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 an instrument for making your line for cutting on your pattern with a pin and a piece of string. Or you can just use your tape measure and measure from the waistline. Take a large piece of pattern paper, newspaper, or the like for making your pattern. Tissue wrapping paper works well for this or heavier wrapping paper - the kind used to wrap items when shipped. I usually save up these kinds of papers for making patterns.
5) So now you have your instrument or tape measure and your pattern paper. You will also need a pencil. You can either attach your pencil to the end of the string or cut the string to the desired length of the skirt. Attach the string to the pin, which is placed at the top of the paper, and begin marking as you move the string in a circle on the paper. Mark along the string line. In this sample our skirt is 20 and 1/2 inches, so the string is 20 and 1/2 inches long and as we move it along we begin marking with our pencil, attaching the dots later by drawing from dot to dot. If your paper is not big enough you can fold the paper by folding up one corner to make a triangle. Then double and triple fold it. This makes it faster to draw the circle.
6) The waistline is drawn the same way - from the pin with the string to an estimated length. This is hit or miss, but you should draw your waistline first so you have it to measure your length from (in this sample the length is 20 and 1/2 inches. You will have to measure around the entire circle to see if it is the right waist measurement until you get it correct.
7) Your pattern should be a half circle. You may have to paste it together depending on the size of your paper. You can use regular glue or masking tape.
8) Now that you have your pattern, you can lay it out on your fabric to make your poodle skirt. Find the widest fabric you can find. 60 inch or 45 inch wide is best. Fold your fabric and lay the straight cut or back seam on the fold. Depending on the size of your fabric you may have to cut each piece separately. If you cut each piece separately position your back seam along the selvage.
9) You will only need one seam in your poodle skirt - the back seam. Here you can insert a zipper. If using felt you may not want a zipper. You can just make an opening that can be folded over when you button or fasten at the waistband.
10) For the waistband, cut a strip of fabric the length of your waist plus about 5/8-inch seam allowance, and about 1 and 1/2 inch for the buttonhole and button or other attachment such as a hook and eye. So in this case you would be adding 2 and 1/4 inches to your waist size. The piece of fabric could be 1 and 1/2 inches to 2 and 1/2 inches wide depending on the type of waistband you want. Fold in half and attach to your skirt waist.
11) For the hem, machine stitch around the bottom folding over 1/4 inch and then 3/8 inch. If you are using felt for your poodle skirt it does not have to be hemmed at the bottom and you will not be adding the extra length to the pattern for your hemline. You do have to add the 5/8 inch for the waistline.
To finish up your poodle skirt, attach the poodle and string, either by machine or by hand.
You now have a finished poodle skirt and your are ready for dancing to that familiar Fifties beat. We danced to At the Hop and Hang on Sloopy and a few other catchy Fifties tunes in our nifty poodle skirts.