DIY Pirate shirt and corset, yarr! :)

I was meaning to upload this a few days ago, but I've been really distracted the past few days. This is just a quick one for those of you that are a little stuck for Halloween costumes, have you ever considered just how easy it is to update or make your own? I was feeling a little flustered over what to wear and I didn't really want to completely recycle my half assed costume I had put on last year, so I made the decision to make a little bit of an effort by pulling out my dusty old sewing machine that I haven't made any use of (until now!)

Before



After



As you can see, I've made myself a pirate shirt and a corset to go in place of the red and black striped top. I am pretty pleased with the outcome, not only does it look better it covers a lot more skin so I won't be too cold outside. It was very easy to make, didn't cost me a penny either as I sourced all my materials from my house.

You will need:
A sewing machine is recommended, but not necessary.
An oversized shirt
One or two tops (I used two tank tops for my corset, one red cotton and a black lace tank to sit over the red)
A ribbon
A notebook with plastic cover (I used the plastic cover as makeshift boning for my corset)
The ability to somewhat understand my poor attempts at writing instructions

Put on the oversized shirt and take a look in the mirror (it is probably best to get someone to help you with the next step). Half way down your back, pinch the shirt in two places a few inches either side of your spine, pull the material over on one side (right side) to meet the other (left side) and then fold the (left) over to cover the right side, bunch up the material a little and then pin in place. The back of the shirt should look longer at the middle and form ruffles, once you're happy with how it looks and that you still have appropriate arm movement hand sew the bunching in place.



Now for the corset, cut the two tops vertically down the middle (only on the backs of the tops) and wrap one around you. Fold it to the size that you want, make room for hem allowance and make sure your side panels are double the width that you want them to be. As I am terrible at explaining I have drawn you some rough diagrams of how it should look like, hopefully they won't further confuse you.



Take the plastic from the notebook, or wherever you sourced it from and cut it to the same length that your corset will be (not taking into account the hem allowance) and half the width of the side panel of your corset (so you can fold the material over the boning). Once the boning is cut to size, make appropriate sized holes so you will be able to lace up the corset once finished.



Lay the boning in the side panels and fold over the hem allowance from the top and the bottom of your corset and pin in place, once that is done use a sewing machine to sew the hems. When you are happy with your work, proceed to making holes in the material to correspond with the holes you made in the boning. Make sure you are really careful lining everything up so when you sew the hem allowance on the side panels, you are able to lace up.



Once that is complete, you will need to fold the excess material that you have on the side panels over the boning and sew together. When satisfied, lace up your corset and you're finished. Add appropriate extras like some pirate pants or leggings, put on some boots and add an eye patch and you're ready to go!







So there is my very basic tutorial on how to make yourself a pirate shirt and a corset, I thought I would share as I couldn't actually find a tutorial myself so I had to go and improvise. If you have any ideas to help me improve my pirate outfit, any other quick and simple ideas for Halloween, or to help me better explain the methods of my madness then leave a comment or tweet me. Also, be sure to send me pictures of your DIY Halloween costumes! @mcflurryofdeath