Thread: Non-stretch Straight/Mermaid Slit Skirt?

Is it possible to make a straight/mermaid skirt with a slit out of non-stretch fabric? I have a project in mind that requires the smooth line of these skirts, but also involves some heavy-ish embellishment that I think would be impossible on stretchy fabric.

Has anyone made one of these skirts in non-stretch fabric?

If so, do you have a link to a pattern or a description of your method?

Thanks!

I made a skirt similar to these out of non-stretch fabric for a costume for a masked ball once. It looked great, but was AWFUL to dance in, it wanted to bunch, ride up, shift. . .

what type of embellishment do you want that cant be on a stretch skirt? The designer costumes are often heavily beaded and still on stretch fabric.

Originally Posted by basina

what type of embellishment do you want that cant be on a stretch skirt? The designer costumes are often heavily beaded and still on stretch fabric.

I was flipping through the collection at The Costume Institute and got really inspired by this evening dress made by Madeleine Vionnet.

It has numerous rows of fringe, that I would likely do in chainette. Maybe that wouldn't end up being very heavy?

I was also thinking that it would be fun to add beadwork along the border where each "U" section of fringe is connected, which would add weight.

And then, getting totally carried away and possibly gaudying up the simple design too much, I thought that I could add a few 3-strand beaded tassels to some of the places where the "U" shapes meet. Possibly, this would happen up at the top, to begin making something resembling a belt portion.

What sort of stretch fabric would you recommend? I assume it would be good to use 4-way stretch, since it is for dancing. Slinky stretch fabric is already so heavy, that I think this would making it sag a lot. Cotton Knit would be really plain looking. Stretch velvet would cling to the fringe and take away from its movement. Hmmmm.....

What about a jumbo lycra? Welcome to Spandex House Inc.)

Originally Posted by imposterpockets

I was flipping through the collection at The Costume Institute and got really inspired by this evening dress made by Madeleine Vionnet.

That's beautiful.

I have made a slit straight skirt out of non-stretch fabric, it's the one in my profile pic. It's a faux sari fabric, not something that you could hang fringe or beads on, it's not sturdy enough. I used the Atira's "Khariya’s Skirts" pattern.

Atira's Fashions (35)

But are there some non-stretch velvets/velveteens or as Andalee mentioned, heavy duty lycra, like the types of fabrics Egyptian costumes are made of.

That skirt may be somewhat flared, rather than straight (look at the folds in the hem) and underlined/interlined to help the dress keep its shape.

If the skirt is fit properly, I don't know why it should ride up any more than any other skirt. Just make sure it doesn't fit too tightly through the hips and thighs--you want it to comfortably follow your shape not actively shape you.

For stretch fabric, I like stretch satin. It sews like regular fabric, and it has a nice weight/drape and a dressy finish.

Originally Posted by mathkitty

I have made a slit straight skirt out of non-stretch fabric, it's the one in my profile pic. It's a faux sari fabric, not something that you could hang fringe or beads on, it's not sturdy enough. I used the Atira's "Khariya’s Skirts" pattern.

That sari fabric you used is lovely! It's good to see an example of a skirt made from that pattern. I have been eyeing it, but a drawing of what it should look like is not as good as a photo.

Originally Posted by maurazebra

That skirt may be somewhat flared, rather than straight (look at the folds in the hem) and underlined/interlined to help the dress keep its shape.

Definitely flared. Maybe I can flare a straight skirt pattern slightly to get a similar effect. I don't want to go trumpeted, something more gradual. Do you think that the chainette is sewn to both the top fabric and the lining?

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

If the skirt is fit properly, I don't know why it should ride up any more than any other skirt. Just make sure it doesn't fit too tightly through the hips and thighs--you want it to comfortably follow your shape not actively shape you.

Another excellent tip to add to my plan.

I was thinking more about this project, and if I'm going to be sewing chainette fringe across the skirt in scale-like rows, that is already going to diminish the stretch even if I used stretch fabric.

My tentative plan now is to try and make it out of something non-stretchy, but have a slightly relaxed fit and a fairly high slit for movement. More fabric decisions. The notes on the inspiration dress say it is made of rayon. I guess I'll be ordering fabric samples and seeing what feels right.

Many thanks to everyone who has put out suggestions! I feel like choosing fabric is always where I freeze up on a project. There should be more guides about this topic.

Per the fringe swags, you might want to experiment with only attaching at endpoints (tops of the U's) or tacking a few points per swag instead of sewing everything down. If you end up using a stretch fabric, this would give you a little more flexibility. Also, did you look at any instructions for making flapper dresses? You might be able to find some hints for sewing fringe onto dresses there.

The inspiration for the dress is beautiful! I like Tourbeau's idea of sewing down the edges to make "u" shapes. That would probably keep the fabric from puckering and might give the fringe more swing.

I actually made a non-stretch skirt prototype this week. Even though I lengthen the pattern and made some other adjustments, it's still too short so I need to do some more adjustments before I make it out of fabric that I really like.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Per the fringe swags, you might want to experiment with only attaching at endpoints (tops of the U's) or tacking a few points per swag instead of sewing everything down. If you end up using a stretch fabric, this would give you a little more flexibility. Also, did you look at any instructions for making flapper dresses? You might be able to find some hints for sewing fringe onto dresses there.

I will definitely tack down the ends of the U segments first and see how it moves before committing fully to sewing along the entire length. Could be a neat effect. So far, the flapper dress instructions I have found are for people making Halloween costumes using glue guns. Must dig deeper.

Originally Posted by Karnak

The inspiration for the dress is beautiful! I like Tourbeau's idea of sewing down the edges to make "u" shapes. That would probably keep the fabric from puckering and might give the fringe more swing.

I actually made a non-stretch skirt prototype this week. Even though I lengthen the pattern and made some other adjustments, it's still too short so I need to do some more adjustments before I make it out of fabric that I really like.

Have you tested out dancing in your non-stretch prototype? How did it go? I'm thinking, mine is going to have to have the slit pretty high up if I'm going to be doing anything requiring big steps. We'll see.

Originally Posted by imposterpockets

Definitely flared. Maybe I can flare a straight skirt pattern slightly to get a similar effect. I don't want to go trumpeted, something more gradual.

For more inspiration, have you looked at some of the Eman skirts on Dahlal? I made another straight skirt (with help of a much craftier friend than myself, and we used a stretch velvet) based on an Eman style skirt. I didn't have much fabric to work with and it the fabric had a big pattern on it so a trumpet skirt didn't make sense. So we essentially made a slit straight skirt, but added a panel in the back that starts under my behind to add some fullness to the back of the skirt.

They don't have the specific costume I used for inspiration anymore, but I think there are other skirts you could look at for inspiration for a pattern (though I think they're all made from stretch materials). They look pretty straight from the front with high slits, but flair in the back to give them some extra movement and fullness.

Originally Posted by imposterpockets

Have you tested out dancing in your non-stretch prototype? How did it go? I'm thinking, mine is going to have to have the slit pretty high up if I'm going to be doing anything requiring big steps. We'll see.

I basted the seam above the slit and just let it unwind while I did some moves. It is pretty high up. I think it's halfway between my knee and hip, so I'll probably cover it with some chiffon for modesty when I make the real one. If I would have left the pattern as it was designed, I could have had a much lower slit, but I didn't like how shapeless it was before altering.