Increasingly, children's holiday dresses include an element such as a fluffy American skirt. This model was developed by Christian Dior in the middle of the last century and since then it has been used by many other designers in different variations and modifications.
Fluffy skirts made of transparent lightweight fabric can be of completely different lengths. Their tailoring and sewing method has several options, each of which is described in this article.
Both adult girls and girls of school age can wear this wardrobe item. However, the clothes that will be worn with an American should be chosen very carefully. One wrong step - and the image from fashionable and modern will turn into inappropriate and clumsy. Most often, such skirts are worn for participation in photo shoots or at festive events.
An American skirt for a girl under three years old can be sewn independently. Owners of cutting and sewing skills can take a chance and sew a more complex model. Recommendations regarding the cutting and tailoring process are given below.
Types of magnificent skirts
There are several possible options for implementing an immortal skirt:
- Classic american.
- A simplified model of strands of tulle.
- Ruffled skirt.
- A fluffy skirt of several layers of the same length.
Experienced craftswomen recommend using nylon chiffon with a density of 15 D. for sewing. However, with a limited selection of material, you can do with tulle, mesh or light chiffon. In any case, the fabric should be airy, otherwise the essence of the product will be lost.
Some of the skirts are made of only a few layers of transparent fabric, others include a dense lining. Sometimes to achieve a larger volume, additional petticoats are used.
Modeling and calculating an American skirt
Description will be based on the manufacture of products for girls. Models for girls can be created on the same principle.
A children's tulle skirt has four levels. The first, upper, is made of dense fabric. The rest is cut out of tulle. They have the same width, and each of them is twice as long as the previous one. The lower edge is equipped with thick short ruffles. The listed components are required for any American.
The total length of the product is calculated based on the age of the girl and the purpose of such a popular piece of clothing as an American skirt. A master class (with your own hands how to sew a skirt) is presented in this article, the product is sewn quite quickly. The instructions greatly help to make an impression of the amount of work and the principles of tailoring the product.
How to calculate fabric for a skirt
Coquette: its length (denoted by the letter G) can be calculated by measuring the waist of a girl. You should make the yoke slightly wider than the waist (1.5 times), as it will be matched to the elastic. The height of the part is 10-12 cm. This element is double, so the fabric consumption is doubled (20-24 cm).
Tiers of transparent fabric: their height is calculated based on the length of the product without a yoke. For example: the total length of the skirt is A, the height of the yoke is B, the number of tiers is 3. The height of each tier:
(A-B): 3 = B.
An American children's skirt (we describe the master class with our own hands) requires about 5-7 m of material. If the expanding layers are sewn on both sides of the product (inside and outside), then these numbers should be doubled.
It is convenient to calculate the footage of the fabric for purchase by finding the area of each tier according to the mathematical formula.
1st tier: Vh2G = D
2nd tier: 2 =
3rd tier: 2 =
The width of the ruffles with which the lower edge of the 3rd tier is equipped is 3 cm. Their total area will be equal to:
3x2J = I
Knowing the width of the mesh or tulle (about 2.5 m), you can find out how much material you need to buy (in linear meters):
(D + E + F + I): 2.5
When buying fabric, you should hedge and purchase half a meter more.
Cutting and assembly of parts
In order not to make a mistake when cutting, you need to make a piece of cardboard. Its width will be equal to B, and the length of about 25-30 cm. This approach allows you to cut all the strips of the same width.
The stitching sequence of cut details is obvious:
- Assemble a yoke. For simplicity, it is folded in half and stitched, leaving room for an elastic band.
- To one of the free sides of the coquette, the first tier preassembled in advance begins (its length is D, in assembled form - G).
- Having performed similar actions with a strip of fabric for the 2nd tier (having gathered up to sizes D), it is sewn to the free edge of the 1st tier.
- Similarly perform actions with the 3rd tier.
The final step is the manufacture and fixation of the ruffle, this process is clearly illustrated by the photograph.
The ruffles along the edge of the 3rd tier allow you to give the product splendor and lightness, which is why the American skirt is so popular. A do-it-yourself master class describes the manufacture of only the front side, the wrong side can be made in the same way or equipped with a simple petticoat.
Skirt decoration
As a decoration, many craftswomen use satin ribbons. They form bows for the belt, one or several rows of narrow frills. Skirts in which satin ribbons are sewn on seams between tiers also look good.
A decorative effect can be achieved by applying a material of several colors or by using beads and sequins.
Volumetric skirt from several rows of ruffles
This type of skirts made of mesh or tulle consists in using a slightly different method of joining cut details.
A feature of the method is the sewing of all tiers to the lining, and not to each other. Thus, several rows of ruffle are formed. On one side they are fixed on the lining, the other remains free. The main condition for tailoring such a skirt is the principle of expansion of each next tier. The lining also cuts out not straight, but with the extension (half-sun or sun).
Sew the strips of tulle so that the free edge of each next tier slightly covers the sewing line of the lower.
Simplified skirt model for babies
For the manufacture of magnificent packs, babies can simplify their task and make just such a skirt.
The process of its creation differs from the previous one in simplicity and ease. You will need a dense elastic band and about two meters of material (provided that its width is more than 2 m). Such an American skirt (master class) is sewn with her own hands in sequential photos and looks no less magnificent than the classic model. True, it is suitable only for the smallest children.
To make the product, you need to cut the material into strips of 5-10 cm and a length of 20-30 cm. Next, each strip is tightly tied to an elastic band cut to the circumference of the baby’s waist and sewn into a ring. The two free ends of each strip puff and form an air pack.
The length of the strips depends on the planned length of the skirt and allowances for the formation of the node. In the photographs, a children's tulle skirt is formed of two colors: white and pink. For each node of the product, two strips of different colors were taken simultaneously.
At the end of the work, you can decorate the skirt with a bow, sequins or beads.
Elegant model for girls
The next kind of skirt is suitable for both adult girls and little girls. The peculiarity of this model is that all its tiers have the same length. Using this method of sewing, the fabric for the skirt should be carefully selected. Fatin is only suitable for babies. The skirt for the girl should be sewn from nylon or regular chiffon.
Layering several layers of transparent material allows you to create an elegant and light image. It is much more romantic than that attached to a classic American skirt.
The described American skirt (pattern below) is easier to calculate.
As can be seen in the figures, this skirt is tailored according to the principle of “sun skirt”. Adding two lengths of the skirt and multiplying this figure by the number of tiers, you can get the amount of required material in running meters.
Focusing on the instructions given, as well as connecting their own imagination and common sense, almost every craftswoman will be able to cope with independent sewing of an American skirt.