Petticoats All Around

I finished petticoat one last night, that was...uh. Fun. It took about nine hours. This is because I got the insane urge to make a ruffled bottom. Not thinking that the draw-in of the skirt would achieve the same damn thing. So I killed about six yards of fabric machine-ruffling. How did I do this? Sew an inch. Fold over. Sew an inch. Fold over. Sew an inch. Stab self in face.

I will say, I'm very pleased with the end product.

But I would like to never, ever do it again. So I'll be trying something else for Petticoat #2.

How did I do this?

I had a nice long bit of white 100% cotton that was about 120" wide. I then eyeballed it, and then tossed it over my head while wearing the hoops. Then I stabbed a hole through it right over my head and cut my way through. Then I took it off and cut it a bit more flat. Then I made a tunnel for the tie to go through. Voila, it was a bunching skirt.

Then, I trimmed it up to about six inches off the ground, and stared at it plaintively for a while.

Then I started ruffling.

After eight hours of ruffling, attaching the ruffles gently to the bottom, hemming each ruffle with a cute little zig-zag stitch... it was done.

I'm still thinking of adding some lace...everywhere... it's an awfully plain petticoat... but for now here she is.

I wish I'd taken a few progress pics, it didn't occur to me that anyone might like to see. I don't think it's too difficult (and SO not worth a pattern. That's a waste of money for a petticoat, I wouldn't bother unless I were making a corded petticoat).


See how you can still see the hoops? This is why two petticoats is a great idea for hoops this large.











Argh. This thing is insaaaanely hard to take photos of yourself in when you're just trying to set the camera down with the timer on!










Hallu ruffles.

I will admit I made a mistake in that I should have hemmed both edges BEFORE I ruffled. Now the top edge of the ruffles is raw and too small to hem down.









And thus the ruffles are again ...ruffly. I'm so proud of them.















And this wouldn't be complete without a dramatic, dreamy shot of the floofed sitting skirt. Yay.