Sunday, September 21, 2008

Tutorial: Two-Tier Petticoat Mini




Difficulty: 2 out of 5

Materials
1yd cotton weave or other non stretch fabric (more depending on your size and preferred length of skirt)
1 pc 1/2in wide elastic (length should be your exact waist measurement end to end)
Trim (optional)
Thread
Pins
Sewing needle
Sewing machine
Iron
Scissors
Tailors chalk
Straight edge
Measuring tape


1) Wash and dry fabric to preshrink, then iron.
2) Fold fabric in half lengthwise and then fold in half again lengthwise. You’ll end up with four layers. (photo)
3) Measure and mark 6 inches from raw edge of fabric with a straight edge. Cut directly on line. *This will make a S/M variable size skirt. For a larger skirt see alternative waistband construction below.* (photo)
4) With right sides facing each other, sew together short ends 5/8 of an inch from edge. (photo)
5) Fold fabric over with the right side facing out and press. Now you have the beginnings of your waistband. (photo)
6) Sew a straight stitch 5/8 of an inch from pressed edge. Leave about an inch long opening to put your elastic through. This will be your casing. Set aside. (photo)
7) Cut the remaining length of fabric in half width wise. You’ll end up with two long equal sized pieces. (photo)
8) With right sides facing each other, sew the two pieces together 5/8 of an inch from the edges. This will be the lower part of the skirt. (photo)
9) Set your machine to it’s longest stitch length and reduce the tension by half. Sew 2 rows of straight stitches about ¼ inch from one of the edges. These should be about ¼ inch apart. Tie the ends into two knots. (photo)
10) Pull on one of the knots until the lower part of the skirt is gathered to fit the waistband. Even out your gathers. (photo)
11) Restore original stitch length and tension settings on your machine. With right sides facing each other, pin lower skirt to waistband matching seams with sides. (photo) Straight stitch 1 inch from the edge leaving a 1 inch opening parallel to the 1 inch opening in the casing. (photo)
12) Attach a safety pin to each edge of elastic and thread elastic through the openings and all the way through the casing. (photo)
13) Pull elastic ends through, overlap them 1 inch and hand stitch them together. (photo)
14) Tuck elastic back into the casing and finish the casing seam. (photo)
15) Finish the seam attaching the lower skirt to the waistband. (photo)
16) Hem the skirt by folding over the raw edge twice at least ¼ inch, pressing it and straight stitching. (photo)
17) For an extra girly touch add trim. Still not cute enough? Add bows too!

*Alternative waistband construction: Begin by cutting two pieces of fabric 6 in from the edge instead of one. Cut each of those pieces to measure ½ of your total hip measurement plus one inch. Example: if your hip measurement is 46 in each piece should measure 24 in. Sew the two pieces together with right sides facing each other ½ in from each short edge. Fold over so right sides face out and press. Move on to step 6.

If you'd like to see the photos all at once please visit my Flickr page.

If anything isn't clear or you need a more detailed description don't hesitate to ask! This is only my first tutorial so I want to make it as easy to follow as possible.

Not the sewing type? Petticoat is for sale here.

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