A Three Hour Chore

Here's the little petticoat skirt I made to go beneath the dress I just finished. From start to finish, it took three hours and was simple as far as sewing goes. ALL of the instructions are below! (It's taken me a while to post it because I dropped my camera a couple of weeks ago. These pictures actually came from my phone because that's all I've got at the moment; though I must say...it's much better quality than I expected. If you've got any suggestions for a new snapshot digital camera, let me know.)

Try as I might, I couldn't find red eyelet lace, so I improvised and added another shorter ruffle of red fabric.

I thought about it afterward, and realized that making it this way rather than just attaching the ruffle to the dress adds not only dimension but a whole 'nether wardrobe option using just the skirt by itself. Plus, there's no worry about the red bleeding onto the gray because they can be washed separately.

Here are the instructions for this skirt size 3T to 5ish:

Supplies:
20" of 3/4 inch elastic
1 1/4 yds of 45" width fabric (This leaves only about 2 inches extra, so you might want to buy a little more if you're worried.)

Instructions:

(Unless otherwise specified, 1/2" seam allowances are used throughout.)

1. With fabric still folded lengthwise (like what you get straight from the store), cut a 6" wide strip perpendicular to the fold line. (See illustration below.)

2. Next, cut five 5" strips in the same manner. (See above.)
3. Then, cut three 4" strips in the same manner. (See above.)
4. With right sides together, sew the ends of the 6" strip together to form a ring.
5. To form the casing for the elastic, press down 1/4" toward the inside of the skirt along the top edge. Then, fold down an additional 1". Sew along bottom folded edge leaving a 2" space unstitched so that you can insert the elastic.
6. Attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic and thread through the casing making sure that the elastic is not twisting.
7. Sew the ends of the elastic together.

The top tier is now finished!

8. With right sides together, sew the ends of two 5" strips together to form a ring.
9. Using a LONG stitch length, sew around the ring 3/8" from the top edge.
10. Still using a long stitch length, sew around the ring again 1/4" from the top edge.
11. Use these two rows of stitching to gather the top edge by pulling on the top threads. I like to first pin the piece to be gathered evenly around the piece it is to be sewn to, and then gather in sections because it keeps the thread from breaking. (See illustration below.)

12. Adjust the gathers evenly. With right sides together, sew gathered edge to the bottom edge of the top tier.

The middle tier is now finished!

13. With right sides together, sew the ends of three 5" strips together to form a ring.
14. With right sides together, sew the ends of the three 4" strips together to form a ring.
15. Place the 4" ring inside the 5" ring keeping the wrong side up on both pieces.
16. Using a LONG stitch length, sew through both rings 3/8" from the top edge.
17. Still using a long stitch length, sew around the rings again 1/4" from the top edge.
18. Use these two rows of stitching to gather the top edge by pulling on the top threads. (See illustration above.)
19. Adjust the gathers evenly to fit the middle tier. With right sides together, sew gathered edge to the bottom edge of the middle tier.
20. Finish both lower edges of skirt by pressing 1/4" to the inside and then folding the edge over 1/4" again and sewing along the top pressed edge.

Your amazingly twirly skirt is now finished!