How To Make Your Own Pasties

Looking to turn up the sexy this Valentine’s Day? Last week, I was invited to learn how to make nipple pasties by Rogue Burlesque, and I’m here to tell you, it’s just as fun (and not as hard) as you might think. You’ll be shaking your sparkly bits in no time.

Brandy Wine is the de facto pasty artist for Rogue’s burlesque dancers, and she also makes bedazzled bowties for those who’d prefer their sparkle north of their nipples. Here are her step-by-step instructions for blinging your bust:

• Heavyweight buckram
• Heat ‘n’ bond
• Fabric of your choosing (that can withstand an iron’s heat)
• Tassels, sequins, rhinestones, glitter, and any other sparkly goodies you can imagine

• Iron & ironing board
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks
• Pencil or Sharpie
• A stencil/guide that’s large enough to cover your areola

1. Gather all your supplies. Pick out the fabric you want to use, and any tassels or fixings for bedazzling it with.
2. Pick a stencil shape. You can make pasties of any shape — star, heart, and teardrop are popular. Circles are the easiest. For a simple stencil, use a jar lid or the mouth of a wineglass — whatever will cover your areola.
3. Plug in your iron to heat up on a medium-high setting.
4. Cut out a square of fabric that is at least the size of two of your stencils. Then cut out buckram in about the same size.

5. Cut a patch of heat ‘n’ bond that is smaller than the buckram and the fabric, but otherwise close to them in size.
6. Iron the heat ‘n’ bond to the fabric, glue side down. Let it cool, then peel off the wax paper. Iron the buckram to the newly exposed gluey side.
7. On the buckram side, use a pencil or sharpie to trace your stencil onto the fabric twice. Cut the circles out with scissors.
8. Snip out a small pie slice from each circle. The bigger the slice, the more conical your pasty will be. Start small. Make sure you cut in to the center point of the circle for a symmetrical cone.
9. If you’d like tasseled pasties, now is the time to tuck the tip of your tassel’s loop into the center of your circles.

10. Use a small line of hot glue to close up your little circle into a shallow cone. Do the same for your other pasty. Reinforce the tip with an extra dab of hot glue to hold the tassel in place.
11. Using hot glue or Gem Tac, bedazzle with sequin string, rhinestones, googly-eyes — whatever you want.
12. VOILA! You’ve made pasties!

Note on wearing your pasties: Brandy (and other burlesque dancers in attendance) recommend affixing your pasties using toupee tape for a firm hold, but painless removal. Wig tape is a little too strong, and spirit gum is messy.

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