Poodle Skirt

A sewing client asked me to make a poodle skirt for her granddaughter for a Christmas present. After some brief research on the internet, I decided I could make it without a pattern. There could be nothing simpler. It is a full circle skirt and because she was unsure of her granddaughter's exact waist measurement, I put elastic in the waist so it could be easily adjusted if it ended up too big.

All you need for a skirt like this is two yards of 72" wide felt, a poodle applique, some ribbon and elastic for the waist.

First take your fabric and fold it into fourths. (In the picture above I have drawn the waist arc and am now measuring the hem arc.) Starting at the center point, draw an arc where you want to cut out the waist. For an approximately 30" waist, I cut out a 4" arc. From this line, measure how long you want the skirt and add an inch and a half to turn over for the waistband. I only added an inch and used 3/4" wide elastic. This leaves a very tight opening to get the elastic through, so if I were doing it again, I'd add the half inch and give myself some breathing room. The felt won't fray, so you don't need to worry about a hem allowance. This skirt was to be 27", so I measured my second arc at 28". In the next picture you can see both arcs drawn. It is now ready to cut out.

I then cut along both arcs and then unfolded the skirt:

I then folded over my waistband to the inside and stitched it shut using my blind hemming foot. I have found I use this foot a lot for edgestitching as I can but the fabric up against it and be a lot more consistent. I left an opening to insert the elastic. When I removed it from the machine, I inserted the elastic, stitched the ends together and closed the opening.

At this point you have a skirt and all that is left is the embellishment. I put the skirt on my dress form, figured out where I wanted the poodle and then took a spool of 1/8" wide ribbon and played with it until I had a leash I liked. I pinned it and then took the skirt off the dress form and sewed the ribbon down by hand, smoothing out the curves as I went along.


If I were to do this again, I think I would add a separate waistband piece. It would just give a more finished look. I think it turned out well though and my client was very pleased.

Pattern Review for Ottobre Women 2-2007-08

From www.PatternReview.com
Pattern Description: The stylish trumpet skirt is made up of ten equal-shaped gores that flare widely toward the bottom hem.
Pattern Sizing: 34-52. I made a 40.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes.
Were the instructions easy to follow? Ottobre's directions are always short and sweet - great to remind you of steps if you know what you are doing. I pulled out Sandra Betzina's Power Sewing
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love how light and airy it feels when you wear it and though I had thought myself too old for this, I find myself wanting to twirl as I walk down the hallway.
Fabric Used: This is my muslin. It was a $1 yard at Hancock's a couple of years ago.
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: This pattern has you make a separate lining skirt with a straight skirt pattern from the same issue. Instead of doing this, I cut the lining from the same gored pattern pieces (except 1" shorter) and attached it to the skirt before I added the petersham ribbon for the waist.
When I tried the skirt on before putting the zipper in, I felt it was too big so sewed the side seam allowances with an extra 1/4". I then inserted the zipper and tried it on again. It gapped at the back and slightly in the front, so I basically added darts to the seam lines for the panels. The only ones I left alone were the two front seams. On the front side I made a 1/4" dart that tapered to the seam allowance about 4" down. On all 4 seams on the back, I made 1/2" darts that taper out about 5" down.
This is what I love about this skirt - with all the seams it is very adjustable to whatever your figure might be.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes. As I stated before this was just my muslin and I have another floral cotton print that I bought to make this skirt.
Conclusion: A very summery skirt that is fun to wear!