Fan Lacing a Corset: A Guide for the Monet Merry Widow

Fan Lacing a Corset: A Guide for the Monet

Corset lacing isn’t only about keeping everything in place—it’s also a chance to add a little flair to your corset. Enter fan lacing: a technique that’s equal parts stylish and functional. Whether you’re after an easier way to lace up, a unique design detail, or both, fan lacing has you covered (though fair warning – the initial set up is anything but easy… more on that in a bit). In this blog post, I’ll break down what fan lacing is, its pros and cons, and how you can incorporate it into the Monet Merry Widow Corset.

What is Fan Lacing?

Fan lacing is a method that uses laces attached to a central anchor point, allowing the wearer to tighten the corset with a single pull on each side. Instead of threading a long lace through traditional grommets, fan lacing distributes tension across multiple laces connected to loops, pulleys, or tabs.

Pros and Cons of Fan Lacing

Pros:

• Fan lacing simplifies the tightening process, as you only need to pull on one strap per side.
• Ideal for those with limited mobility or flexibility, as it requires less effort and reach.
• Fan lacing adds a unique element to a corset, especially if you use contrasting colors or decorative laces.

Cons:

• Setting up fan lacing requires more effort compared to traditional lacing methods.
• While inspired by historical methods, most modern fan lacing, including the one for the Monet, are not historically accurate.
•  Fine-tuning fan lacing after the initial lace up is limited

Fan Lacing for the Monet Corset

Before we begin, it’s important to note again, that this is not a historically accurate method of fan lacing. There are many variations, and this approach is tailored specifically for the Monet corset. Feel free to adapt these instructions to suit your needs or preferences.

Helpful Tips Before Getting Started

The type of lace you use makes a big difference! Ideally, you want a round, slightly silky lacing that glides smoothly when pulled. Standard laces (similar to shoe laces) have a rough surface texture, making it harder to pull. Satin ribbon is another option, but because it’s flat rather than round, it can twist between the grommets. My go-to choice for this is a polyester macrame cord—it’s strong, round, and smooth.

Size matter! Your laces should be smaller than your grommets—this might seem obvious, but it’s easy to overlook when ordering supplies. For example, if you’re using 4mm grommets, go for 3mm laces (or smaller) to ensure smooth lacing.

There are many ways to end the lacing (some have you bring the lace back up to the beginning). For this tutorial, I ended the lacing at the bottom in a tie/bow. In my opinion, this made it easier the adjust how tight/loose the laces are on the Monet. 

Finally, when lacing, keep in mind that the fan lacing should sit on top of the regular laces.

Materials Needed (these are in additional to all the supplies for the Monet)

• Stabilized fabric – you can use the same fabric as the Side Front Frame, or different. The key is that it is stable enough to withstand lacing. 
• 7 yards lacing 
• G hook 
• Grommets (again, grommets should be bigger than the lacing)
• 4 flat steel corset boning — the length should be ¾”-1” less than the length of the center back. So if the length of your Center Back Band measures 12”, get flat steel boning between 11-11 ¼” long.  

Instructions:

1. Change Center Back to Lace Up (The Monet was drafted to have a hook and eye on the back. So the first step is to change it to a standard corset lace up back).
   1. First, cut 4 pieces of your Center Back Panel out of the stabilized fabric.
   2. With right sides facing, sew Center Back pieces together along the center back edge.. Use a straight stitch and backstitch at beginning and end. Press seams open, then fold right sides out.
   3. Topstitch through all layers 1/16” away from the center back edge and then ⅜” from this stitch line. These two lines of stitches form the first boning channel.
   4. Sew another row of stitches through all layers 1/2” away from first boning channel and then another ⅜” from this stitch line. These two lines of stitches form the second boning channel. The eyelets will sit in between the boning channels.
   5. Add grommets and attach to Monet. Finish as per instructions.
   6. Attach 1″ flat elastic to the waist tab. Both of these are required for the Monet. I do not suggest sewing it to the G hook until the end. That way once the fan lacing is complete, you can try it on and determine the correct length.

Let’s Start Lacing:

Skip to 03:02 for the lacing tutorial