Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Petticoat Tutorial


For the last year, I have been looking for a petticoat- I know this might sound a little strange but I wanted something frilly and white to go under my skirts or even be worn as a skirt and to pair with my extensive collection of knee high boots! I had a very specific "vision" of what I wanted in my head and finally gave up my search and decided it was time to just make one for myself (like everything else-if I can't afford it or find it- I MAKE IT!).


Since I didn't have a pattern, I made my own from an old skirt. While I don't wear it anymore, I loved the shape and design which was a little bit A-line- just what I wanted for my petticoat!


Start by cutting up an old skirt to use as a pattern (or use a pattern!)


Cut out the pattern from fabric.
(I used muslin for my petticoat)


Cut out lots and lots of strips of fabric for the ruffles.


To create the ruffles- sew a straight stitch down the edge of the strip.



Pull the top thread until you have a ruffle



Continue until there are enough ruffles to cover the front and back of the skirt-
the more ruffles the fluffier it will be! Pin ruffles to the skirt and sew to the surface.


Sew the skirt together (front and back for my skirt pattern) and add an elastic waste band to the top.













***update- I've been asked by a couple of people about the edges of the ruffles fraying- I actually chose muslin and not to finish or hem the edges because I actually want my edges to fray :) I am messy in everything that I do! But if you want a cleaner ruffle you can hem the edges of each one.***

102 comments:

Unknown said...

O-M-G!!
C-U-T-E!!!
dang girl... *shakes head*
what CAN'T you do???
LOL
xoxo
jul

Adrian said...

Wow!You look hot, hot, hot in that girly ruffled skirt. If you get addicted to making ruffles, there is such a thing as a "ruffle foot" for sewing machines and it ruffles the fabric for you. I love mine and use yards and yards of muslin for fluffy, tiered stamped, dyed, torn, splattered and splashed skirts for our mega hot south Florida weather.
Oh, you look so cool!

Karen said...

i'm gonna have to break out my sewing machine and try this! too cute!

nacherluver said...

That is just too cute! Thanks for sharing the process :)

Julie Kirk said...

Beautiful! I have lots of skirts which I'd like 'filling out' a bit and have been wanting a petticoat for ages! I've got a sewing day with friends booked in for next month and now I know what I'll be making!

Thank you :)

Jane LaFazio said...

waay cute. and I've got to laugh at the one photo all the bottles of paint behind your WHITE petticoat!

Anonymous said...

wow - how cute is this. I see the muslin as a blank template for paint and graffiti. Woohoo!

Anonymous said...

OK, you now have the record for the most "saved" blog posts in my feed reader... problem is, when will I find the time to do all these awesome projects?? Thanks for another great tutorial!

Kittyj said...

LOVE it!!!

jane eileen said...

Girl, you are rockin' that sewing machine!

peggy said...

Your so clever, go alisa, its adorable.

Anonymous said...

oh my crap you are brilliant.

Deanne said...

this is sooo gorgeous :) xx

Cate said...

very cute, I've been looking for one of these too!

Linda Branch Dunn said...

You are going to lead the revolution. Quit paying $$$ and make it for yourself. Hahoo.

I'm an over-50 artist and love love love what you do.

Ania ze Wzgórza said...

I love it :)

Christie // lemon squeezy home said...

Oh, I love it! Just stopped by from One Pretty Thing and I'm so glad she linked to your cute blog!

Jane said...

I love it! I especially love it with the brown boots!

the mama monster said...

this is amazing! i love the raw edges. off to start one right now. thank you for the great idea.

britt said...

i am so making one of these too!! thanks!

Unknown said...

I really love this, but have you thought of how you are going to wash it? All those raw edges will go funky. I want to make it, but with 4 kids, I know it will be getting dirty.

Cherish @ My Cup of Tea said...

This is so beautiful & lovely. Are you selling them anywhere? There's no way that I can match that talent.

Cherish @ My Cup of Tea said...

P.S. I'm a new follower..

Valerie said...

I am in love!! I love the plain muslin, but can't wait to try this with colors, too!! I am filing this at thecraftersfilebox.com.

Thanks so much for sharing.

Jax @ AlyandAsh said...

I second Cherish @ my cup of tea's comment: I can't sew, must buy!! You're amazing, the skirt is soo cute!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE it!
But, I have a dumb question-how did you sew up the sides?
Did you sew in the ruffles, or just the first/bottom layer?

-bri

ByNightCreations said...

a new thing to add on my to-do list! it is sooo pretty! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

I love it!

Rachel said...

Oh, this is fabulous!!! Thanks!

Unknown said...

love this, love this, love it! I hardly ever sew for myself (just for my little ones and my nieces), but this totally inspires me to make one!
we have a friday fun finds party- if you're interested, we'd love it if you'd link up. :)

sunspot said...

I love this petticoat and will probably make one for my daughter. Adding a couple of ideas for the less messy -
1. zig-zag the edges of the strips (still a little messy but fewer strings)

OR

2 (For the slightly more daring and patient) Cut the strips on the bias - still fringy in a beautiful messy way - My daughter had a "storebought" skirt that had bias fringe at the hem it was very cute.

Jana said...

I just love this petticoat so much....I can't wiat to make it!
Jana

Aislynn said...

Love it, WOW! I just found your blog :) I think it's found a spot on my top 5 daily reads :) Can't wait to try this tutorial!

Lisa Nelsen-Woods said...

OMG I have an old red jersey sheet in my stash that is screaming to be made into a petticoat. Yes, I'm going with red - I'm tawdry :)

ashley @ little miss momma said...

I featured this totally awesome project on Little Miss Momma:

http://littlemissmomma.blogspot.com/2010/05/11-tutorials-i-love-and-you-will-too.html

Happy Crafting!

ashley

Melanie@Crafty Cupboard said...

I made a petticoat skirt! Thanks for the tut. I ended up making the skirt and then adding the ruffles on top, and had a zipper instead of elastic. I love it!

http://craftycupboard.blogspot.com/2010/05/artichokes-stripes-and-fire-trucks.html

Home's Jewels said...

What a great tutorial. I wanted to let you know that I have added it to the patterns on the new online sewing community: mysewingcircle.com. We'd love to have you join us and add your patterns/tutorials - more visibility for you!!

http://www.mysewingcircle.com/pattern/show/492

~jewel

Nia B said...

Let me just say that this is really really cute.
But I have a question. How did you sew each ruffle together?
I'm starting to make my own clothes and this petticoat is one I really want to make. x___X

Andrea said...

Pretty darn cute!

Unknown said...

Thank-You for sharing! I'm your newest follower and totally diggin' your style!
Emily

Carole Ann said...

I just love your aesthetic, Alisa! I've had this project bookmarked for a while, and just made my own last weekend: http://www.connectthedotscrafts.com/2010/09/wardrobe-revamp-week-4.html

Thanks again for a great project!

Kelly E said...

Super cute. You could also cut the strips on the bias to help with fraying...

feathers said...

how wide did u make the strips for the ruffles?

feathers said...

ho wide did u make the strips for the ruffles?

Stephanie said...

I just made this skirt last night, wore it today, and LOVE it!!! Thanks for sharing :)

EditorK said...

I've featured this project in a special skirt collection on AllFreeSewing.com. Hope you enjoy,

http://www.allfreesewing.com/Bottoms-to-Sew/16-Free-Skirt-Patterns

Our readers love your site!

Thanks!

Kirsten
Editor
AllFreeSewing.com

Lisa (StuffMummyMakes) said...

So beautiful I just had to have a go!

Here's a link if you'd like to see...

http://stuffmummymakes.blogspot.com/2011/02/petticoat-skirt.html

Thank you so much for sharing! xx

Anonymous said...

Wow. I never thought to make ruffles that way! I've wanted to make a petticoat for so long, but I've only finished 3 ruffles because of a) how big I am and b) I get so frustrated sitting there folding it repeatedly. I'm so excited to just start over and make it this way.

lap said...

Great tutorial and lovely petticoat! You can also cut the ruffles on the bias and they will have the unfinished effect without as much fraying since they won't be cut on the grainline. I was reminded of this from Mary Adam's The Party Dress Book!

Shelly said...

I made this cute petticoat but I didn't measure wide enough and it's too small.. boohoo. I love it though and will give it to someone smaller than me and try again!!

Holly said...

I know I'm really late on this, but I found this post and skirt a while back and showed it to my daughter the other day. Her jaw hit the floor and she demanded I make her one in black. It'll be black with black lace and black tulle and black velvet, shreddy and very goth.

Brittney G said...

I totally have the skirt you are wearing with the petticoat and I sometimes wear it as one. Great minds think alike, I will have to try making the petticoat you have shown! Thanks for the tutorial!

MsCabinFever said...

Love the skirt, but love your top MORE!!! where did you get it? Great taste, thank you for sharing!!!

rebekah said...

I just found this on a google search. It is amazing.

Misty and Eve said...

I made this recently. I couldn't remember where I found it until today. Sadly in retrospect, I like yours so much better. I linked back to you.

Eve
bumblebliss.blogspot.com

Sharin said...

I absolutely adore this, as well as the skirt that you have over the top at the bottom, is there a tutorial for that one as well???

Ashley said...

This is fabulous!!! Just what I have been looking for!! LOVE that you used muslin!!

the real mia said...

I LOVE this. Thank you for the inspiration!

Unknown said...

really cute! I just saw someone wearing a petticoat under a sundress and have been wanted to make one!
I think I'll stitch the bottom edges so they fray, but just a little!

Marie said...

Hi!
I made a skirt with your DIY and I love it!
You can have a look there :
http://aiguillesduherisson.over-blog.com/article-jupe-mille-feuilles-ou-du-fleuri-suite-et-fin-76061242.html

Amanda said...

Just found your blog and LOVING every bit of it! I'm a new follower!!

Mrsblocko said...

I made a skirt for my daughter using your tutorial. (You can see a picture of it here.) It would have turned out super if I hadn't made it too small. Doh! I salvaged it by turning it into an apron. At least I didn't do all that ruffling for nothing.

Thank you so much for sharing your tutorial.

jess@balancing the dream said...

i just found your site through Pinterest!! I am in LOVE with this project! and your who blog at that!! I am your newest follower!!

patty said...

Love it thank you.

patty said...

Love it, I got to make one, thank you

Unknown said...

I love the skirt and can't wait to try it! Did you make your top as well, because it is amazing!

Luli said...

Beautiful!! I really love it!!
Lucía - Argentina.

Luli said...

Really Beautiful!
Lucía - Argentina.

Katie Kerr said...

Are you taking orders for those skirts?? You could make a killing and I would be the first one to buy one!

Anonymous said...

I love this and started to make my own. I'm just wondering where you got your wrap top?
Thanks!

Heaven's Walk said...

Waaay tooo cute! I just adore this ruffled charm! I'm just a kindergartner sewer (made a runner and was beside myself - lol!) --- should I have a friend do this for me instead?? Thanks for the great tutorial!

xoxo laurie

Anonymous said...

Found this on pinterest and just finished mine. Thanks!

muebles en palencia said...

It's all erroneous the thing you are saying.

Melly Testa said...

Or, if you don't want the ruffles to fray you could cut the strips on the bias.

Aldrine said...

Where did you get that fabulous shirt that you are wearing with that skirt? I absolutely love it!!!

Aldrine said...

Where did you get that fabulous shirt you are wearing with that skirt? I absolutely love it!! :)

Forgetful Mom said...

I love this! I wish I had material to make it right now! Found you via Pinterest. http://bottlesdiapersbaby.blogspot.com

Suzann Mills said...

I am confused. on pinterest it says this is out of t-shirts. And also, do you just even out the ruffles and sew the sides of the skirt???

the Danosaur said...

Love the skirt. I'm wondering where you got those boots?! I have been looking everywhere for some just like that! Thanks!

mel said...

Love. love the skirt but where did you get that sweater??? I need it!!!

Amy Beckstrand said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amy Beckstrand said...

Ok, I am also wondering where you got that cute shirt!! It totally makes the outfit. Also, how did you sew the front of the skirt to the back? I love it!

seven thirty three said...

I am in love with your style! This skirt is so adorable and the brown boots are perfect with it! I am sharing your tutorial today as part of my Skirt Week Series.

Unknown said...

I love this, I'll sew this skirt this week. Thanksfor the tutorial. Love your blog!!!

girls skirts said...

Ruffles give style to our plain skirt. This time we can enjoy having fashionable skirt and no need to settle our selves from plain one.

Adrian's Mommy said...

Just a heads up... if you use a true muslin, you should be able to just tear the layers instead of cutting them... this also helps prevent fraying, as well :-) it will tear a straight edge if it's muslin, or any other cotton for that matter :-)

Krissyann Granger said...

Super charming! I am making this skirt for some of my girlfriends for Christmas. This will be a huge hit at the festivals next summer. Thanks for sharing!

Helen @ Blue Eyed Beauty Blog said...

This skirt is absolutely adorable! I love it and I do plan to make it eventually.

Helen
Blue Eyed Beuaty Blog

Sena said...

Omg beautiful!!! Would you mind telling us what brand/style boots are those? I just love the color!!!

Audrey said...

HI there, I just love your petticoat!!! I just had to make time to have one of my own. I decided to try it out on some material I already had then get some muslin. It turned out terrific!I do have two questions for you though...
1.When sewing the front ruffle skirt piece to the back ruffle skirt piece how did you avoid sewing down the ruffles? I had sew them down then cut and free mine.
2.Also, how did you get the staggered ruffle on the side seams? May be it's not, but it looks less like a ruffle cut seam like mine. Love to get your opinions before I start cutting out my muslin. : )
Audrey

Unknown said...

So super cute Alisa! I am so gonna do this! Thanks!

Unknown said...

The black with black lace sounds so pretty.

Tomi Stafford said...

This skirt is so beautiful. Thank you for the instructions! I made mine & I love it. I wanted it to be a stand alone skirt so used a zipper & hemmed all my ruffles.

Beth said...

Fabulous tutorial, thank you! I am obsessed with ruffles, and your tutorial shows me how to cut and sew them. I am so excited to try this!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I wanted to let you know I blogged about following your tutorial here http://phunkblog.com/pinterest-challenge-2013-pettiskirt/
and to check it's ok to have your photo on my post.
If you need me to take it down please let me know & I will :)
TJ

Anonymous said...

This is such a cute skirt! I'm going to make 4 matching ones for my 2 daughters and 2 nieces to wear for their quarterly picture session :-). We're picture crazy in our houses. Lol.

TIP**** If you don't have a "gathering foot", which I don't. I knew there HAD to be a better way than breaking thread after thread at 2am. Then at 4am, I thought of it! Instead of using regular thread in the bobbin, use upholstery thread instead, but continue to use regular thread on top (don't use upholstery thread on top or it won't work!). Then gather like you normally would. At this point I've found that using a zig zag stitch over the upholstery thread works great. It is so easy to take out the gathering stitch later.

Thanks for the tutorial! Happy sewing :-)
Claire

Unknown said...

When using muslin or material that frays and you don't want to trouble yourself with folding and hemming, try one of your rarely used decorative stitches and stitch each ruffle edge all the way around. Even a simple zigzag will keep ruffles from fraying so badly and will add a different element to your skirt. You could even use a different stitch on each ruffle layer and different colored thread on each layer!!! Shoot, I just talked myself into a project...gotta go sew.....

DiPs12 said...

Wow, mom sewed me a burgundy skirt like this when I was a young girl! I wore it ALOT! I'm a lot older now & I am so happy to see this pattern cause I'm going to sew myself one! Thank you so much for a good memory today 😄

cheryl said...

I love this! I can't wait to try making this. Thank you!

hannahlah said...

This is super cute. I am thinking browns and beige for sort of a steam punk look, with some different types of fabric like lace and satin mixed with cotton prints. If you want to hem your ruffles, a serger, if you have one works great for miles of ruffles. If you make them out of bias strips, you can also wire the hems with 80 pound fishing line. This is great for costumes and pageants.

Unknown said...

Hey ?? How long do the strips have to be?

Unknown said...

Hey ?? How long do the strips have to be?

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