In 2019 I was asked to alter a costume for a National Character dance. Miss M is a petite dancer and the costume was quite a bit too big for her in some areas.
I was sent the photo by Miss M’s parents. This is a second-hand Hungarian costume. The skirt and apron are too long, the skirt is too big round the waist, the vest is too wide, and it has no petticoats. It was agreed that alterations and petticoats would be made. At an initial discussion and fitting Miss M’s mum showed me how long the teacher had indicated the skirt should be. Having made character skirts and costumes before my estimate of the approximate length was correct.
I began by removing the apron from the skirt after noting down where it was attached, basically centre front of apron to centre front of the skirt. I then took a lot of photos of the apron as I deconstructed it to alter it.
The skirt was shortened and the button to close it moved over 10cms. The vest was taken in at the side seams. This way it can be let out if necessary. I shortened the apron by removing some fabric from the top of the main piece. The lower edge is curved so removing fabric from the straight edge at the top was the easiest solution and would not change the overall look of the apron.
Then it was on to the petticoats. First up was the modesty petticoat. This is a very short petticoat that finishes just below the buttocks. I was pretty sure of the length it needed to be however I confirmed with Margaret who kindly answered my questions.
The modesty petticoat started off as two rectangles, stitched together with the stitching topped partway down the sides, to allow for maximum leg movement. I used polycotton but lycra can also be used.
The modesty petticoat had an elasticated waistband so it would be easy to pull on and off.
Next it was on to the full petticoat. There is more than one way to construct a character petticoat. I had a look in How to Dress Dancers by Mary Kent Harrison and decided to follow her suggestion of a lightweight full circle skirt with layers of tulle.
I used a small piece of card to make sure the distance between layers would be consistent. I found this was quicker than moving my tape measure and re-positioning it each time.
Once I had marked the position of the net layers I stitched basting lines in a contrasting thread so it would be easy to follow them when attaching the net. After the net was stitched on the basting stitches were removed.
Please excuse all background clutter, some is sewing related and some a daughter’s boxed-up belongings as she had recently gone overseas. I don’t currently have a child-size mannequin so the petticoat had a cushion for a body and is hanging from a drying line we have upstairs. This made it easier to steam the net layers.
We had a final fitting to check all the pieces of the costume fitted well. Soon after the competition I received a photo of Miss M on competition day.
I think Miss M looks lovely! Miss M and her parents were happy with the end result. I enjoyed making the petticoats which give the skirts a lot more fullness. The costume now looks a little more as if it was made for Miss M.