hoop test

i wanted to have a go at making something that wasn't a pettiskirt to see if i was on the right track or if there was something else i could look at

so i had a look at making a hoop skirt for lolita skirts

you really dont see hoop skirt as petti probly for a few reasons

how i made this one, the aevenge length for pettis are about 45cm

i had a piece of 240cm wide callico which i think is the widest you can get?
cut it to width, sewed the side, then remembered i hadnt added the measurements for the elastic waist, so i cut another piece and just overlocked it on.

then marked boning channels at 15cm

the stronger your hoops the less bones you need
the last hoop skirt i made was an 1865 civil war one made with just stripes of fabric and tubing from bunning but that was for a costume so the materials didn't matter,

the BEST stuff for hoops is crinoline steel, which you can't get in NZ which is very long very strong VERY flexable string steel

i used garden wire for this because i wanted something close enough size and weight to crin steel, crin is abit heavyer, and much bouncer.

then i used white ribbon for the two boning channels
and folded up for the hem channel.

i picked making a fabric hoop skirt because i've never made one before and wanted to see if it was any differnent from a cage type,

in short yes it, i had problem with the ends of the wire disapearing from my openning and having to rethread it through,

the fabric would not gather evenly around the hoop and would make the whole skirt angle out at the bottom or side

waistband was almost to much fabric for the elastic to pull in,

it was harder to get the cupcake shape due to the gathering and the fabric

i've NEVER had these problems with a cage type hoop skirt,

because there is no fabric just ties you can just jump up and down to set the bones in place and don't have to worry about the fabric making the bones warp.

it's easyer to get the shape you want because you dont have any restrictions, like fabric, gathering and stuff,

you can all so make a fitted or tie waist band, this is one of the few time i have found where a tie waist band is better than an elastic one

idustry wize it is far easyer and cheaper to make a cage hoop skirt than a fabric one, it took me awhile to sew both boning channels because i had to sew both sides of the ribbon down.

after spending a few hours amost pulling my hair out i semi-finished it and tryed it on, it to tell the true feel awarkward to wear, because of the shape the bones where very close to my hips and it didn't feel very nice.

one interesting thing was i felt very naked and cold underneath even though i was wearing bloomers because i didnt have that kineic fed back from feeling the petticoats agaist my legs, also very cold becaue i didn't have the layers of petticoats there wasn't anthing stoping the wind and the cold from going up my skirt and the wind just LOVED messing with it.

it was also hard siting down and going through door while it wasn't any wider than my normal pettis i couldn't weave between tables, chairs, sewing machines and people like i could with my pettis.

all in all while this was a good learning experense, hoop skirts are not really suitable for winter unless they go to the ground. they would not work well in winter wind or weather, do not work well for active, kineic busy people or kids, as hoops force you to conform to them were as petticoat will put up with a massive amount of running, jumping, rolling around as well as active lifestyles, which i can say from experence XD

so i think im on the right track with my plastic dotty pettiskirts which i feel are very suitable for winter styles and active people.