up the notches (small cuts or markings that help you align pieces).

STEP 3

Sew the Front Placket and Front 1 Pieces. Take the Front Placket and Front 1 pieces. Stack them with the right sides (the side of the fabric that will be visible) facing each other. Sew them together along the center front seam.

STEP 4

Sew the Back Placket and Back 1 Pieces. Take the Back Placket and Back 1 pieces. Stack them with the right sides facing each other, and sew them together along the center back seam.

STEP 5

Assemble One Side of the Dress. Sew the front and back pieces together. Sew Front 1, Front 2, Back 2, and Back 1 together, making sure the right sides are facing each other. Only sew down to the waist notch (this is a small mark on the pattern that indicates where the waist is).

STEP 6

Sew the Godets. Now it's time to sew the godets. These will be sewn in the gaps below the waist notch.

Here's a video tutorial to help give you more instructions for sewing godets:

Watch Video

STEP 7

Optional – Add Boning for Structure. You can add boning (plastic or metal strips used to stiffen corsets) above the waist notch if you want. This helps the corset hold its shape.

Here's a video tutorial on different ways to sew in boning:

Watch Video

STEP 8

Attach the Bra Cups to the Dress. Sew the bra cups onto the bust curve of the dress. Make sure the notches line up, and the right sides are facing each other.

STEP 9

Make the Lining. Repeat the steps above to create the lining of your dress. You don’t need to add interfacing or boning to the lining.

STEP 10

Sew the Shell and Lining Together. Stack the shell and lining with the right sides facing each other. Sew them together along the center back placket, up and around the top, over the bra cups, and stop at the front placket edge.

STEP 11

Install the Zipper. Install an 18-20 inch separating zipper down the center front placket seam. Separate the zipper, and place the right side of the zipper against the right side of the shell fabric. Sew the shell, lining, and zipper together along the center front seam.

STEP 12

Turn the Dress Right Side Out. Flip the shell and lining right side out. Then, topstitch along the top edges of the dress to keep everything in place.

STEP 13

Add Eyelets and Boning to the Back Placket. On the back placket, sew two vertical lines about 0.5 inches apart to create three columns. Place the eyelets (small metal rings for the lacing) in the center column. You can add boning in the other two columns for extra structure.

STEP 14

Hem the Dress. Hem the bottom of the dress by folding the fabric and stitching it, using a rolled hem or double-sided bias tape/trim.

Lace Up the Back. Zip up both sides of the dress and lace up the back using the eyelets. If you need help with lacing techniques, check out this video:

Watch Video

Fabric Pieces

After cutting your fabric, you should have the following pieces:

• 1 seamless “Elastic” piece (cut on a fold)
• 2 “Underskirt Waistband” pieces (cut on a fold)
• 2 “Underskirt 1” pieces (cut on a fold)
• 2 “Underskirt 2” pieces (cut on a fold)
• 2 “Underskirt 3” pieces (cut on a fold)

STEP 1

Sew the Underskirt Pieces together. Take both Underskirt 1 pieces, stack them with the right sides (the side of the fabric that will be visible) facing each other, and sew them together along one side only.

Repeat this process for Underskirt 2 and Underskirt 3 pieces. Once sewn, open and lay out all the pieces flat.

STEP 2

Hand-baste (sew with long, loose stitches by hand) along the top edge of both Underskirt 2 and Underskirt 3 pieces. This will help you gather the fabric to create ruffles.

STEP 3

Attach the Ruffles to Underskirt 2. Gently pull on the basting stitches of Underskirt 3 until it is the same width as Underskirt 2.

Sew Underskirt 3 to Underskirt 2, with the right sides facing each other, ensuring the ruffles are evenly sewn in place.

STEP 4

Attach the Ruffles to Underskirt 1. Pull on the basting stitches of Underskirt 2 until it is the same width as Underskirt 1.

Sew Underskirt 2 to Underskirt 1, with the right sides facing each other, securing the ruffles in place.

STEP 5

Fold the entire skirt panel (now made of Underskirt 1, 2, and 3) horizontally in half, with the right sides facing each other. Sew the side edges together to close the skirt.

STEP 6

Create the Waistband. Stack the two Waistband pieces with the right sides facing each other, and sew both side edges together to form a loop.

Fold the waistband over along the fold line, with the right side of the fabric on the outside.

STEP 7

Attach the Waistband to the Skirt. Place the waistband upside down over the top of the skirt (right sides together). Align the seam lines of the waistband with the skirt.

STEP 8

Sew the waistband to the top of the skirt using a stretch stitch or zigzag stitch (both of these stitches allow the fabric to stretch without breaking the thread).

Be sure to leave a small gap unsewn for inserting the elastic.

STEP 9

Insert the elastic into the waistband through the gap you left earlier. Use a safety pin to help feed the elastic through the waistband.

Once the elastic is all the way through, sew the ends of the elastic together.

STEP 10

Close the Waistband. Adjust the elastic so it's evenly distributed inside the waistband, then sew the gap closed with a stretch stitch or zigzag stitch.

STEP 11

Finish by hemming the bottom edge of the underskirt to your desired length using a simple folded hem.