Thread: Skirt ~ washing

I just got in the mail yesterday a purple petal skirt i bought off the swap meet forum yoo hoo. i had a quick look at it & i think it might need a wash. all the tag says is made in india so i'm assuming it's a chiffon skirt. am i okay to hand wash it & hang it to dry? do i need to worry about it shrinking in length? right now the longest petal hits the top of my foot soooo i don't want it to get any shorter.

also on a seperate issue. i only have the one skirt plus harem pants on the way. i like showing some legs just don't want to flash anyone. under the petal skirt i could wear boy shorts that match, or get matching leggings, but i also had an idea. the harem pants look like satin. thinking i might open the pants of the side seams so that some leg shows & add decorated elastic so that they don't open to much. that way i can still flash some leg, but also still be covered.

any other ideas?

Originally Posted by GypsyStacey

I just got in the mail yesterday a purple petal skirt i bought off the swap meet forum yoo hoo. i had a quick look at it & i think it might need a wash. all the tag says is made in india so i'm assuming it's a chiffon skirt. am i okay to hand wash it & hang it to dry? do i need to worry about it shrinking in length? right now the longest petal hits the top of my foot soooo i don't want it to get any shorter.

You really need to know the fiber content before getting it wet. Sometimes, a fabric that looks like chiffon will be a rayon blend that will pucker or distort after washing. (I ruined a Lurex veil that way once--cold water, hand wash was too much for it, and now it looks like glitzy seersucker.) Sometimes you can tell the difference by rubbing it against itself--poly chiffon is usually slick. Did you ask the original owner if she ever washed the skirt?

You also have to watch for colorfastness. Even if the fabric looks washable, you may end up with something cleaner but lighter (or even vaguely tie dyed) after you're done, if the color runs badly. If you can find a tag that says it is 100% polyester, you're probably safe with gentle detergent and hand washing, possibly even the gentle cycle on your washer. During your rinse, I'd add a bit of liquid fabric softener, though. That will help cut down on static.

also on a seperate issue. i only have the one skirt plus harem pants on the way. i like showing some legs just don't want to flash anyone. under the petal skirt i could wear boy shorts that match, or get matching leggings, but i also had an idea. the harem pants look like satin. thinking i might open the pants of the side seams so that some leg shows & add decorated elastic so that they don't open to much. that way i can still flash some leg, but also still be covered.

That depends on your taste. Personally, I don't love sheer skirts with visible trunks underneath (I'd rather see more opaque coverage, in general), but some people like the retro look of the sheer chiffon and a lot of leg. It's also retro to wear chiffon harem pants under chiffon skirts, but you need the same quality coverage at the top as you'd need without the pants.

I tend to prefer harem pants over leggings, but leggings, particularly decorated ones, are sometimes used by professional costume designers. The important thing is to make sure they look like leggings and not just footless panty hose. You don't want the audience to think you don't know the difference. I've never worn slit-side harem pants, so I can't offer any advice beyond making sure to practice in them first, though. You don't want to find out they annoy you and your knees get tangled in them during the performance.

well glad i asked about washing the skirt first...lol.

yeah i'd make sure they looked like leggings they'd be purple. so no worries about ppl thinking they are panty hose. great tips.

Not all harem pants have a seam along the outside of the leg, sometimes they have a single inseam. If your pair has a seam on the outside of the leg, open the seam a little bit at a time then try them on, repeat until it's as open as you like. A slit from ankle to just above the knee shows just a peek of leg.

If your pants don't have an outside seam, you'll need to prevent the raw edges from fraying. You might be able to roll a tiny hem, but bound slit will last longer. To bind the slit, working on the RIGHT (outside) side of the fabric, mark where the seam will be. Pin a strip of wide bias tape along the mark. Stitch a long buttonhole shape in the middle of the tape strip. Slit open the buttonhole by slicing through the tape and fabric. Push the tape to the inside of the pant leg, and stitch it down in place.

Another coverage option is to make an opaque underskirt, using the lowest tiers or longest petals as the pattern.

ahhh see i assumed that harem pants would have an outside seam, but your instructions for the bound slit makes total sense to me...lol.

on the skirt i did find a label that it's 100% poly hand wash only. so I'm going to try washing it. my son wants me to add sequins or something to it too sigh...lol