by Colette Georgii

Created on: July 22, 2008

Making a Poodle Skirt

Poodle skirts are fun and quite easy to make. The poodle skirt was a popular dress fad during the Fifties. It was worn with crinolines and bobby socks with saddle shoes.

Often people need poodle skirts for certain events such as maybe a high school class reunion, a high school play, or some other Fifties Music celebration. I needed a poodle skirt when I was a member of a clogging team and we had decided that a poodle skirt with a white short-sleeved shirt and scarf was the best costume for some of our dance numbers. Some of us made our own poodle skirts. We also made the poodle skirts for those members who couldn't sew or didn't have time.

A poodle skirt should be made out of a fabric that holds up well, not a flimsy fabric. Often poodle skirts are made out of felt. We made our poodle skirts out of medium to heavy weight broadcloth. The little poodle is sewn on at the bottom of the skirt and attached to a thread, which is embroidered on - this is the leash to the poodle. Poodle sew-ons can be found in craft or sewing shops. Poodle skirts are made in various colors - purple, pink, yellow, green, etc. I chose purple for my poodle skirt.

You can usually find a poodle skirt pattern in Simplicity or Butterick patterns. But you can easily make your own pattern for a poodle skirt. We made our own pattern, and we all used the same pattern, modifying it for length and waist size.

Here is how to make your pattern for a poodle skirt:

1) First measure your waist. The waistline of the poodle skirt must be the same size as your waist.

2) Your poodle skirt can be any length depending on your preference but it is usually a little below the knee or a little above the knee. Calf length is ideal for a poodle skirt. To get the length of your skirt, look in your closet for a skirt that is the length you would like your poodle skirt to be. Take a tape measure and measure from the waist of that skirt to the hemline - add 5/8 inch to the length for seam allowance at the waist and add 5/8 inch to the length for the hemline or 1 and 1/2 inches in all. So if you measured 19 inches from waist to hemline and add 1 and 1/2 inches you will get 20 and 1/2 inches as the total length of the skirt to be cut.

3) Once you have your measurements you can draw up your pattern. It is good to make the pattern first which will make it much easier to cut out your fabric. Also, once you have a pattern, you can use it over and over again.

4) This skirt is perfectly round. You can make

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