Remake a dress that fits with a corset back

Today I'd like to show you how I fit my breastosauruses into my eight year old, much too small, wedding dress. In case you're wondering why I would even want to attempt getting into my wedding dress again. Inevitably enduring the pain and suffering of realizing my body will never ever be that perky or thin again, please refer to yesterday's post- I trashed that dress!

Yes, it's all the rage these days. Slipping back into your wedding dress after the event to get a couple really artsy, really fun shots you never would do the day of your wedding. In all honesty, it IS a lot of fun! I enjoyed climbing trees and getting into frigid water all for that perfect shot. But wait, lets back the truck up! When I first decided to use my retired wedding dress to do this photo shoot, I had to come up with a way to fit my post four babies body (most importantly my post four babies boobs) into a tiny little dress.

In my extensive google search for DIY alterations, I came across a blurb on corset back dresses. In it, a woman with a friend in the alteration business said corset backs were a common solution for fitting into a dress that was a bit too small. It did warn that corset backs only work if all of the other parts of the dress fit. Arms and extreme differences in waist size would require a bit more, but when dealing with the old "I can get the dress on, but I can't zip it up" problem, a corset back will do the trick!

The article was very vague, but with a little imagination I knew this was the perfect solution to my mammoth breast problem. Without further ado here is how to sew a corset back...

Here's the front of the dress. 


The dress is made of silk, so I went to a fabric store and found an inexpensive satin material that matched the color of the dress.

Part One: Modesty Panel

Yeah, it's exactly how it sounds. The modesty panel goes behind the corset so no one sees how squishy the back fat is.

Measuring from the top of the dress to the waist, I get an idea of how long the modesty panel should be.

The measurement was 15 inches.

I added a few extra inches to the panel so that it can be tucked into the dress.

I cut two rectangles twice the length of the measurement I came up with above. In other words, my panel is 18 inches long, so I made my rectangle 36 inches long. 

 I'm going to cut the folded piece into a triangle. I'm going to do this twice and sew the two double sided triangles together so that the fabric modesty panel is nice and sturdy. You can use one double sided panel and sew interfacing in between the sides too if you'd like.

I took the 36 inch panel and folded it to be 18 inches. Then I folded the 18 inch panel in half the long way. I do this so I can cut a symmetrical triangle. 

 Triangle Time!!

The panel is so long I have to use two rulers; one for length and the other for accurate cutting. Using a long ruler, I measure from top right corner to bottom left corner.

Then I take the cutting ruler and butt it up against the long ruler.

I remove the long ruler and cut with a rolling cutter.

You may have to put the long ruler back on the fabric and line the cutting ruler up with it to finish the cut. Do the same thing with the second fabric rectangle. When they're both cut, they should look like this. The above triangle shapes are four layers thick as they are two folded diamonds.

Just to add a little more support, and to hold the two open dianmonds together for easier sewing, I pressed a strip of heat n' bond in the crease of one of the open diamond shapes.

I trim the excess paper.

Then peel back the paper strip.

Then with WRONG sides together I press the two pieces with a hot iron, adhering them together with the heat n' bond. Now any way you flip it the diamond should be shiny satin.

Sew down each side: top, left and right side leaving an opening at the tip of the triangle to turn the panel right sides out.

Finish the rough edges with a zigzag to prevent fraying.

Zigzag Stitch

Now flip that panel right sides out.

Next run a straight stitch around the sewn edges like pictured above.


Finally the open end of the modesty panel can be finished with a zigzag stitch over the rough edges.

Part Two: Replace the Zipper with Corset Loops

The back of my dress was adorned with a plethora of non-functioning buttons. Anything like this needs to go, so put that seam ripper to work!

Before ripping zip the zipper down to about the waist. This varies from person to person. Gauge this by by how far up you can zip it up comfortably. If you can't zipper it up at all, then completely remove  it.

Because I could zip it to the waist, I have to put something on the zipper track to keep it from coming undone. A knotty stitch will do the trick.

When the zipper stoppers are sewn you can trim the top and then  put a hook and eye right above it to keep the zipper from unzipping itself while you're walking about. Consider it a way to keep your hinee from showing!

The next thing to come out is the rest of that ol' zipper. This is the scariest part. It's painless really, but it's scary nonetheless. As I held the seam ripper to the first stitch holding that zipper in place and the cold sweats came over my body, all that was running through my mind was how much I paid for that dress. I then slapped myself across the face and said, "Get over it! You already ruined it with the spilled beer down the front!" True Story.

When the zipper is removed you will most likely be left with the dress bodice and the inner shell or liner. It is in between these two layers you will be putting the corset loops.

Step Three: Sewing the Loops and Ribbon


This step, again, is very flexible and can be tailored to your preference. I chose to make my loops of my corset back to be about 3/4 of an inch wide. Lets face it my girls are really big and they need a lot of support. 


You'll also need to keep in mind how far apart you want the loops to be. If you remember, the back of my dress from top to waist was 15 inches long. 

I think it looks best when the loops are close together, so I chose to set my loops one inch apart all the way down my back.


I started with long strips of fabric

Then I sewed the strips to the desired width.

I was a silly girl and cut the strips before pulling them right side out! You can learn from my mistake and pull the strips right side out before cutting. It will save you 15 minutes or so.

Now you can cut the strips into the sections of loop. I chose to make mine three inches long.

 To keep the satin from fraying, I ran a straight and a zigzag stitch down each side of the cut loops.

Now it's time to fasten the loops to the dress. 

 Here, I pinned each loop an inch apart in between the liner and he outer shell of the dress.

Then I ran a stitch through the outside, loops and liner of the dress.

 Part Four: The Ribbon
First I cut a long very narrow strip of satin. I wanted to keep it about the same width as the loops on the back of the dress.

 I sewed the entire length.

To finish the edges I stuffed the rough edges into the ribbon itself like this:

 Then I sewed with a zigzag stitch to secure it.

 The ribbon is now ready to be looped up!

 Criss Cross all the way down...

Finally tuck the bow into the dress.

 TA DA!

It fits!