How to Make a Southern Belle Costume

You can be the belle of the ball in a costume reminiscent of dresses worn by Southern women during the Civil War era. To make this outfit, you will need to sew a gathered skirt and a very full, stiff slip to make the skirt puff out, a shawl from the same fabric as the skirt and a coordinating satin sash to go around your waist. You also will add ribbon and lace to a modern-day umbrella to create an old-fashioned parasol. The look is completed by wearing the items you make with a store-bought blouse and white formal gloves.

Things You'll Need

• 5 yards of 72-inch-wide nylon netting
• 8 yards of 44-inch-wide woven fabric
• 6 yards of 44-inch-wide satin fabric
• 3 yards of 1-inch-wide satin ribbon
• 2 yards of 1-inch-wide waistband elastic
• Thread
• Hand sewing needle
• Large safety pin
• Sewing machine
• Umbrella
• Ruffled lace
• Hot glue and glue gun
• Puffy-sleeved or ruffled blouse
• Gloves

Instructions

1. Make slip. Cut 5 yards of 72-inch-wide netting in half to create two 36-inch-wide strips. Sew short ends together to create one 10-foot-long, 36-inch-wide strip. Sew remaining short edges together to create a tube. To make the waistband, fold over top edge 1 1/2 inches and sew close to the raw edge, leaving 2 inches open. Cut a piece of elastic to the size of your waist. Put a safety pin in one end of the elastic and push the pin and the elastic into the 2-inch opening and through the casing. Sew ends closed. Trim bottom of skirt to ankle length.

2. Make skirt. Cut three 4-foot-long pieces of 44-inch-wide woven fabric. With right sides together, sew long edges together to create one approximately 130-inch tube. Fold over top edge and make waistband as instructed in previous step for slip. Cut and hem bottom edge so that the finished edge is just above floor length.

3. Make shawl. Cut 4 yards of woven fabric. With right sides together, fold in half to create a 2-yard-long, 44-inch wide piece. Sew both long edges. Turn right side out. Turn under raw edge on unfinished short edge and hand sew closed. To wear, drape shawl over your shoulders and in the crooks of your elbows.

4. Make sash. Cut the 44-inch-wide satin fabric in half to create two 22-inch-wide strips. Sew the short ends together to create one 12-foot-long, 22-inch-wide strip. With right sides together, fold the strip in half lengthwise. Sew together the long edge and one short edge. Turn right side out. Turn under the raw edges on the remaining short edge and hand sew closed. To wear, wrap the sash around your waist and tie a huge bow in the back, leaving long tails of fabric that extend to the hem of your skirt.

5. Make a parasol. Open the umbrella. On the outside of the umbrella, put down a line of hot glue over one of the umbrella's ribs from the top center to the bottom edge. Press on ruffled lace. Snip lace at the bottom edge. Repeat over each rib. Hot glue more lace around the bottom edge of the umbrella. Place a dab of glue at the top of the rod in the center of the umbrella. Press on one edge of the satin ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the rod. Glue the bottom edge to secure. Cut off remaining ribbon and tie it in a bow at the handle.