How to lace your miniature corset

Before you start

This guide follows the threading sequence supplied by IRIS. “Front” means the visible outer face of the corset; “back” means its inner face. Each row is a matching left/right pair of eyelets. The blue and red lines show the two ends of one lace.

Open the corset and leave the lace loose. Work off the body where possible, then place the corset gently on the intended body. Keep both ends approximately equal.

The four-step sequence

1. 1 / Start: back to frontFeed the ends from the inside to the outside through the starting pair of eyelets. Keep the centre of the lace between these holes and equalise the free ends.
2. 2 / Cross: front to backCross each end over the front to the opposite eyelet one row below the already threaded hole. Feed each end from the outside to the inside.
3. 3 / Step down behind, without crossingOn the inside, take each end to the next eyelet down on that SAME side. Do not cross the ends behind the corset.
4. 4 / Emerge and repeatBring each end out through that next hole, from back to front. Repeat the front cross in step 2 and the same-side movement in step 3 until you reach the final pair.

Tighten gently and finish

Take up slack a little at a time from the starting rows toward the free ends, balancing the left and right sides. Do not pull hard on a single eyelet or try to reshape the seamless body with the corset. Stop if the fabric, eyelets or body show excessive strain.

At the end, secure the remaining ends in an easy-to-release bow if the product permits. The diagram explains the threading path, not a tight-lacing technique. Before undressing, undo the bow and loosen the rows rather than pulling the corset off.