I have been working for weeks on this costume using the Figleaf Pattern 101 that I sell on my website. I have been trying to make at least one pattern of each line to better understand the pattern line and how they work.
I have finally got to a point where I can sit back and think about this costume. The underskirt was a challenge in that I realized after years of doing costumes, that I needed to not have huge amounts of bulk under the over dress. I wanted the lines to be smooth. So I decided to try the side opening version of the underskirt and used pleating on the from and back tie tapes.
Attaching the skirt to the tapes, I did a temporary measure of zig-zag stitches to hold the pleats flat, and make it easier to do fittings that just pins. With the amount of fabric and weight, I did not trust the hand basting to work. I find that the zig zag has helped in many skirts to flatten and keep in control the waistline while covering the stiches and then sewing with a short length stich on the machine. I also think this is a great way to seam rip if I need to re-adjust the pleating.
