Sewing a Voluminous Tulle Petticoat – the hidden work behind a prom dress

Megan is sewing her daughter’s prom dress and the hidden “guts” of the gown have taken the majority of her time — not the embroidered tulle on the outside, but the structural layers underneath that make the outside look the way it does. A crinoline is essentially a structured petticoat that holds the skirt away from the body and gives the shape its volume. Bunny didn’t want hoops, so Megan landed on a soft tulle crinoline approach. After research and planning, she combined the lining and crinoline into one to simplify things — her sewing philosophy being “simplify, simplify, simplify.”

Even if you never sew a prom dress, understanding how structure layers work changes how you sew every dress that drapes — the inside is where the magic actually happens.
— Mayra

What you’ll want on hand

• Stiff tulle fabric (5+ yards) — the volume-creating layer of a tulle petticoat
• Petersham ribbon (1 inch waistband) — lays flatter than grosgrain at the waist
• Hand-sewing needles assorted size set — multiple sizes for layered tulle work

Read the full post at Megan Nielsen Patterns →

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