Any Pettiskirt Tips?

It should be gathered, but you're right, it's not much. The fullness comes when you add the ruffle fluff at the very bottom of the skirt. And remember, there are 2 layers of the skirt- and inside and outside so the skirt is doubled which will help make it not so see-through.
Once you get all the layers and ruffles sewn together, it'll look great!

Thanks Irene. I know i'm getting way too caught up in this!!  I'm sure it'll be nice and full. I've already got the fluff added to the first layer and it certainly looks full. Hopefully I can get the 2nd layer done today!

I've made one too! Photos here:

http://madebybronwyn.blogspot.com/2010/01/pettiskirt-or-what-i-did-on-my-summer.html

Thank you Kerri for wonderful instructions. Only I forgot to take the print out to the fabric shop and bought polyester chiffon! You are absolutely right about it driving you crazy!

I've tried to distill your words into a pattern diagram, which is also on my blog, as I think visually. I hope that it might help someone else.

Thanks again.

Great visual diagram! I think it will help people figure out where everything goes.
The only thing I would point out is that the rufflefluff is not shown on the diagram. For those who skim through and don't read carefully, they might think that the fluff is the 6 piece tier... just a thought!

I have always loved these and they intimidated me, but today I ordered chiffon!! ACK I am so scared/excited! I can't wait to get it in. Does anyone know how long AFC takes to deliver? I want to make it for the rodeo for my daughter in the next two weeks? Thank you so much!

Natalie (My first post)

I soooooo want to have a go at one of these but shipping to the UK is disgusting, I tried having a go with plain polyester chiffon but like everyone says dont bother its a nightmare!! LOL
plus I still need to master my ruffler it has a mind of its own. Have also invested in a gathering foot now, thanks for the tips earlier in this post Irene it might actually gather something the next time I use it.

Hi! I'm new on here and i have a little question about attaching the fluff to the second (top) tier.  I am doing it in the flat.  I made one extremely long fluff piece and I just finished attaching it to the bottom of the third tier... now how should i go about attaching the fluff to the top of the bottom tier?  There aren't any notes in any of the pettiskirts tutorials i've been following on how to go about this.  Should i just leave a small space between one tier and the next or  cut the fluff to start the next tier? Help!

ichi903- I'm not sure I understand your question.
The ruffle fluff is only attached to the very bottom of the skirt. The other tiers are simply gathered and sewn together.

I have seen a lot of people asking about gathering fabric to the skirt. I have tried many many ways and now can make a skirt from start to finish in about an hour. Start at the bottom layer and work up to the top. Also to gather dont waste time on the fancy feet. Take the bobbin tension and set it to the highest you can. Then make sure your top thread is at a standard setting. I can gather everything in about 15 min and then all that is left is setting them back to normal and sewing the pieces together!

I've read through all these tips, and I'm curious - how much chiffon do I ACTUALLY need? I want to make a size 3/4 skirt (22" waist, 14" length") - Grand Canyon says 6 yards total, and another user says 6 yards for the skirt, plus 5 yards for the fluff! ??

In my experience, that's a little more than usual. I agree with 5 yards for the ruffle, but 6 yards for the skirt seems like too much. I used little over 3 yards for the skirt.
It's really hard to accurately predict how much a skirt requires. Every machine gathers differently so you my gather tighter than I which would mean that you would require more fabric than I used. This is probably why no one can agree on yardage.
I would start with 8 and go from there. If you're ordering online, I would order a yard or two more just in case because shipping can be steep. You can always use left over yards to embellish other dresses or shirts. Little girls love that ruffle!

Thank you!! I'll be gathering by hand, but I ordered samples today from AFC-express, to make sure that my machine will behave when faced with yards and yards of slippery chiffon... I had planned on 3 yards for the tiers, and four yards for the fluff. You don't think that will be enough?? It's only a few dollars difference, so I might as well order a bit more! My fluff and skirt will be different colors, so I want to make sure I have enough of each...

Yes, the cost is so little so that's why I think it's better to order a little more. You will probably not use all 5 for the ruffle if you are gathering by hand. The ruffle really eats up fabric.
My machine gathered a 54" strip down to 8" which is why you need so much for the ruffle fluff.
You might try to gather with your machine since it's so much easier. Just set your stitch length to the longest it will go and turn up your tension dial between 7 - 9. I bet you will get nice ruffles and may not need a special foot.

Thanks, Irene! My fabric showed up today (the samples - they came SO fast!) and I'm excited to see if my machine will ruffle it up for me. *grin*

Anybody know where this color chart comes from?

I see alot of the pettiskirt boutiques using it to show what they can make for custom orders but i can't find the place they are ordering their nylon chiffon from using this big ole color chart. I'm dying for some of those colors!!