Thread: Skirt fabric

More fabric questions at the bottom!


? any one ever use an organza for a circle skirt?

how did it turn out- success or stick with a chiffon?

thanks!

There are some pharaonics of egypt and hoda zaki costumes that have organza skirts, so I guess that it would be alright for belly dance. I've personally never made a skirt out of organza though or worn one, so I can't help you there.

I used some organza for godets in a trumpet skirt once. The rest of it was made from stretch satin. I thought I'd go mad trying to sew the stuff. Perhaps it was because I was sewing it to the satin, but it gave me serious fits. It was so slippery, I had to hand baste all th seams before sewing it with my serger. Unless you have the patience of Mother Theresa, I'd stay away from it.

okay- thats good enough for me.

Found a place thats having a 1.95/yard sales and i want some white skirts (god I know I'm crazy right) and the organza looked pretty but I cant' say that I'd ever had a purpose for it- or even picked it up so I couldn't remember if it would work.

says its great for bridal/evening so I wasn't 100% thrilled with the idea- but I can get enough chiffon to make 2 and overlap them for more coverage- the white chiffon looked super shear!

thanks ladies!

There are different types of organza and some are stiffer than others. Bhuz has some older threads in the archive about veils where people have discussed beating their organza into submission in a washer first. I wouldn't think you would want really rigid, crinoline-y organza for a circle skirt in itself, because it wouldn't have much softness to its movement, but I could see it as a petticoat for a Roma or other big-skirt fusion costume, or maybe a layer in a multi-layer retro chiffon skirt.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

There are different types of organza and some are stiffer than others. Bhuz has some older threads in the archive about veils where people have discussed beating their organza into submission in a washer first. I wouldn't think you would want really rigid, crinoline-y organza for a circle skirt in itself, because it wouldn't have much softness to its movement, but I could see it as a petticoat for a Roma or other big-skirt fusion costume, or maybe a layer in a multi-layer retro chiffon skirt.

This.

I'm currently in the 'beat in to submission' phase

I have 8+ yards of beautiful deep teal I got at Joanns for ~$1/yd (seriously it would have been a sin NOT to buy it all!)

After the first wash it has relaxed noticeably

very helpful- thank you...

I love shira's site and have referanced it several times- but LOL It failed me with organza- I know you guys wouldn't.

fabrics.com 1.95 sale... whoohoo so was debating- anyone in need of cheap organza LOL

I'll probably stick with chiffon even though I hate it too! LOL

BUMP...

question... straight skirts...

what kind of fabric do you all use?

I really am liking the look and the simiplicity of the straigh skirts these days. I used a peice of none stretch fabric and was pretty pleased- but I wasn't set on chopping it up- I just pinned the ever living hell out of it with a pair of shorts.


What fabrics do you all use besides stretch velvet??

Anything stretch. Lycra is a common choice, heck, if you were inclined to you could make a straight skirt out of mesh (for whatever purpose).

does it have to be stretch?

I realize putting in an elastic band would be high on the list- and there is a lose of formfittedness but I wasn't under the impression they were all stretch (like silk burnout skirts etc)

No, it does not have to be stretch, though stretch is easiest to work with and gets the best flow compared to most other fabrics.
I can tottaly see a straight skirt made from heavey satin or from lace, etc.
Now for something like burlap, don't use it.

Originally Posted by Basha

does it have to be stretch?

I realize putting in an elastic band would be high on the list- and there is a lose of formfittedness but I wasn't under the impression they were all stretch (like silk burnout skirts etc)

I've done a straight skirt from regular satin before (it had a very slight stretch, but I didn't make much use of that). It turned out nice. I put elastic in the top and had a slit all the way down the side... wish I took pictures before I sold it. I just wore this one under a bedlah so it wasn't a big deal that the skirt had elastic in the top. I also made it a hook closure on the side. Sometimes I wore a full circle skirt under it and the effect was really neat.

There aren't a lot of patterns for straight, non-stretch skirts without zippers on the market, but there are some. Probably the biggest issue is that you would have to adjust the slits to give yourself enough room to dance. You will probably also have to lengthen them, since the styles that go to the top of the foot are even fewer and farther between. These are Butterick 3460 (straight with a back slit) and McCall's 2255 (slightly fuller, bias cut, with a side slit).

thanks ladies... very helpful....

I did a skirt lickety split pin job with a hawaiian fabric/wrap that was a gift from my father and it was gorgous- non stretch- full slit and a bobble /danlge thing at the hip...

didn't want to commit to sewing more of anything like that if other people had had miserable luck with something similar.

:) very helpful!!!