Hey there, welcome back! This week we’re looking at the most fabric-consuming part of the whole costume, the skirts! The following is an excerpt from my make-book for leafeon. This book was handed to the judges of every contest for a look at the making of my costume. I managed to find a few extra photos since this book was made, so they are featured below in this article for the first time! Of course as always, part 1 can be found here, part 2 here, parts 3&4 here, and parts 5&6 here.
Part 7: The Skirt & Petticoat
I made the skirt and petticoat at the same time since they followed the same pattern. Both types of fabric, cotton and poly-cotton, were cut at the same time. Cotton was used for the outer skirt, and poly-cotton for the petticoat. The outer skirt was originally completed as a plain skirt with no decoration, and decoration was added later once the bustle underneath was also finished.
Once the pieces were cut, I began work on the petticoat. I made it a plain skirt with a wide flounce at the bottom. This flounce was hand gathered using the yarn method. I pinned the gathered flounce to the skirt underneath and stitched it on. I then finished the bottom edges with ribbon: a decorative off-white and gold ribbon for the flounce, and a pleated cream ribbon for the inner skirt. The waistband closes with a large hook and eye.
I made the skirt in much the same way, but with no flounce. Later once the bustle was complete, I picked open the front seams and added two dark green triangles of fabric into the open seam. I finished the edges with light green bias tape I made myself, and continued this bias tape up to the waistband of the skirt. I then decorated the bias tape with buttons and a handmade lace flower.
That’s all for this week! Tune in next week, August 17th, 2016, for parts 8 & 9!
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