sewing a petticoat

TzenaRena ↓

Mon, Jun 26 2006, 9:38 am

any sewing mavens out there? (micki? shanie5, anyone else) I'm sewing a petticoat to go under a ballgown skirt, and have the material, but not a pattern. I know the general idea, but want to make sure I'm not messing up. any advice, asap! Thanks!

rosehill ↓

Mon, Jun 26 2006, 2:29 pm

I made a tiered skirt recently. I fitted the yoke, but if you're doing a petticoat, that's not necessary, and you can just apply elastic.
1.First, you need to measure the length you want. Divide that by the number of tiers, and you'll get the length of each tier. Then remember to add seam allowance to the top and bottom, and an inch at the top of the top tier for the elastic casing.
2. I found it easier if I drew pictures of each recatangle, labelled with the dimensions. That made it easier at cutting time.
3. For you first tier, you'll take the measurement at the widest part of your hips. Add a few inches for ease, and that'll be the width. As you want side seams, divide that measurement by two, and of course, add seam allowance.
4. To get the width of each subsequent tier, I multiplied the previous with by 1.2, until I got to the bottom.
5. Sew up the side seams, then gather each tier and join them. I found it easiest to work from the bottom up.
6. Hem the bottom, add a casing and elastic to the top, and you're done.
7. If you're using tulle, please clarify, and you'll do it a bit differently.

CLEAR AS MUD?
PM ME IF YOU NEED.

↑ rosehill

Mon, Jun 26 2006, 6:19 pm

If I were using tulle, the whole thing needs to be lined, either in a thin cotton, poly, or silk.
The top tier would be made only from the lining fabric (you don't need the fullness of the tulle bunching at the waist).
I then wouldn't bother with tiers of lining, just one layer of lining, and the tiers of tulle as described above.
I would baste the lining and tulle tiers together, and join it as one to the yoke.
(Makes perfect sense in my head.......don't know if its clear in print!!!)
HTH

↑ TzenaRena

Mon, Jun 26 2006, 10:54 pm

Thanks rosehill and anyone else with ideas. I do have the material, so I'd like to make it and have it for future use, but if it takes too long, I'd rather borrow one, because I don't have that much time to work on it. It sounds like a fairly simple idea, but I'm wondering how long it takes to make it. Confused