Petticoat Update

Not done yet . . . .

I'm not finished with it, but I do want to share with you the technique I'm using for some of the seams of the netting.

Before we get to that, Isabelle brought up a good question - is there a difference between netting and tulle? Actually, yes there is. Where I live, there are three basic types of this particular fabric available: netting, petticoat netting and tulle. You can see all three from left to right below [Note to Isabelle: I didn't plan those colors - it happened that way. I needed a tulle color that would photograph halfway decently, the white I originally had didn't.] The blue on the left is what is called "netting". It comes in a variety of colors and can be used for petticoats (or crinolines as some people call them, but that's another story!). The white in the middle is what is called "petticoat netting". This is what I'm using. Usually it's only available in black or white. Notice that the holes are smaller, it is also much stiffer and will give that "stand out" look to skirts. On right in red, is tulle, available in a rainbow of matte and well as glimmer and sparkly colors. The holes are much, much smaller, the nylon is much thinner and can be drapey. You could use it for making petticoats, but it won't give you the silhouette you're looking for.

Now for the seam technique. Seaming netting or tulle can be an adventure. Some people prefer french seams or don't finish the seams at all. The fabric doesn't fray, so that's not the issue - neatness is the issue. While I love french seams, they can be bulky, especially when most items made from these fabrics need to gathered, and there's usually a lot of it! I've decided to try out a version of the lapped seam. This also works nicely on interfacing where you don't want bulk in the seams. First, I overlap the two pieces to be joined, aligning the seam lines. In this case, the seam allowance is 5/8", and I baste the two pieces together along the seam line:

(Note: there's no good way to mark this type of fabric, except to thread trace!)

I then stitch two lines of stitching, 1/8" to either side of the center line. Notice that I have not backtracked any stitching, but tied off the threads. Backtracking just doesn't look good on tulle, or any other sheer in my opinion.

Next, I trim off the excess seam allowance on either side, and the seam is complete. You will end up with only two layers of fabric at the join, rather than five with the conventional french seam.

I haven't finished the petticoat yet, as I'm not happy with the way it's turning out. The yoke is fine - it's all finished off except for the hook and eye at the waist. The ruffle around the bottom is the problem. According to the original directions, you're to make two bottom ruffles, gather them together and attach together. I don't like the way it looks. It's not full enough to me, nor does the gathering look good. I've got 3/4 of the ruffle on, but it's going to be coming off and redone. What I'm going to do is take the ruffles apart and join them into one big ruffle, so that there's twice as much fabric in the ruffle. It will be a bit more to manage, but I'll show you how I do that in the next post.

Parting Shot: I thought I'd show you my daughter in one of her new outfits. This is what she chose to wear to church today: