How to make a Petticoat
I absolutely love our new Prudie Pettiskort pattern with it's inbuilt petticoat, it is perfect for everyday wear, just the right amount of oomph.
But after describing the design to my kids, the first thing they said when they saw the prototype, was I thought it would be fluffier.
Enter the petticoat add on!
I didn't want to add any more layers to the Prudie Pettiskort, primarily for washing purposes, an extra layer might make it a bit unwieldly and slow to dry. However I don't like to disappoint, so I thought an extra removable petticoat was in order. The added bonus to this plan is that this extra petticoat can be worn under all your other skirts and dresses too!
All of the directions for drafting your pattern pieces to make one of these in absolutely any size or length you like are further down the post, and all the sewing instructions are in this video. Enjoy!
I wanted to show you the difference the extra layer of petticoat makes to the Prudie Pettiskort, but I only had a kids size 14 skort to hand, and my size 14 kid was unavailable for photoshoots.
You will have to forgive that this is most definitely not the right size for me (for reference I typically wear a ladies size 12 in Australia and this is tight on me and not sitting exactly as it should) but here is the difference to the Prudie Pettiskort with and without the extra petticoat. I love it both ways, but the extra layer is fun!
If you are making the petticoat without the Prudie Pettiskort, the pic on the left is about the lift you can expect from this petticoat. If you would like the lift on the right, you could make two!
As always, feel free to comment or message with any questions.
I cant wait to see what you make.
Liz xx
To make one of these for yourself you will need:
- A length of 2.5cm (1") elastic as per the elastic chart below or your measured length
- A small amount of 4 way stretch knit fabric (cotton/lycra, cotton/spandex, cotton/elastane or something similar), enough to cut the waistband and tier one pattern pieces.
- A larger amount of mid weight woven fabric (poplin or quilting weight cotton or similar) for the tier 2 and tier 3 pattern pieces
- Matching thread
All of the pattern pieces for this petticoat are rectangular. I have included a table with measurements for each piece for kids sizes 2 to 14 (kids sizing charts are included below). If you are wanting to make another size, or if you want to make a different length the instructions for how to calculate your pattern piece measurements are just below the pattern piece cutting tables in this post.
Here is a diagram of the pattern pieces required
Metric pattern piece measurements for kids sizes 2 - 14
Imperial pattern piece measurements for kids sizes 2 - 14
Metric kids size chart
Imperial kids size chart
How to calculate your pattern piece measurements for all other sizes and lengths
The directions given here are for a petticoat sized to be added to the Prudie Pettiskort, so the measurements given in the table cover kids sizes 2 to 14 and the finished petticoat will be the same length as the Prudie Pettiskort. However, if you want to make your Petticoat longer or shorter, or to make any other size, here is how you do it.
Elastic
Start with your waist elastic. Measure a length of 2.5cm (1") wide elastic that is comfortable around the waistline of the wearer. Add 2 cm to this length for overlap purposes and you have your waist elastic length.
Waistband
The waistband pattern piece is the same width as the length of your elastic, and the height for the waistband piece is 7cm (2 3/4") for all sizes. Check out the diagram of the pattern pieces towards the top of the post for which dimensions I am talking about when I say width and height. The waistband is to be cut from 4 way stretch knit fabric (cotton/lycra, cotton/spandex, cotton/elastane or something similar).
Tier 1
The tier 1 pattern piece is the same width as the length of your elastic, and the height for the waistband piece is 4cm (1 5/8") for all sizes. Tier 1 is to be cut from 4 way stretch knit fabric (cotton/lycra, cotton/spandex, cotton/elastane or something similar).
Tier 2
To calculate the width of the Tier 2 pattern piece, take the width of the tier 1 pattern piece and multiply by 2.4
e.g. If your tier 1 pattern piece is 50cm wide
Tier 2 width = 50 x 2.4 = 120
Tier 2 width is 120cm
Tier 2 height depends on the final length you would like your petticoat to be. Calculate the Tier 2 height as follows:
Take the final petticoat length (from top of waistband to finished length), and then divide by two, and that is the height of tier 2. I know this sounds strange because it doesn't seem like it is taking the waistband and the top tier into account, but it is. That extra length is taken up in seam and hem allowances.
e.g. If your desired petticoat length is 30cm
Tier 2 height = 30/2 = 15
Tier 2 height = 15cm
Tier 3
Tier 3 is 2 times the width of Tier 2 and the same height.
e.g. If your tier 2 is 120cm wide and 15cm in height
Tier 3 is 240cm wide and 15cm in height