Burda Style For people who sew

Description

I actually started making this petticoat back before Elegant Impressions posted their 50s petticoat project (or I would probably have based it on that pattern); it’s just that it takes me a very long time to complete any garment, and especially one that frays as badly with as much seam-finishing as this one!

It started when I acquired a beautiful 1950s dress last summer (which needed an awful lot of work done on it, but that’s another project) and eventually decided that it needed a stiff petticoat of some sort to go under it. An old net curtain looked like a good prospect, but I soon discovered that a full ‘Alice Lon’ style petticoat needed a lot more net than that! Eventually I found a pattern online for a half-crinoline which saved a good deal of fabric by making the top section as a close-fitting slip out of silky fabric instead – the dress only needs a little extra volume, so this style was fine. I was expecting to have to starch the curtain net in order to get it stiff enough, but to my surprise and relief it actually works perfectly as is.

The ‘Silkytex’ fabric frays the moment you look at it, and sewing with narrow strips of this in order to bind the seams was very hard work. However the effect on the inside of the skirt is very smart, and there is no danger of snagging. The main trouble is that to my eyes it actually looks rather better on the inside than the outside now!

Material Notes

Made out of an old net curtain and a length of ‘Silkytex’; sewn with Coats ‘Moon’ thread.
The seams bound with strips of the same fabric.

Difficulty

Intermediate

Categories

Season

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

For

Women

Garment Type

Lingerie/Undergarments

Style

Vintage

Material

Other, Polyester, Rayon

Credits

Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing

Layer cake crinoline