What girl doesn’t need a secret compartment for hidden treasures, pearl derringers, or harbored virtues? Hide away that 1/5th of scotch under your skirt and do it fashionably, I say. These saucy bridesmaids wished for both whiskey and pockets in their Anjou tulle skirts, so I thought why not a flask garter? It was simple, cheap, and came out as adorable as I imagined. I used floral fabric remnants, checkered garter fabric, black elastic, vintage-style buttons, and fringe trim for a vintage Parisian saloon feel.
Bridesmaid tulle skirts by Anjou. (photo c/o bride)
DIY Flask Garter (by Anjou)
There are so many occasions where a flask garter is appropriate: bachelorette parties, weddings, at work in a dreadful cubicle, under the thumb and twinkling lights of your parents’ garden party, or out in the champagne bars where bubbly is only the dessert. Or you know, you could just keep loose diamonds and a poison apple in there.
But, I stray. Without further adieu, here’s my Maker’s-Mark-ready DIY Flask Garter Tutorial.
Handrawn and handwritten by Anjou with watercolor pencils.
How to sew flask pocket for garter (by Anjou)
For the garter, you’ll need a strip of fabric 2″ x ~22″ long, a piece of elastic 3/4″ x ~14″ long, and decorative trim ~21″ long.
1) Fold garter fabric in half lengthwise (wrong side out) and straight stitch 1/4″ from edge. Turn fabric right side out and iron with seam centered in back.
2) Feed elastic through fabric, leaving elastic ends exposed.
3) Zig zag stitch elastic ends together. Roll garter fabric ends under and zig zag stitch together to the elastic seam.
4) Under the machine, with needle through fabric, elastic, and trim, pull elastic taut. With a running straight stitch, sew fringe 1/4″ from bottom edge all the way around, lapping back edges.
5) Pull elastic taut and sew front of garter to back of pocket, running a straight stitch above the pocket in front –>
Back seam of garter (by Anjou)
Sew garter to the back using running stitch right above front pocket (by Anjou)
Once you’ve sewn the garter to the pocket, c’est finis! Fill up a flask with scotch, bourbon, or a Shirley Temple and hide it away under all of those fluffy layers of tulle.
Hullo, secret lover.
If it’s for a gift, print out a cute note to go along. I wrote/designed this one to accompany the flask garters that I made for the gorgeous bridesmaids above. Feel free to print it out on card stock, punch a heart-shaped hole in the top, and tie it to the garter with a satin ribbon!
Anjou Flask Garter Card (by Anjou)
Happy sewing, my fellow cocktail lovers.
DIY Flask Garter (by Anjou)
toujours. always. xo.
aha this is soooo awesome!!! straight class, every lady should own one.
Heck yeah! And a pearl inlay derringer, obviously. Pure, reckless class.
My friend and I are bridesmaids for a wedding that is going to turn into a shit-show, we’re going to make these, however we’re worried that they won’t stay put if the flask is full. How did yours hold up?
Hiya, haha that’s awesome! My favorite kind of weddings :) I didn’t actually make one for myself (I made them for the bridesmaids of a wedding that I dressed) so I can’t say how well it held up personally, but if you get quality elastic that is at least 3/4″ in width, it should hold up pretty well. The thicker and bigger the elastic and the tighter it is, the better it will hold up. If you make it as tight as possible when measuring the elastic (without cutting off circulation), that will help keep even the fullest of flasks up ;) Good luck, have a blast, and let me know if you have any more questions!