Petticoat Update!

So, as I mentioned on Monday, I had plans to sew myself a petticoat, to go under dresses, skirts…and perhaps a wedding dress…

And now that it’s Friday, I’ll let you know how it went! Well, first thing – I followed the tutorial by Sugardale, almost exactly, and now I DO have my very own handmade petticoat!

Second – it was a pain in the patootie to make, hahaha! No seriously, I thought I could crank this thing out in a few hours. Turns out I needed about 7 hours to sew this garment! I confess, I am not an experienced seamstress, but even if you are, this is a time consuming project.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the way it turned out (pictures below). But for anyone thinking of doing this, expect to spend some quality time on it.

The thing is, there is just so much material. First, measuring for yards and yards. Then tracing your lines with Fray Check (important! fraying edges are no fun!). Then cutting out all those yards and yards of fabric. And we haven’t even begun on the sewing machine!

Anyways it is really fun to see a garment start from this:

petticoat materials

To this:

measured and cut fabric

To a finished product:

finished petticoat

Isn’t it sweet! Definitely worth the effort. 🙂 It’s not a hugely dramatic petticoat – it’s pretty understated, but just gives that little bit of extra bounce and lift to certain dresses.

no petticoat..............................................with petticoat!

The fabric I used is crinoline, which has some stiffness to it, but it’s not nearly as structural as, say, tulle; so this kind of petticoat is ideal for dresses and skirts that are also of a light fabric (so the petticoat isn’t weighed down too much). Hmmm, very much like a dress I’ll be wearing this summer… 🙂 No previews for that dress though! That one is a surprise. 😉