How to Make a Hooped Underskirt

Princess Elizabeth in her hoop skirt.

To be a Renaissance lady or a southern belle you need a hooped underskirt. They also make a great base for a ghost or an angel costume. Here is an easy way to make a very sturdy one using plastic tubing.

Things You'll Need

• 1" plastic tubing
• muslin
• 1/2" twill tape
• sewing machine
• basic sewing supplies
• duct tape

Instructions

1. Take measurements: Measure from your natural waist to the floor. This is the height of your hoop skirt. Decide how wide you want your hoop to be. 40"wide is a smallish easy to manage size for an adult.

2. Cut your fabric. For a 40" wide hoop cut a rectangle 134" long. If your waist to floor measurement was 40 cut your fabric 45 " wide. If it was 43" cut it 48" wide. If it was 46" cut it 50" wide. If it was 50" cut it 54" wide.

3. 

   If using other measurements calculate as follows: To calculate the circumference of your hoop multiply 3.14 (pi) times the width of your hoop. For a 40" hoop this would be 3.14 X 40 which is about 126" Cut your fabric this length plus 8" for ease.

4. Use the pythagorian theorem to calculate the width of your fabric. Do this by dividing the width of the hoop in half call this D. Call the height of the hoop, your waist to floor measurement, H. Multiply HxH and DXD. Add these two numbers together and take the square root. For example if your hoop will be 40" wide and your waist to floor measurement is 42" multiply 20X20 to get 400. Multiply 42X42 to get 1764. Add these together to get 2164" and take the square root to get 46.5."

5. Sew the short edges of your fabric together stopping 5 inches from the top. Finish the raw edges of the seam with a zigzag or overlock stitch.

6. Finish the top and bottom edges of your underskirt with a zigzag or overlock stitch. Press down 1" on the top edge and make a 3/4 inch casing. Cut a piece of 1/2" twill tape to your waist measurement plus two feet. Thread this through the casing. Knot the ends of the tape.

7. 

   Press up 2" on the bottom edge of the underskirt and sew a 1.75 inch casing leaving a 4 inch opening. Cut a length of 1" plastic tubing the circumference of your hoop (126" for a 40" hoop) and thread through casing. Duct tape the ends of the tubing together to form a hoop and finish sewing up the casing.

Tips & Warnings

• Your actual hoop will be about 3" above the floor. The width of the casings allows you to use your actual waist to floor measurement when doing the calculations.

• A hoop like this looks wonderful under a ghost costume. It gives it lots of movement.

• I used a hoop like this under a high waisted dress to make a tree top angel.

• if the edge of the tubing does not slide into the casing easily put a piece of tape over it.

• This is a mediaeval style hoop not a bell shape. But it would be quite adequate for a southern belle costume if you are not seeking total accuracy.

• If you wish to make a bell shape you must add several smaller hoops in casings above the bottom hoop. You can use wide twill tape to make the casings. It is better to use lengths of steel such as strapping steel for the hoops in this type of skirt.