How to sew a petticoat from tulle with your own hands for a sun skirt, half-sun skirt

A petticoat is a useful item in the wardrobe of those girls who like to wear spectacular dresses and skirts. This item of clothing can perform several functions, for example, make the lower part of the image more voluminous, give the outfit a certain style, serve as a lining for translucent fabric. And since choosing the perfect petticoat from a store can be problematic, it is easier buy the required amount of tulle and sew the item yourself.

What you need for sewing

The first thing you need to decide before you start sewing a petticoat is the fabric that is suitable for it. Some people need a universal option for several dresses and skirts of a similar style, while others are going to use this item of clothing only for a thematic or festive outfit.

The choice will depend on several parameters:

• style of skirt or dress;
• the material of this thing, its weight and density;
• desired volume of the petticoat;
• frequency of its use.

Knitted, satin fabrics, natural silk are suitable for petticoats for everyday wear with not the most voluminous dresses and skirts. A tailored petticoat will work as a non-transparent lining for light summer clothes or evening dresses. Petticoats gathered at the waist with voluminous folds will make any dress of the appropriate style a little more voluminous.

If the dress fabric is quite dense and heavy, you should choose a more rigid version of the petticoat, which will hold its shape well and will not cause discomfort when worn.

The most common type of material is tulle. It differs in hardness by three degrees (soft satin, medium hardness and the densest). This parameter depends on the size of its mesh cells.

In addition, tulle has many different shades, so choosing the perfect option for a specific dress or skirt will not be difficult. You can find tulle with embroidery, rhinestones, sequins, lace and various types of spraying from different manufacturers.

If you expect the underskirt to be visible, you can choose one of these options. For classic underwear, matte satin in the same color as the main outfit will do (or one of the classic options - white or black, if versatility is important).

You will also need sewing supplies for work:

• sewing machine;
• threads, needles, pins;
• scissors and measuring tape;
• an elastic band of suitable thickness, about 4-5 cm wide;
• iron and non-fading cloth for ironing the material.

If the petticoat is planned to be made more rigid with the help of rings or wire, they also need to be prepared in advance. This also includes additional decorative elements - lace, ribbons.

How to measure correctly

It is not difficult to sew a tulle petticoat, the main thing is to take the correct measurements of the figure, and also not to make a mistake in calculating the amount of materials. The main parameters are the waist size, the length of the circumference of the lower part of the skirt and the length of the product.

Necessary measurements for sewing a petticoat
Waist circumference	The waist is the thinnest part between the top of the hip bone and the base of the rib cage. The beginning of the tape measure is applied to the navel (or slightly higher, depending on the location of the waist line), the tape is wrapped around parallel to the floor. The number at the intersection of the tape with its end is the desired value.
Hip circumference	Hips are measured at their widest part. This can be determined both visually and by touch. Legs should be brought together, tape should be wrapped perpendicular to the floor, find the place of connection and the desired number.
Hip height	Hip height is measured at the side. This value is measured from the waist line to the hip line. For ease of measurement, you can tie a thin ribbon or thread on these parts of the body, and then apply a measuring tape to them perpendicularly.

The measuring tape should fit snugly to the body, but not overtighten the part where the measurements are taken. It is better to do this on bare skin to achieve accurate results. It is easier to take measurements in front of a mirror - you can make sure that the tape does not twist or slip below the required level. Another important measurement is the length of the product.

This parameter is worth considering separately, since there are several nuances here:

• If the petticoat is to be hidden, its length should be made 5-7 cm shorter than the length of the top skirt.
• if the petticoat should “stick out”, then it can be made longer by the same 5 cm.
• If wide lace or other decoration is sewn onto the petticoat, the lengths of the skirts can be equalized.
• at equal
• The length of the skirt and petticoat can be changed to create a universal option - a petticoat dropped to the hips will complement the look from below, while a skirt rolled up with an elastic band, on the contrary, will "hide" from prying eyes.

The last universal option is also suitable for those who wear skirts of approximately the same length (with a difference of 5-10 cm). Having calculated the average length of the petticoat, you can shorten and lengthen it in such a simple way.

In order not to miscalculate the fabric consumption for such a product, you can use a special formula that calculates the assembly coefficient. It looks like this: Ksb = Dk/Dt.

In this formula, Dk is the length of the bottom edge of the petticoat, and Dt is the length of the edge at the waist (this value is most often equal to the waist circumference). Having obtained the coefficient according to the formula, it must be multiplied by the values ​​​​in the measurements.

For example: the bottom edge of the petticoat should be 150 cm, and the waist circumference of the model is 63 cm. In this case, Ksb = 150/3 = 2.4 cm. Multiplying the waist circumference by this value, you can get a fabric length of 151 cm. This will be enough to get a proportionally gathered skirt.

It is also important to consider that particularly puffy petticoats often require sewing several layers of material. For example, a princess dress for a girl is often sewn with a petticoat, which combines one layer of hard tulle to maintain the shape and several layers of soft tulle to give the skirt maximum puffiness.

Stages of creating a petticoat

In order to sew a quality petticoat, it is easier to divide the process into stages and prepare for each of them.

Conventionally, the creation of a petticoat occurs as follows:

1. The style of the clothing item is selected.
2. Suitable materials are selected.
3. Measurements are taken, the required amount of fabric is calculated and purchased.
4. A pattern is created (or a ready-made version is used).
5. The product is sewn according to the pattern.
6. Decorative elements, buttons, and a zipper are sewn onto the finished petticoat, and the edges are finished.
7. The entire product is steamed or ironed.

With a ready-made pattern and a sketch of the future product, it will be clearer what the end result should be. It is better to double-check everything several times at the design stage, clarify the measurements, than to re-sew a petticoat due to insufficient tulle or try to take in an already finished item of clothing.

How to sew with your own hands

A tulle petticoat, if sewn with your own hands using a custom pattern, will become an ideal additional element to any girl's wardrobe. But for beginners, it is better to choose a simple sewing option for their first experience. For those who have good skills in this matter, you can choose a more complex master class.

Classic version

For a classic petticoat with elastic, you don't need a pattern. The main thing is to make the calculations correctly. Having decided on the length of the underskirt and calculated the gathering coefficient, you need to take the appropriate amount of material.

Step-by-step sewing of a classic petticoat with elastic:

1. The elastic band is prepared - it should be 2-3 cm shorter than the model's waist circumference.
2. The top edge of the material is folded over (preferably twice), then stitched so that an opening is created along the entire length.
3. The elastic is threaded through the resulting hole. For convenience, you can use a pin. The folds that gather in the process are carefully straightened out.
4. When the entire elastic band is threaded through the hole, both ends are connected.
5. The side parts of the satin fabric are sewn together.

This method produces a skirt gathered at the waist with an elastic band. The size of the frills, and accordingly the fullness of the petticoat, can be adjusted using the length of the fabric and the tension of the elastic band.

For the sun skirt

A sun skirt, like a petticoat of this pattern made of tulle, is sewn using a pattern. But you don’t need to know the complex nuances of clothing design for this – just use a detailed master class.

A stiff tulle petticoat for a sun skirt is sewn like this:

1. To make a pattern you only need to know two parameters – the waist size (W) of the model and the length of the petticoat (L).
2. The waist circumference radius of the skirt belt (R) is calculated using the waist measurement. This value is divided by 2π. The formula is R = Ob/2π. For example, if the waist is 68 cm, then R = 68/6.28 = 10.8. The value can be rounded up.
3. To create a pattern on the material, the length is measured from the beginning of the fabric using the formula Дп + R.
4. This way you can understand what size fabric you will need for sewing. These are two petticoat lengths and two radii.
5. The fabric is folded in half from the designated point (it will become the center of the semicircle).
6. At the resulting point, you need to pin or pin a mark of 11 cm on the measuring tape. By moving the edge of the tape in a semicircle, a dotted line of the pattern is drawn.
7. In the same way, a line is drawn at the distance of the petticoat length (Dk), but with an indent from the first dotted line, the tape is rearranged as radial lines. There should be two lines in a quarter of a circle - one at the center of the semicircle, the second as the bottom edge of the skirt. The distance between the two lines is the petticoat length.
8. The fabric is cut according to the received pattern, starting from the lower dotted line. The result is half of the petticoat.
9. The second half is cut out and trimmed in exactly the same way.
10. Both halves of the skirt are sewn together. On one of the edges, you need to make an indentation along the length of the lock.
11. Afterwards, the edge of the petticoat is processed and all seams are ironed.

If you don't want to sew in a zipper, you can leave an indent for the belt and buttons. To create such a petticoat on an elastic band, you need to add some length to the radius of the belt to allow it to stretch. It is better to trim the belt of such an underskirt from the inside with a fabric or ribbons that are pleasant to the body.

Half Sun

For a half-sun skirt, the petticoat is sewn according to the same principle as for a sun skirt. The difference will be that the formula for this type of skirt looks like this: R = Rev/π.

This petticoat will have larger waves of drapery; for long dresses and skirts, you can create gentle romantic looks with it.

Lush

To add volume to the petticoat, you can use tulle fabric over a skirt made of any other material that is more pleasant to the body. The tulle will be sewn directly onto this material.

Step by step instructions:

1. The frills extend 10-15 cm from the waistband of the skirt.
2. To calculate the length of the frill, you need to calculate the circumference of the part of the skirt where the frill is sewn. The average number of frills for a skirt is 3, which means that the length of the skirt can be divided into 3 parts and 3 circumferences can be measured.
3. The length of each frill should ultimately be 3 times longer than the corresponding circumference.
4. For hard and semi-hard tulle, a single-layer frill is enough; for soft tulle, you can use two layers (material folded in half along the entire length).
5. The frills should be of such a width that each subsequent one completely covers the previous one. That is, the frill of the lower edge will be the shortest in width, and the one at the waist will cover the remaining frills on top.
6. In this case, the tulle is sewn onto a flat, unstitched skirt. It is most convenient to take the widest seam on the machine.

Once all the frills have been sewn onto the petticoat, it can be sewn together. The edges are carefully processed, and decorative elements are added if necessary.

Style of the dudes

A tulle petticoat can be sewn in any style, for example, romantic, evening, wedding. Another popular option for dresses with a fluffy skirt is the dude style. This style among girls was distinguished by very fluffy skirts of a length just above the knee.

The most voluminous part of such skirts is at the bottom edge; the frills are often visible from under the skirt not because of their length, but because of their volume.

First, sew the base of the petticoat from a suitable fabric. It is better if it fits the body along the entire height of the hip, and then expands due to the frills.

The width of the frill material in this case is ¼ of the entire length of the skirt. The length of the flaps is the waist size multiplied by 4.

A satin ribbon is sewn to the bottom strip, the stitching goes along the short side. The frills are formed after the thread of this stitching is pulled out. Each such detail is sewn together, then sewn to the base of the petticoat.

How to process the edge?

A tulle petticoat that has already been sewn and even ironed needs to be brought to a perfect look. This applies to the processing of all edges of the material. The neater the seams and edges, the longer this item will serve in the wardrobe.

The edges of tulle are processed in several ways:

• the edges of the material are folded in 2-3 layers and stitched with a regular machine stitch, then ironed;
• using decorative tape (if necessary, its edges also need to be hemmed and ironed), sewn along the edges of the frills;
• using lace, sewn in the same way along the edges of the tulle (most often this option is used for the very top and most noticeable frill);
• We manually lay a special wire along the edge of the tulle (this option will make the petticoat even more voluminous).

High-quality finishing of the petticoat edge is especially important for dress styles where it is assumed that the underskirt will be visible - for example, for dresses in the style of dudes.

Sewing tips

It is always difficult for beginners to get down to work right away. You want to read all the most detailed master classes and see how skilled seamstresses cope with such tasks.

Here are some tips for beginners:

• The well-known saying about measurements and cuts is an inexperienced seamstress’s best friend.
• It is always better to have a small stock of material and the ability to correct something to the smaller side than to try to sew on additional details.
• Bulky, multi-layered clothing items are never sewn from stretch fabrics.
• Understanding how to construct patterns and adapt them to the required measurements comes only with experience.

A petticoat sewn with your own hands, even from the easiest pattern, can be a great help for children's outfits or theatrical costumes. From tulle, you can create both a single-layer and the most lush petticoat - this universal material will please both a lover of elegant dresses and fans of stylized bright images.

Video about tulle petticoats

How to sew a fluffy petticoat from tulle: