How to Make a Petticoat

HOW TO MAKE A PETTICOAT

A few notes to begin:
1. Petticoats should be made from bottom to top.
2. They can have 3 tiers, or 5 tiers, or 7, whatever; the one I am making has 3 tiers.
3. The bottom tier (on the one I am demonstrating) is a total of 8 yards, which is gathered into 4 yards, which
is gathered into 2 yards, and that is gathered into my waist measurement.
5. This one can be adjusted for a longer skirt if needed.
6. You should read all of these directions through first, before starting on yours.
STEP 1: Things you need
1. 4 metri of tulle or crinoline*
2. About 16 metri of 2 cm ribbon
3. 0,6cm twill tape (equal to your waist measurement)
4. 1 hook and 3 eyes, or your preference of closing devices
5. Fray Check**
6. A regular pencil or a fabric pencil, not a marker.
*Tulle gets really itchy to sit on, crinoline does not, so I prefer crinoline.
**If you use crinoline you will need to get Fray Check; if you use tulle, none is needed.
STEP 2: Math
How long should your petticoat be?
-It should be 2,5 cm shorter than the shortest skirt you plan on wearing it with. Most of my skirts from waist
to hem are about 57,5, so my petticoat will be 55. This way, if I wear a skirt/dress that is 60 from my waist to
the hem, I can just wear the petticoat a little lower. And I won't risk it being seen.
How long (vertically) should each tier be?
-So this gets a little tricky. The hem of the bottom tier does not need a seam allowance, as the ribbon is just
folded around the bottom. The top of it (the bottom tier that is) will have 1,25 seam allowance. The middle tier
will have have 1,25 s.a. on the bottom, and 1,25 s.a. on the top. The top tier will have 1,25 s.a. on the
bottom, but no s.a. on the top, that will be finished just like the hem of the petticoat, with ribbon folded over
the edge.
Ok, so I want my petticoat to be 55 but I have to take the seam allowances into account. As you can see
above I will have a total of 5,2 in seam allowance (four 1,25 s.a.'s) so that makes 55 total, which is easy
55/3tiers=18,3 cm tiers
Another example: If you want your petticoat to be 24", take 24+2(s.a.'s)=26. 26/3= 8.6666667. I would just
round to 8 1/2". In the end your petticoat will be 1/2" shorter, and it won't really make a difference, trust me.
Or if that bothers you, you can just add 1/2 to one of the tiers, when you mark them.
So back to my 18,3 tiers. Keeping all the tiers the same length makes it a lot easier to draw and cut the
pieces. But I will end up with a petticoat whose tiers are not equal in length. The bottom tier will end up being
18,75, the middle one will be 17,5' and the top will be 18,75 a total of 55.
STEP 3: Drawing, gluing, and cutting
First, I will draw four 18,3cm x 4yd strips.

Once those are drawn, go back and put Fray Check on them. Every place there is a pencil mark, Fray Check
needs to go (solo se si usa la crinolina)
Then cut them out. Cut two 4 yd strips, cut one 4 yd strip in half so you are left with two 2 yd strips, and then
cut a 2 yd strip in half so you have two 1 yd strips

STEP 4: Sewing and Finishing the seams

Take your two 4 yd strips and sew them together to make your 8 yd bottom tier. Do this using French seams.
Here is how to do it (it's kind of hard to see with white thread on white fabric that has no "wrong" side, so this
tutorial might be helpful as well):
1. Sew raw edges together using a 1,3 seam allowance, and then trim the s.a. close to the stitch (taglia e
cuci)

2. Finger press the seam (you don't have to use an iron because you might melt your fabric; mine is 100%

nylon).
3. Fold the pieces of fabric in the other direction. The raw edge is now between the two layers of fabric. Now
sew another stitch to the left of the raw edge (that is sandwiched between the two layers).

4. Now edge stitch that little flap down. This is not technically a flat felled seam (like the ones on the inseam
of a pair of jeans) but it looks like one. So if this looks kind of like your jeans, then you did it right. Also
sewing this down is not part of a French seam, a French seam is left at step 3.
Here is what the final thing should look like:

Do this again to the middle tier (which consists of two 2 yd strips).

Do this to ONLY ONE seam on the top tier. Leave the other seam open, for it will be finished differently.

To finish the open seams of the top tier, fold a 2cm piece of ribbon around it and sew.

STEP 5: Basting stitches for gathering

Start basting stitches here:

And end them here:

Then start them again here:

And end here:

Each seam, on every tier, should look like this with the basting stitches starting at either side:

Then leave them, do not do any gathering yet.

*Starting and ending the basting stitches at each seam, gives you more places to gather from, which makes
it easier, you'll see.
STEP 6: Finishing the hem
Cut a piece of 7/8" ribbon a couple inches over 8 yds long. Fold it over the hem of the bottom tier and pin.

When you get to the end, cut the corners off and fold the last part of the ribbon under to finish it.

Then sew.
STEP 7: Gathering each tier to the next
1. First notch the center point with a little pencil mark between the two seams on all tiers for matching
purposes.
2. Pin the top tier to the middle matching seams and pencil marks

3. Gather the bottom tier to the middle, and pin as you go along.
4. Sew with 1,25 seam allowance
5. Finish by sewing a piece of ribbon over the raw edge. (Do this BEFORE gathering the middle tier to the
top tier.) Place your fabric in the sewing machine with the bottom gathered tier on the left and the ungathered
middle tier on the right of the presser foot.

Place the left ribbon edge just over the seam you just sewed, and edge stitch all the way around.
Then stitch the right side of the ribbon down. Fold the ribbon under to finish the end.

6. Repeat 1-5 to add the middle tier to the top tier. This is what the top tier at the ribboned seams should look
like:
STEP 8: Finishing the top
1. Cut a piece of 1/4" twill tape equal to your waist measurement. Gather the top to this.

2. Sew. Make sure the twill tape edge does not go past 0,4. That way when you finish the top with a folded
ribbon none of it will show.
3. Cut a piece of 2 cm ribbon about 7,5 cm longer than your waist measurement. Fold this over the top, and
sew. Leave the 3" extra hanging passed one ribboned edge.

Finish the ribbon edges by folding them under as you sew.

STEP 9: Closures
Sew the hook and the eyes here:

STEP 10: Look it over

Cut all hanging threads, and remove all visible basting stitches.