[jmdruadh]

If you don't sew at all, your best bet is to take it to a seamstress. I wouldn't expect it to be too expensive. Show her a picture of a costume with a modesty panel, if you can. She should be able to figure it out. I

f you do want to DIY, buy a scrap of chiffon and practice with that first. I sew a lot, and I *hate* working with chiffon. Here are a couple of ways to make a modesty panel:

1) The easiest:
- cut the veil so that the long edge is as long as the slit plus one inch. (you should have a rectangle that is hemmed or has a woven finish on three sides, and one cut side)
- loosely sew a running stitch ("regular sewing") half an inch from the cut edge. Don't knot off the end of your thread yet
- pull the sewing thread (gently but firmly) so that the fabric gathers up.
- sew the gathered portion to the skirt, behind the top of the slit. Try to stitch down the gathers as flat as you can, since all that fabric can get a little bulky.
You should now have a chiffon panel that ripples down inside the slit. If you want more coverage:
- sew the edges of the veil to the edges of the slit. You can sew it all the way down, or just part of the way (say, to mid-thigh or knee). You can sew it on one side and not on the other. If you're not sure which to try, pin it in place first. (I recommend small safety pins for this.)


2) A nicer way, but takes more effort:
(this option reduces the bulk at the slit opening, and looks very nice)
- lay out the veil and cut a 1/4 circle whose radius is equal to the length of the slit + 1 inch.
(if you do floorwork or really high kicks a la Virginia, I'd cut out 1/2 circle
- if you have time, hang the panel up for a few days. The fabric will probably have sagged a little. If it's noticeable, cut the hem again so that it's a proper 1/4 (or 1/2) circle.
(Circular sections are cut on the bias, so the threads hang diagonally, instead of up/down and side/side. This causes the fabric to sag over time. Hanging it up and then cutting it again lets you get the sag out before you sew it in.)
- hem the curved edge of the "pie"
(you can also hem the straight edges, if you're going to want an opening in the panel)
- pin and then sew the straight edges of the pie inside the skirt slits. If you have hemmed the straight edges, you can leave it open from the hem to the knee or mid-thigh.
TIP: when you pin the pie in, start from the hem and work your way up. That will make sure that the hem of the panel falls at the same place as your skirt.

If you want to keep the slit closed, but not actually cover your legs, you could sew in some horizontal bands of decorated ribbon, elastic sequined trim, or extra straps/wristlets/etc. from the costume. Sewing them in should be pretty easy; finding just the right trim can be hard. I've bought nice trims from mjtrims.com. If you don't find what you want (or if you do, but it's not sturdy enough), you can buy some grosgrain ribbon and decorate it yourself.