How to Make Quality Pettiskirts
Make a statement by sewing and wearing a high-quality pettiskirt. Although pettiskirts are meant to be worn underneath a long skirt or dress, it's possible wear them as outerwear, provided that the skirt isn't see-through. A full, fluffy pettiskirt also makes a great piece to add to a little girl's dress up wardrobe. Make the skirt with good quality fabric, such as satin and chiffon, and it will last for years to come.
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- 1/2 yard satin, 54 inches wide
- 4 to 6 yards nylon chiffon
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Matching thread
- Sewing machine
- 1-inch wide elastic
Instructions
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1
Measure the waist of the person who will wear the skirt. Determine how long you'd like the pettiskirt to be.
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2
Cut the satin fabric with the scissors so that it measures twice the waist by 2/3 the finished pettiskirt length. For example, if you're making a 15-inch long skirt for a girl with a 20-inch waist, cut a 5-inch by 40-inch long strip of satin.
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3
Fold the satin in half so that it equals the waist measurement in width. The right sides should be together. Pin together along one short side, then sew with a 1/2-inch seam.
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4
Fold the top edge of the satin down 1/4 inch, then down another 1 1/4 inch and pin. Stitch along the inside edge, leaving a 2-inch gap. Set the satin aside for now.
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5
Cut six strips of nylon chiffon that measure 48 inches long by 1/3 the finished length wide. Cut 12 more strips that measure 40 inches long by 1/3 the finished length wide. These strips will be the tiers of the pettiskirt.
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6
Fold the remaining, uncut piece of chiffon into eighths so that you have a piece of fabric eight layers thick. Cut the folded fabric into pieces 2 1/2 inches wide. This fabric will be used as the fluffy portion at the bottom of the pettiskirt.
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Lay two pieces of 48-inch long nylon chiffon on top of each other, joining the short sides. Pin together, then stitch along one short side to make a long strip. Join the short end of another piece of fabric to the short end of one of the sewn pieces, pin together, then sew to an even longer strip. Repeat with the remaining three strips of 48-inch long chiffon. You'll have two strips when finished. These are strips "A."
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8
Join the short ends of six of the 40-inch long strips together and sew to make one very long strip. Repeat with the remaining six 40-inch strips so that you have two very long strips. These are strips "B."
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9
Divide the 2 1/2 inch wide strips of chiffon into two groups. There should be an equal number of strips in each group. If you have an extra, set it aside.
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10
Pin the 2 1/2 inch strips together along the short sides as you did with the other chiffon strips, then sew together to make two extremely long strips.
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11
Return to the first set of strips that you sewed together: strips "A." Adjust the stitch length on your sewing machine to the longest length, then sew a row of gathering stitches along the top edge of the chiffon. Leave tails of thread on each end. Repeat with the remaining strips "A" and "B."
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12
Stack strips "A" on top of each other. Pull the threads to gather the strips until they're 40 inches long.
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13
Line the top edge of strips "A" up with the bottom edge of the satin fabric, right sides together. Pin together, then sew with a 1/2-inch seam.
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14
Place the two strips "B" on top of each other. Pull on the threads to gather the strips. Line up the top edges of strips "B" with the bottom of "A," pin and then sew with a 1/2-inch seam.
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15
Sew a row of gathering stitches down the middle of each of the two 2 1/2 inch chiffon strips, leaving tails of thread on the ends.
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16
Pin one of the 2 1/2 inch strips to the top layer of the bottom tier on the pettiskirt, along the bottom edge. Sew in place. Pin the second 2 1/2 inch strip to the under layer of the bottom tier of the skirt, then sew in place.
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17
Push a safety pin through the end of a piece of elastic. Thread the elastic through the casing on the top of pettiskirt. Once you're all the way around, sew the ends of the elastic together.
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