craftgrrl | Making Bed Sheets Into a Bustle Skirt. (Reply)

The Finished Product, a late 1800's style bustle skirt. No pattern used, I went off of my own.

First I started off with the fabric, in this case an old stripped bed sheet and some unopened black bed sheets bought at target a while back. Also some bought supplies of hem tape, a zipper and thread.

Then I dyed the older bed sheet using rit dye, to make it look newer a remove the whiteish tone it had aquired over the years.

After three hours of letting the fabric sit and getting up every fifteen minutes to stir it, I had to figure out a way to drain the pot. In the past I had drained it in my kitchen sink but I had help lifting the pot. Being home alone I dragged it out into the backyard and dyed my lawn blue. This was easier because I could just knock the pot over and run in place of having to hold it and tip. The pot in use is an old beer brewing pot.

While the blue fabric was in the washer and dryer I cut the strips needed for the back ruffles and attached their bottom lace.

Then came the really fun part of hand gathering each of the three ruffles.

The blue fabric had come out of the dryer at that point and was looking much better than it had started out as. Its hard to tell in the pictures because of the flash but its a lot darker than it was to start with and all of the white fuzz looking stuff that was on it is gone.

At this point Sheila stepped in to lend a hand while I pinned on the ruffles to the back piece.

I pinned on the bottom ruffle while the back piece was on the ground to make sure it was going to cover the bottom well enough. Then I stitched all of the ruffles down, added the front side and the side zipper. Then I moved on to the bottom ruffle and after an hour of hand gathering and stitching the bottom ruffle was on.

Also, Sheila is wearing an old prom dress in these pictures, so the top half has nothing to do with the skirt I was making. I kept the dress on her to give the skirt the sort of body it will have when I wear my petticoat with it.

As per my style the whole thing was four inches too long. Being very tall I always think I need things longer than I do. So after a little trimming and adding a hem to the bottom the front was to the point where I could walk, but I left the back a little long because I like my skirts to drag a bit in the back.

Here's the skirt shorter in the front, the back looked about the same when it was on Sheila, but I can tell the difference when I wear it.
This is the second bustle skirt I have made out of bed sheets. The first one was done a year ago.

The top ruffle on this one drops off to one side, I've never gotten around to fixing but I should. I made this skirt before I had a dress dummy so it was all done by pinning it on the floor. I think the second one came out a lot better.