Ceil Chapman Cocktail Dress, Part 5

The past couple of days I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed by this process and needed a project that I could complete quickly.  There is nothing like being able to check something off a list to instill a sense of accomplishment!

Because I did not want the added stress of having to fashion myself a black petticoat for my Ceil Chapman cocktail dress, I recently purchased a Malco Modes tea length petticoat on ebay.  I know, I am being incredibly lazy, but time constraints sometimes get in the way, and I would rather spend my time and energy working on the dress.  Wanting the fluffiest one I could find, I ordered an extra-large because each size gets incrementally longer as they move from small to large.  This was probably wishful thinking, because I imagine the easiest way to produce them is to alter the yoke of the petticoat, and not the netting, but just in case, I got the longest one I could find.  I was not worried about waist size (which was even bigger than expected) because I planned on altering the waistband for myself.  I cannot stand an elastic waist because it never feels secure to me and constantly rotates on the body.

I made a simple waistband from some black cotton that I had.  The top elastic was cut off, and the cotton band sewn on to encase the raw edge I had created.  The back is fastened with a simple hook and eye closure.  Instead of using a zipper, I just cut an opening in the center back yoke and rolled a mini hem so I can get in and out of the petticoat now that the waist is no longer stretchy.

And now that one portion of my outfit is complete, I am feeling a lot more relaxed and ready to tackle those silly sleeves that have been giving me so much trouble!