Friday, September 23, 2011

Red Petticoat - Complete!

The Petticoat is now finished and hemmed to walking length (not as pretty but considerably more practical).


Finished Petticoat


I was hoping to put a small cord around the bottom to help the petticoat keep its shape, but I didn't have quite enough to make up the whole circumference so I improvised one instead.
I folded up the hem by 3/4" and turned it under twice (I would have liked to have turned it a third time but due to the Elizabethan seams the side seams were starting to get very bulky).
This narrow hem was stitched down with a running stitch to keep it in place and voilĂ ! A perfectly serviceable cord!
After finishing that I folded the bottom up by 4" and then folded it again so that the 'cord' of fabric was now laying at the bottom of the skirt, encased within the fold of the larger hem.

I then hemmed the bottom in the standard way and sewed the cord down so it would not move around or bunch up the hem...I'm not sure if this last step was a smart one or not. I guess we'll just have to see how it wears.
Between the 'cord' and the wide hem the petticoat keeps its shape pretty well, despite the very heavy fabric.


Finished hem (inside)

Finally, I basted 1" black linen tape around the bottom of the petticoat to guard against wear (as seen in the photo at the top of the post). I used silk rather than the stronger waxed lined thread for this last bit because a) I'm not convinced I like the look of it and want to be able to pull it out easily, and b) if I do decide to keep it it will probably have to be replaced often as it becomes damaged and scuffed.


And of course, Tuque is on hand for any and all fabric-sitting-assistance

No comments:

Post a Comment