Finishing Touches

When I first conceived of the idea of making a quilted skirt, I planned on making a facing for the hemline.

I did not want the inner layer to show when worn, and a deep hem on a flared skirt is not the neatest finish.

Unfortunately, I did not have enough of my twill fabric to make a facing for the hemline after cutting out the skirt pieces, and I did not want to purchase any more fabric for the project.

I decided that the length of the skirt was long enough so that only Valentino (and other creatures standing 12" tall or less) would be able to see the inside of the skirt around my ankles, so I cut bias pieces out the leftover twill to bind the raw edge.

That bias fabric was applied to the front of the skirt and wrapped around the edge.  With that finished edge, I then folded up the hem and stitched in place by hand.

I cut, quilted, and stitched together a shaped waistband.   A few boning pieces were added to the waistband lining, along with a bias piece of twill folded over and finished to create hanging loops, one on each side of the skirt.

And remember when I said that I would cut one size larger because of the bulk of the skirt?  Well, that was a mistake.  Instead of needing more room, I needed less because of the weight of the skirt itself.

A waist-stay was added to the inside of the waistband to help hold up all that weight and cinch in the waist measurement slightly.  And a regular zipper was applied to the center back seam because there was no way an invisible zip could handle the bulk and live to tell the tale!

Overall, I am very pleased with this skirt.  In fact, I think I need to make myself a quilted petticoat sometime soon because this thing can stand up on its own and would make an excellent crinoline substitute!