How to Make a Hoop Slip

Hoop skirts were fashionable through the 18th century.

A hoop slip or hoop skirt is a period undergarment that creates the very full skirt that was in fashion in the 18th century. If you want to create a Civil War period costume, you can purchase a hoop slip or you can save money and make your own. Even a fairly new seamstress can make a hoop skirt without too much difficulty, although you might need to experiment a little before you create exactly the shape you want for your slip.

Things You'll Need

• 30 finished strips of non-stretchy fabric, 1" wide
• Scissors
• Needle and thread
• 1 strip non-stretchy fabric 2 to 8 inches wide and longer than your hip measurement
• Polytubing
• Twine or drawstring
• Dress form
• Duct tape

Instructions

1. Decide how wide you want your hoop slip to be. Cut 30 strips of fabric long enough to run from your waist to the floor along the circumference of the hoops.

2. Create the waistband. Fold a strip of fabric that is long enough to pass over your hips in half. Its width when folded lengthwise should be the width you want for your waistband. Sew the long end together to create a channel for the drawstring. Make two buttonholes on either end for the drawstring to pass through, and thread the twine or string through it.

3. Decide how many hoops you want and how far apart they should be. This is up to you, depending on the final shape you want the hoop slip to create. More hoops will give your skirt a smoother look. A good plan is to place hoops every 5 to 6 inches on the slip, but leave at least 3 to 6 inches from the lowest hoop to the bottom of the slip so you don't kick your hoops as you walk. Depending on your height, you will probably end up with at least 6 to 8 hoops.

4. Create channels for the hoops. Take two of your strips of non-stretchy fabric and place them together, right side out. Measure 3 to 6 inches from one end and sew them together across the width. Sew another seam, also width-wise, an inch below that seam. Measure 5 or 6 inches below that and repeat until you have enough channels for all your hoops. Repeat this for all the strips until you have 15 identical strips of fabric with channels.

5. Sew the strips with channels into the waistband. Make sure they are equidistant and take the gathering of the drawstring into consideration as you space them. If your top hoop will be fairly large, make sure the distance from the waistband to the first channel is long enough to comfortably reach from your waist to the width of the first hoop.

6. Measure and cut your hoops from polytubing. Again, the size of your hoops depends on what shape you want for your skirt. If your hoops will be 5 or 6 inches apart, each hoop as you descend from the waistline should increase in size by 5 to 15 inches. Almost any increasing pattern will work; it just depends what shape you want the slip to create. If you're not sure what you want, cut longer hoops for now and reduce them later if you want.

7. Run the tubing through the channels you created in the strips of fabric.

8. Pull each hoop into a circle and place the slip on a friend or a dress form. Adjust the length of the hoops if necessary. When you are happy with how it looks, duct tape the ends of each hoop closed in a circle.

9. Wear the hoop slip with at least two petticoats for a smooth line over the hoops.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also sew the polytubing in place through each channel using a very large needle and string.

References

• Masqued Cosplay: How to Make a Hoopskirt for Under $40
• Marquise.de: How to Make Paniers
• The Dreamstress; The Hoopskirt: How I Made it and What I Would Do Better Next Time; Leimomi Oakes