The petticoat

My focus has now shifted to the underpinnings of the dress--the petticoat and the corset.  I started with the petticoat. No real reason it came first, it is just where I decided to start.

One of the fun things about sewing is shaping two dimensional fabric into a three dimensional garment. The petticoat is interesting in this respect because it fabricated from tulle, a lightweight fabric with lots of body, to create of volume.  The petticoat itself also adds dimension to the skirt, making it look a lot less like an Amish dress. 

Here are the two fabric used to make the petticoat.  The lining is white silk twill.  The tulle is attached to the lining and provides the volume.  Here are the fabrics in the two dimensional state.  The tulle is on the top.

I used the petticoat pattern from Big Blue (Butterick 4792) as a guide.  I made this petticoat only half as voluminous a Big Blue.  The wedding dress' hem is only 10 feet in circumference versus Big Blue's hem at 20 feet.  The lining is semi-circular skirt.  The tulle is attached 8 1/2 inches below the waist so it continues the curve of the hips, but does not add to the circumference of the hips.  I started with 24 feet of tulle and gathered using a 5 to 1 ratio.  Hence the clouds of tulle I referenced in the last post.  The tulle is 17 inches long.  

Here is the petticoat on the dress form.

I will finish the waist with a bias strip and add a hook and eye to close the side opening.  The petticoat will be a separate piece from the dress.

The lining will be cut to the correct length during the dress fitting in April.  I will sew horsehair braid to the hem of the lining.  This will help provide the volume for the skirt.  If need be, I can add another layer of tulle at the bottom of the petticoat.  That will be determined when the skirt is hemmed to its finished length with horsehair braid in its hem.

Here is a picture of the dress over the petticoat.  Right now the skirt is about 7 to 8 inches too long and the extra fabric is weighting the petticoat down.  However, it is apparent the petticoat makes a difference when compared to the picture without the petticoat.

With petticoat

Without petticoat