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Making a Simple Crinoline

2/27/2017

4 Comments

 
This project was born of necessity: I have a skirt that needs just a little poof to display all its charms, so I need a crinoline.  The word "crinoline" comes from the Italian "crinolino", where "crino" is hair or horsehair and "lino" is linen.  Originally, crinolines were made from horsehair cloth, which was naturally very stiff.  However, the term crinoline can now be applied to any underskirt made of a stiff material that stands out from the legs.  This one is a synthetic net, which I had in my stash.  
Picture
The white fabric, also synthetic, is a bit of an old curtain.  I had torn the curtain up for something, but saved the folded over hem from the bottom and the casing from the top.  Now I have a use for them!  Since the net is stiff and scratchy, I use the foldover hem of white to cover the bottom of the black net.  It is very easy, since they are both rectangles.
Picture
Picture
The next step is to make the waistband from a long strip of curtain casing.  I don't measure anything; I just cut a strip long enough that it'll fit over the widest part of my hips with room to spare.  Then I mark the four quarter points with pins, do the same to the black net, and begin pleating the net to fit on the waistband.  I could gather the net instead of pleating, but I prefer the look of pleats.  Plus gathering can be annoying to do, with the fabric bunching and curling; pleats are easy.
Picture
Picture
I sew the pleats down, then turn the curtain facing over so it encloses the raw edges, and I sew it down to make a new casing for the strip of elastic that I put in there.  The elastic gathers the waistband even smaller, and makes it stay where I put it on my waist, hips, wherever.  

The finished crinoline stands on its own, and when I wear it stands out just a little from my legs.  It's not a huge poof, just a little.  It also doesn't scratch my legs, because all the raw edges are enclosed in slippery white fabric.  It does the job!  
Picture
Every good crinoline can stand on its own!
4 Comments
The Sister
3/3/2017 09:41:47 am

Any chance of a picture with the skirt mentioned? :-D

Reply
Karen Roy link
3/3/2017 10:20:09 am

Oh, definitely! I have a plan to take pictures some day in front of the "Art Fills the Void" banana mural downtown. My skirt is a crazy arty yellow thing, so I think it'll go nicely.

Mural here: https://pdxstreetart.wordpress.com/2015/01/05/art-fills-the-void-the-story-of-portlands-oldest-surviving-gorilla-mural/

Reply
Momsydoodle
3/4/2017 09:50:26 pm

I have you in my favorites. I enjoy the interesting history tidbits you include with each item; makes the site interesting and relevant to the project you're working on. I also appreciate how you use odds and ends that are in your stash, making do instead of making waste. And I especially find it creative how you found a way to highlight local landmarks. Keep up the good work!

Reply
Karen Roy link
3/6/2017 01:07:41 am

Thanks! I'm glad you're reading!

Reply



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    Karen Roy

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