DIY: Keepsake Garter, Version 2.0

I suppose this is a kind of like a repeat post.  You might recall a previous DIY post about a garter I made

Remember this one??

Well I decided it was just a little too bulky, so I made a new one.  Mr. T and I both went to the same college, and he actually played football here, so I thought it was only appropriate to have a University of Illinois garter.  (This way I can use it as my "something blue" also).

I had the Illinois material left over from another project I'm currently in the middle of, and there's a variety of elastic sizes and lengths in our sewing room, so all I needed to buy was 3" sheer ribbon.  I got 1 1/2 yards but ended up using only about a yard of it. 

I didn't take pictures of the process, but it was even easier than the first garter.  Since the ribbon has finished edges it was ready to be used.  I cut the Illini fabric to about 1/2" wider than the elastic I was using, so I think it was about 1 1/2" wide.  I folded under the top and bottom about a quarter of an inch and ironed the edges.  Then I just pinned it on top of the sheer ribbon and sewed along both edges to create a pocket.  Then you just slide the elastic through and sew your ends together.  Super easy.

I like this version much better since it's not so bulky and thick.  I'm going to make another one to use for the toss garter, and I'll do the same thing, but with a skinnier sheer white ribbon so it has less of a bottom ruffle.  Then they'll both need a bow of sorts of the front.  Maybe I'll get a charm of Mr. T's football number to put on my keepsake one.

Do you have any projects you've made multiples of, or do I just have too much time on my hands?

DIY: Keepsake Garter

So everyone knows you need a garter on your wedding day.  Even if you're not doing a garter toss, it's still fun to have those couple of cute shots when you're taking pictures.

Well I wasn't about to spend a whole bunch of money on one when I had material laying around and a fully functioning sewing machine at my disposal.  So this afternoon I sat down and made the garter I plan on keeping.  I'm also going to make one to toss at the reception, but I didn't get that far today.  (Had to drive back to school and such.)

So here goes....

Start by cutting a piece of elastic to fit comfortably around your thigh. (Make it a little snugger than you might think, because you don't want it falling down when you walk around...I learned this by trial and error!)  I used a 1" piece, because that's what was laying around my house. 

Cut out the fabric you want for your base color.  I had bought this green satin when it was on sale at Joanns about a month ago.  I cut it 8" wide and it is as long as the width of the material.  So about 32"??  I wasn't sure how much I would need, but I ended up only cutting off about 4 inches.

Put your right sides together and sew down the edge.  Give yourself about a 1/2" or more seam allowance because the satin does tend to fray.

Turn your "tube" inside out.

Iron the tube flat so you have a nice edge at the top and bottom.  I left my seam on the front because it is going to be hidden by the next step.  And instead of ironing so it was in the middle, I put it about an inch from the top so I had a guide for the white coming up next.

Pin the next color of your choice just above the seam (About an inch from the top).  I wanted the ruffle on the bottom to be bigger from the top.  I happened to have this 1 1/2" satin ribbon laying around with the sewing stuff and it was exactly the length I needed.  You could do this with fabric too, but the ribbon has a nice finished edge on both sides.

Then I sewed the top and bottom of the ribbon to the green, allowing about an 1/8" from each white edge.  This left a pocket a little wider than 1" for the elastic to fit through.

Stick a safety pin on the edge of your elastic and send it on its way through the "pocket".  I put it between the two green pieces instead of directly under the white ribbon so you wouldn't be able to see it.

Then you just need to sew the two ends of elastic together and close up the back seam.

And there is my garter, void of any embellishments...but they will be coming soon!! I just haven't figured out what I want to put on it.

So there ya have it... a finished garter!!  It only took me about 10 minutes to throw it all together, and I had all the supplies on hand, so basically it was free.  It is a little bit wider than I had originally planned, but I'm only going to wear it for a couple pictures, and then put on the toss one for the reception.

I'll make sure and let you all know what it looks like when I put the finishing touches on it!!

My mom told me I should go with white, but I wanted to incorporate our wedding colors...are any of you straying away from the all-white bridal garter??