More Volume

The quest continues to get more volume in the skirt.  Techniques to date include adding horse hair braid to the hem of the skirt and the petticoat lining and adding some more tulle to the petticoat.  But, the desired effect still has not been achieved.  The tulle is not stiff enough to hold the weight of the skirt and the horse hair braid is insufficient to do the job on its own.

So, the big guns have been brought out.  Crinoline would be great, but that is pretty hard to find.  So, research commenced using the Classic and Modern Fabrics book Sue and Don gave me for Christmas.  Cotton organdy has now been added to the project.  Two reasons for choosing this fabric:

1. It is very firm and retains is shape.  
2. I have 3 yards of it in my fabric stash.

The cotton organdy has been cut into four 11" strips of 3 yards.  A band of organdy is being hand applied to the bottom of the skirt to provide support and volume at the base of the skirt.  The remaining organdy will be gathered at 3 or 4 to 1 ratio and sewn onto the petticoat to provide additional volume underneath the skirt.

No pictures yet.  Maybe later today.

The skirt

The hand work on the skirt is finished (for now).  This includes the 2 hems and applying the lace to the skirt hem.  The skirt is ready to attach to the bodice.

I will start at the end with a picture of the various pieces pinned together.  This includes the scalloped ribbon trim that will be used for the belt and the petticoat.  The only thing missing from this picture is the remaining lace that will be applied to the skirt.  The amount and placement of the lace will be determined in two weeks during the final fitting session in NYC.

The dress

 The skirt is gaining more volume.  This volume was gained by sewing horse hair braid into the hem.  The horse hair braid was placed to overlap the bottom edge of the skirt by 1/4 inch and hand sewn in place.

Sewing the horse hair braid onto the skirt.

The raw edge was folded over the braid and the hem folded up to enclose the braid.  This keep the horse hair braid from snagging delicate materials such as stockings.  Plus it makes a very nice looking finish for the hem.  The hem is sewn in place catching only the silk organza underlining.  No stitches show through on the right side of the skirt.

The hem with the horse hair braid enclosed

The right side of the skirt

 A rolled hem has been used for the crepe de chine top skirt.  First, I used a serger to make a rolled hem to finish the raw edge and provide a basis for the roll to finish the hem.

Rolled hem made using the serger

 The rolled hem made using the serger was them double rolled and hand sewn in place to create a very narrow hem for this lightweight fabric.  I was able to complete a 10 foot hem in about 1 hour using this approach.  A totally hand sewn rolled hem takes forever.

Finished rolled hem

The lace was applied to the crepe de chine skirt as the last step.

The final dress fitting will take place in NYC on June 16.  You are invited to join the fitting, if you happen to be in NYC on June 16.  Refreshments will be served.