Ignore the rulers (for now) |
Perfect. This will take hardly any work at all. :)
Ok, back to the rulers. |
First, I measured from my waist to the floor and added what I considered to be a decent length for a short train. (In the bridal industry, it would be called a "court" train.) I measured that distance up from the bottom of the short ruffle shown at the top of the above picture, and marked a short line across the middle of the white area. The ruler halfway down the side is measuring the exact halfway point of the white part.
See that faint blue line there? |
Using my pinking shears, I cut down the center until I got to the stay-stitched line, so imagine this:
That gray line is where I cut. Then I folded the whole thing along the line I had just cut, and sewed up the two ends that were once the bottom line of the drawing. This makes the center front seam of my new skirt.
With me so far?
Now I had a circle where there was once a long slit. Starting approximately where my hip bones would end up when I wear the skirt, I pinned knife pleats pointing away from the center front, and pinned the whole thing to my bias tape waistband.
Side note: how old is this bias tape if it once sold for 45 cents? Also, it's no longer quite white. :p |
How about some pics on my trusty dress form?
Front |
Side angle with train |
Back |
Detail shots!
I was inspired by 18th Century petticoats in their construction that allows them to be worn over smaller or larger side panniers. I adapted the technique to make the back of my skirt adjustable for different-sized bustles!
I slightly miscalculated the length of the bias tape for my waistband, and it was too large. I solved this temporarily by tucking and pinning it on either side. This will be fixed permanently before I wear it as a costume.
I also pinned up the sides in the back, playing with the train to make it fall a little nicer. I might add some ties to make it adjustable, in the future.
Looking through the other hidden treasures recovered from my parents' old house, I anticipate several upcoming projects and blog posts featuring them. Stay tuned!
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